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[Mikes!]

Background: Against Me! was one of punk rock's most promising groups in the early 00s. It started out as one guy singing anarchist ballads with an acoustic guitar, and evolved into a tight group that could rock down a bank vault. Now they've done super weird things. So I ask:

Against Me!, what the fuck happened?

I understood the move to Fat. The guy who runs it is a lame bastard, but everyone else is pretty cool. They help out a ton of good bands, and allow them access to really talented producers. Honestly, I could stick it out-- the first record the guys released under Fat Wreck, while constantly derided by the basement show fans with Defiance, OH buttons on their dirty TimBuk2 bags, really was an impressive effort.

Yes, it was a major stylistic change from Reinventing Axl Rose, and it represented a complete departure from the impoverished-anarcho days. Still, the superb songwriting remained intact. The actually music wasn't bad either! The clangy guitar sound was pretty unique. And on top of all that, the band still maintained it's fury and passion when they played live. My first show grew so intense that the venue actually heated up considerably on a very cold night. The joint was so hot the entire band stripped down to their skivvies, and the boys were pouring sweat. But do you think that stopped 'em? I saw the band again in the spring of '05, and while it didn't get as hot (this venue featured working AC), the fire was still there.

When the newest record came out, Searching for a Former Clarity, I admittedly had a lukewarm response to it. My problem was that, at the time, it seemed pretty overproduced. In addition to that, I was also a little disgusted about one of the subthemes. Against Me! seemed a little too bummed out about the crusties complaining about how their losing their old ideals. But the truth is, all the extra money they got from the rising popularity just went into their record production and promotion. After all, Tom Gable lives out of a storage place. All his crap's in one of those garages, and he sleeps in hotels when he's not on tour.

Let's be realistic. After a certain point, DIY can no longer meet the demands one's rising popularity. It's really unfortunate, but in response, you're forced to settle for the next best thing: Punk industries you can trust. Fat Wreck is far from a greedy corporate powerhouse. They've just got a massive scope of business.

So, they released a music video for the album's first single, and it got MTV play and FUSE circulation. Fuck, they even managed to pick up two stadium shows for Green Day and a Conan O'Brien appearance. I'm not sure if it got mainstream radio airplay because I don't listen to it, but it wouldn't surprise me. All that disturbed me a little. Something terrible had to be around the corner. Regardless, I still went to see them play with the Soviettes, the Epoxies, and Smoke or Fire in the late autumn. The show, of course, featured a solid as fuck lineup. We all had a good time. Everyone in the crowd knew all their songs, so to pass the time before they came on, we did a sing-a-long of their old hits.

Then towards the end of '05, the terrible shit came. Their website featured a single sentence on the "news" section with a cheeky headline:


(Sire, of course, is a subsidiary of Warner. It's significant because they've just signed to a major label.)

Fucking mindboggling! To many, the decision seemed completely worthless because their current record label could easily handle Against Me!'s growing popularity (they cover for bands ten times bigger than AM!). Also, it was a total slap in the face to those who thought their anti-consumerist ideals meant something. I wasn't that irate, though. My opinion was just, "Feh, I guess I'll just illegally download their records now." Because they never really gave a reason for the deal, I had to assume it was for a reasonable thing, despite the above complaints.

But now, after watching their new music video, I don't know what to think. For a song so biting as the one featured, you'd think the video would be appropriately relevant. They had a great chance to come up with something awesome, and instead, they dropped the ball. What's left is some surrealistic, ambiguous shit.

(Hah, after all that, I'm afraid I haven't made any sense. I have the flu, and this medicine's making me feel a little loopy)

[the bunk]

so Mike, I suppose what you're saying is, you are shouting at them

"don't lose touch"!

get it!

haha!


I know nothing of their music


but from that post, it seems you're rather passionate about the band. I watched the video, and I agree. I don't like the surrealistic shit either. However, you've gotten me curious about the band farther than your "what are you listening to" posts, and I'll probably torrent an album of theirs when I get home.

But regardless, I know signing to a huge label is what you indie kids dread most, but my suggestion is to not get in a huge tizzy over this. I mean, you'll always have their old stuff, right?


right??? (I'm probably completely missing the point)
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[Mike Novick]

i was never really into them, but i see where you're coming from.

also, what's wrong with Fat Mike?
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[Mikes!]

Fat Mike's a little too "punx" for my tastes. The rest of the staff are pretty cool though. Four of 'em are tour in a band called Western Addiction every now and then. Check 'em or something. It's quality punk rock.

[Guy]

[the bunk]

[Rocky Sullivan]

I liked some of their earlier songs. At the least, Mike - I'm glad you've stuck with them for much longer than some of their other older fans had - who abandoned them as soon as they signed major.

Bad news, but hey, maybe they'll still put on a good show.
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[Ray]

Eternal Cowboy always seems to surprise me with it's quality.

I gave Searching for a Former Clarity about five minutes of my time. Everything I heard sounded like the same noise, so I just got rid of it.
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here comes the big ideas again, just like they did before and then,
the morning comes again and they're gone

[Empy]

That video was actually pretty sweet. :O
The music was cool, too.
I think I like them.
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beep beep I'm a jeep

[Mikes!]