Bad Religion “The New America” Atlantic
Records
Bring out the dinosaur! See the world’s oldest punk
rockers! For nearly twenty years now, Bad Religion has upheld its
tradition of contemplative and sharp lyrics and aggressive play.
You might expect the band to be running on fumes now but its
longevity is a result of lyrically striking a chord with people. BR
has essentially been releasing the same album over and over, only
minutely upgrading each album with their improved musical skills.
On its fourteenth full-length album, BR uses a new vehicle to
propagate their sociopolitical intelligence: pop music. Not that
pretty, commercial Britney Spears pop, but the earsplitting,
catchy, adrenaline fueled kind of pop music. BR has rarely sounded
as open and radio-friendly as it does on “The New
America.” Maybe its due to the fact that Todd Rundgren
produced this album and one thing he knows is how to make a song
grab and haunt you. Rundgren is known for his ability to produce
legendary pop music and may seem an unlikely choice. But if you
still stayed a fan when this ultimate indie band signed with a
major label back in “˜93, then this outgrowth shouldn’t
trouble you either. On “A Streetkid Named Desire” Greg
Graffin sings of a teen punk who is a constant victim of hostility
and indifference, while guitarists Brian Baker and Greg Hetson back
it up with treble-charged energy. “You’ve Got a
Chance” resounds the same kind of intensity, while Graffin
condemns discrimination. On “Believe It,” Graffin
reunites with a long lost friend, Bad Religion founder and Epitaph
Records foreman Brett Gurewitz. This cut is packed with hardcore
dynamism, galloping beats and sporadic gushes of catchy harmony.
However, its twist on computer sex “I Love My Computer”
is exactly the opposite of the band’s serious image,
it’s silly. The lyrics are thoughtlessly weak: “I get
turned on when I turn you on…You can be a princess or you can be
my whore.” For most part, “The New America” is a
good post-punk rock record but it doesn’t stand out much from
most of Bad Religion’s back catalog. You can expect an album
full of intelligent criticisms toward the usual suspects: the
corrupted government, religious fanatics, blind radicals, etc. You
can also welcome Graffin’s thesaurus back after collecting
dust on the shelf for a couple years. Stylistically the songs are
all very much Bad Religion standards, but there are no new killer
songs. “The New America” proves the band couldn’t
just systematically generate them forever. Like all the
band’s other albums, there is an abundance of energetic,
literate and catchy songs, which has always served as its calling
card.
Judy Pak Rating: 6 The Jayhawks “Smile”
Columbia There’s an endearing, likeable quality that
runs throughout “Smile,” but it isn’t enough to
save the album from a lack of interesting material. Still, the lead
single “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” is fun and
engaging — a likely hit. The strength of “I’m Gonna
Make You Love Me” is in the memorable chorus. The only other
song on “Smile” that could be considered an unmitigated
success, “Queen of the World,” also owes its allure to
its chorus, which in this case is effective sing-along-style power
pop. Unfortunately, in most of the songs there simply isn’t
enough going on. That refers to both the music, which usually
maintains a soft rock feel that quickly moves from pleasant to
boring, and lyrics, which are never really bad, but are also never
particularly insightful or interesting. “Somewhere in
Ohio” and “(In My) Wildest Dreams” start with
what sounds like dance or hip-hop beats, but these intriguing
beginnings quickly disappear as the songs transform into the same
general mold as the ones that came before and after them.
It’s as if the openings were made separate from the
remainders of the songs, without regard for how the two pieces
would fit together. It’s a shame that “Smile”
disappoints so often, because this is the kind of music (fun,
harmless and certainly competent from a technical standpoint) that
you want to like. The album features a lot of filler, however, and
nothing that could really be described as innovative or unique.
Gideon Cross Rating: 4
Heal The Bay “The Solution” Mojo
Imagine that you are a surfer lobbying to keep the precious beaches
clean. You attempt to persuade others to join your cause by playing
music that relates to the problem at hand. Now, you’re
probably expecting something like Michael Jackson’s
“Heal the World” or, to a lesser extent, “Wipe
Out.” But, instead, the new CD you’ve bought busts out
with Blink 182’s live version of “Dammit.” So
much for healing the bay. The preceding situation, though
far-fetched, is not an impossible result of this two CD set that
strives to bring together 24 environmental-related performances
from 24 different bands. From well-known groups like Reel Big Fish
to virtually unknown groups like The Killingtons, the album fails
to address water pollution and doesn’t really offer a
solution either. Some songs, like “Gritty Shaker,” by
David Holmes, don’t have anything to do with the ocean. You
can delve into the song’s metaphysical and existential level
all you want and still won’t be unable to find anything. A
real disappointment is the similarity of many of the songs. Mere
listening can prove a task too daunting when you’re listening
to a song that you swear you just heard two tracks ago. Not only do
they sound the same, but they don’t even flow harmoniously
like most compilations do. This is not to say that the album is a
failure. It still possesses many great songs that resonate
individually. It even contains some relevant songs, like
“Part II (Endangered),” by Styles of Beyond, which
addresses humankind’s destructive capacity. If the album were
named “Random Songs From Random Groups,” there might
have been some redemption for this bizarre anthology. However, the
album serves a very noble purpose in wanting to rectify a problem
dear to many of us and doesn’t really deliver. So, unless you
like a lot of random songs, leave this one on the shelf. Or, if you
really want to impress people, ditch the headphones and go heal the
bay yourself. Nima Abtahi Rating: 4