Anti-Flag

Their System Doesn't Work For You (2001)

When you hear the name Anti-Flag you usually think anti government and this cd lives up to that thought . It features the original Anti-Flag line up: Justin Sane with his unique whining voice and guitar talent, Pat Thetic's drumming skills and Andy Flag with his additional vocals and bass expertise. This cd offers moderately fast pace sloppy punk music that is fun, but also carries great meaningful lyrics. I enjoy this cd so much because you can tell the band expresses their true feelings in both the music and the lyrics. They say what is on their mind and this means a lot in today's world.

The very first song "I cant stand being with you" gives you a great taste as to what lies ahead and makes you want to continue listening. Song #3 is probably one of my favorite songs on this cd the way both vocalist sing and the fantastic lyrics send a chill down my spine, it is called "We've got his gun". It is about a young child who shoots himself with his fathers gun while playing. The song is full of emotion and really gets their meaning through. #6 "You'll Scream Tonight" is a slower song but is no less powerful. You can actually hear the rage and hostility in Justin's voice "Some fucking rich kid crying cause her boyfriend left her cold well why the fuck is this shit playing over the air? To make us feel sorry for some fucking millionaire?" That small sample from the song gives you an idea of what it is about. But just as this cd makes me angry and depressed it cheers me right back up with song #7 "Indie sux, hardline sux, emo sux, you suck!" This song pokes fun at some stereotypes of other music genres and life styles. It even has a "special note" above the lyrics in the booklet that is around 3 paragraphs long. It basically says that the song is a joke and makes fun of close minded people, it also says that the only serious part in the song is the part about hardliners.

This cd has great back vocals and because of the 2 vocalists this band has the advantage of offering a variety of styles. Also it has some great unreleased songs most of which are live. The music style is very similar in every song which is what makes Anti-Flag who they are. This cd is among my top 10 it makes me laugh it makes me think and it gives me an assortment of emotions and is a true punk rock cd.

I suggest if you like Anti-Flag this cd is a must for your collection. Songs I recommend you check out are "20 Years of Hell", "Indie sux, hardline sux, emo sux, you suck!", "We've got his gun", "Born to Die", and "You'll Scream Tonight". After you hear these songs just buy the whole cd, because they are all amazing.