Against Me!: New Wave

I have no idea what to make of this album. It's rare. Usually I can just listen and immediately categorize.

"Emo trash!"

"Hipster garbage!"

"Slayer wannabes!"

"Complete and utter crap!"

"Aggravating noise that makes me ashamed to be an American."

For the record, my categories are quite critical.

But the newest disc from Against Me! is confounding. I mean, I guess it's punk. The term itself is so general and vague to begin with, so what the hell. They were on Fat Wreck Chords, the vocals are guttural, and the riffs are driving, loud, and in your face, but all with foot-tappy and head-bobby kind of groove.

Then again, they're from Florida. And not backwater Florida; that might be alright. These guys are from Naples, perhaps the single most wussy place in the entire world besides The Album is called, 'New Wave,' this disc was produced by Butch Vig. All very un-punk.

But yeah. . .it's fun to listen to. But I've been through the whole thing twice, and still don't know where I stand. I think I like it, but if i do, I'm not sure why. . .As I said, I don't know what to make of this album.

Feldheimers? A little help here?

The Best of the Statler Brothers

We all know the scene in Pulp Fiction where butch sees Marcellus Wallace crossing the street. Bruce Willis' character is singing the song, "Flowers on the wall." It's a great tune, but is by no means the best track on one of the forty or so albums this group have released.

And it has nothing whatsoever to do with weird basement sodomy no matter how gay these guys seem



So I give you eleven of the Statler Brothers' greatest hits. This music I hold dear for a number of reasons:

1) My dad made me listen to it on road trips as a kid.
2) They're the STATLER brothers
3) The vocal harmonies made me want to sing
4) I am not as good a singer as these dudes.

Song's Like Bed of Rose's about a whore. Do You Remember These with its do do doh doh doh Whooo ending is the equivalent of 'LOL3RZ! you were born in the 80's!!!!!1!! if this makes sense' groups on Facebook. Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott with lines like, 'Disney's dead and the screen is filled with sex' doesn't really rhyme, but it doesn't matter

Key changes are tastefully (ab)used and the sweeping choruses of Susan When She Tried The Class of '57 are heightened by the range of voices that would strike fear in the hearts of your average Ivy a capella group.

These guys rock as much as a barbershop quartet possibly can