Category: | Review - Internet | Publish date: | 5/24/2000 |
Source: | dailybruin.com | ||
Synopsis: |
The New America
dailybruin.com, May 24, 2000
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.