| by Rachel Alper | 12/03/08 | 247 views |
Rating: 4 out of 5
Song to Download: Re-Education (Through Labor)
The politically lyric driven rock band Rise Against is back with their latest effort, Appeal to Reason. This album is a great listen, but it lacks the same rebellious lyrics and heavy sound that can be found on Rise Against’s four previous albums.
Rise Against is notorious for songs that challenge the institution, the current administration and the war, as can been heard in older songs such as “State of the Union,” “Prayer of the Refugee” and “Black Masks and Gasoline.” Appeal to Reason is not full of the same aggression towards the country as previous albums, but rather towards the world, the media and even the soldiers’ actions in Guantanamo Bay.
Rise Against joins fellow bands Against Me!, the Bouncing Souls and Alkaline Trio in the changing of their sound and lyrics. All four used to be very similar in the rock sound mixed with political messages, but no longer do those exist in the same way they once did.
Not to say the band has completely lost the edgier sound and the rough yet soft vocals of lead singer Tim McIlrath, but this album shows a more melodic sound out of McIlrath. Appeal to Reason is the first time the listener actually hears McIlrath sing on more than two songs. Typically he screams more than singing, so this is a nice difference.
“Re-Education (Through Labor)” and “Collapse (post Amerika)” both capture the hard sound and McIlrath’s raspy vocals older fans know and love. “I won't crawl on my knees for you, I won't believe the lies that hide the truth, I won't sweat one more drop for you,” proclaims McIlrath in the first single from Appeal to Reason “Re-education (Through Labor).” These are the only two songs on the entire album that encompass the older sound of Rise Against.
Other songs however are not as hard and feature McIlrath actually singing rather than screaming or speaking, but the songs are still good. “The Dirt Whispered,” “From Heads Unworthy” and “Kotov Syndrome” all have energetic, catchy choruses that will be screamed by fans at their concerts.
The album also features their second acoustic song, a follow-up to the band’s most popular single, “Swing Life Away.” Their newest acoustic effort is “Hero of War.” Instead of the light-hearted, let’s-get-out-of-this-town mentality of “Swing Life Away,” “Hero of War” captures the issues of soldiers off at war and of the horrific acts of soldiers in Guantanamo Bay and Iraq. McIlrath sings, “We beat him with guns, and batons not just once, but again and again,” and questions how people could see these actions and justify the soldiers as heroes. This brings a different view of the war than Rise Against is known for. The band now tries to understand the troops instead of the government.
Appeal to Reason was the number one downloaded album on iTunes this past week, and it is no wonder why. The album may lack the harder sound found on Rise Against’s last four albums, but it is still a great listen. After several cycles through the album, older fans won’t even notice the differences in this album to their third and best selling album, Siren Song of the Counter Culture, and will find themselves deeply engaged in the lyrics and the music.
Appeal to Reason takes a few listens to appeal to the listener, but once it does, the songs will be stuck in your head and you will find yourself attached to the lyrics like those of their past albums.
     
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University of Delaware
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