Against Me!

As The Eternal Cowboy (2003)

Andy

If six strings ever had a chance to liberate – this is it.

With 6 cylinders of sweat drenched aggression Against Me! delivers the most pivotal release since "London Calling" and, therein lies its importance: uncompromised progress. By straying from their solitarily acoustic roots, much as Strummer strayed from his mold, Against Me!'s musical step forward is going to disenfranchise a few with its unparalleled progress. Essentially, this will serve as the transition chapter of a musical trilogy. There is already the amazing beginning (self-titled 7" and Crime 7"), and now with The Eternal Cowboy there is an amazing middle, perhaps the future holds a closing chapter that will transcend all the others.

As a band, the most flattering quality of Against Me! is that they aren't preaching from a high plateau. Rather, they are in the trenches with us. With this release you get the feeling that you're plotting the revolution with them, as opposed to numbly following along. Despite their musical reach, they still feel romantically close; almost like something that is too good to let go. But, with The Eternal Cowboy, the wolves are set free.

Musically, Against Me! rises above labeling; ‘folk', ‘punk', and ‘rock' all fit. Quintessentially they are music: pure emotion with a beat. Perhaps Best Buy has it right when they call them "pop", as in popular, as in you can throw away your Good Charlotte CD and join the revolution. As painful as it may be, this music is too urgent to not be heard. And, with any luck it won't go unheard.