> Switch to Advanced Search

New & Current Releases
Archives: A-Z Index
Advanced Search

Upcoming Release Calendar
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Music In Our Forums

sort by name

sort by score

80 American Music Club
61 Anti-Flag
71 Apes
69 The Apples In Stereo
81 Atlas Sound
68 Atmosphere
71 Autechre
79 Kevin Ayers
62 B-52s
82 Erykah Badu
68 Bauhaus
70 Be Your Own Pet
73 Beach House
72 Bell X1
65 The Big Sleep
74 The Black Crowes
77 The Black Keys
88 Bon Iver
75 Boris
71 Born Ruffians
72 Billy Bragg
74 The Breeders
50 The Brian Jonestown Massacre
80 British Sea Power
73 Cadence Weapon
67 Mariah Carey
87 Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
68 Clinic
78 The Constantines
74 Elvis Costello & The Impostors
63 Counting Crows
74 Crystal Castles
59 Danity Kane
53 Craig David
75 Ray Davies
80 Death Cab For Cutie
61 Gavin DeGraw
69 Del The Funky Homosapien
78 Destroyer
79 DeVotchKa
77 diskJokke
81 The Dodos
59 Does It Offend You, Yeah?
57 Mike Doughty
67 Justin Townes Earle
74 Kathleen Edwards
82 Elbow
66 Elf Power
72 Estelle
70 Evangelista
66 The Feeling
77 Tim Fite
79 Flight Of The Conchords
54 Flo Rida
77 Flogging Molly
75 Foals
82 Frightened Rabbit
80 Fuck Buttons
61 Ghostland Observatory
76 Gnarls Barkley
78 Goldfrapp
66 The Gossip
70 Grand Archives
60 Adam Green
61 Guillemots
80 The Gutter Twins
77 Headlights
86 Hercules And Love Affair
78 Howlin Rain
68 Alan Jackson
61 Janet Jackson
58 Junkie XL
74 The Kills
79 Kaki King
65 The Kooks
54 Kula Shaker
69 Lady Antebellum
66 Ladyhawk
71 Daniel Lanois
77 The Last Shadow Puppets
63 Leona Lewis
71 Jamie Lidell
73 The Long Blondes
79 Los Campesinos!
64 Lyrics Born
71 M83
66 Madonna
76 Stephen Malkmus
75 Man Man
80 Matmos
83 James McMurtry
70 Colin Meloy
72 Tift Merritt
83 Meshuggah
65 Kylie Minogue
63 Moby
67 Allison Moorer
63 Morcheeba
69 Van Morrison
74 The Mountain Goats
75 Murder By Death
75 Mystery Jets
79 Neon Neon
79 The Night Marchers
64 Nine Inch Nails
76 Nine Inch Nails
78 No Age
68 No Kids
80 Jim Noir
70 Panic At The Disco
73 Dolly Parton
74 Pete & The Pirates
75 Phantom Planet
74 Plants and Animals
85 Portishead
56 The Presidents Of The United States Of America
76 Pride Tiger
65 The Proclaimers
78 Prodigy [of Mobb Deep]
79 R.E.M.
76 The Raconteurs
72 The Raveonettes
87 Robyn
69 Pete Rock
74 The Rolling Stones
80 The Roots
59 Rick Ross
77 The Ruby Suns
81 Santogold
76 She & Him
51 Simple Plan
65 Ashlee Simpson
71 Snoop Dogg
81 Sun Kil Moon
67 Supergrass
79 Switches
72 The Sword
70 Tall Firs
61 Tapes 'n Tapes
64 The Teenagers
76 These New Puritans
71 These United States
78 Thrice
69 Tokyo Police Club
78 Jim White
76 Why?
62 Widespread Panic
76 Young Knives

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

The Bright Lights Of America
by Anti-Flag


7.0

based on 7 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 5 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

Official Artist Site

The ninth album for the quartet from Pittsburg, Pa., was produced by Tony Visconti.

LABEL:	RCA
RELEASE DATE:	01 April 2008
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Rock, Punk

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Alternative Press

Bright Lights is a super-serious record that demostrates some super-serious song craft. [May 2008, p.130]

The New York Times

Their sound--enhanced by the energies of a second guitarist, Chris Head, and a bassist, Chris #2--literally urges participation. Every song’s chorus helpfully comes prearranged as a sing-along: no room for sullenness here.

NOW Magazine

On their seventh disc, the music successfully carries the message, thanks in no small part to Bowie/Morrissey/T. Rex producer extraordinaire Tony Visconti, who pumps even more life into these loud, rousing singalong choruses and driving power chords without sacrificing dynamics or naked emotion.

The Onion (A.V. Club)

Too much of the disc, like the histrionic "The Modern Rome Burning," swipes singsong, folk-stoked stridency from Against Me! and American Steel; the rest of it throws random orchestration at the wall and misses it altogether.

Rolling Stone

The Bright Lights of America, Anti-Flag's second major-label album and eighth overall, proves for the billionth time that good intentions don't always make good music.

Spin

Unfortunately, despite now working with David Bowie producer Tony Visconti, who infuses their angular, system-smashing screeds with timpani ("Good and Ready"), brass ("Shadow of the Dead"), and harmonica ("Go West"), Anti-Flag still don't possess the innate pop sensibility that's allowed Against Me! to make a mainstream move.

Sputnikmusic

The ambitious sound of The Bright Lights of America is a dreadful fifty-two minutes long; with an average song length over three minutes.

The average user rating for this album is 7.0 (out of 10) based on 5 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Ahmet gave it a10:
This is Anti-Flag. They're fighters of the old-school punk.

Steve gave it a9:
This is the first I have heard of Anti-Flag, so I have no previous work to compare to but I liked this a lot. Not necessarily punk in the purest sense, but each song delivers something worthwhile.

Discuss this album in our forums

Return to top of page

The Bright Lights Of America by Anti-Flag

The Bright Lights Of America
by Anti-Flag