White Crosses

The surprise is in just how much White Crosses succeeds at blurring the dividing line between punk rock ethos and boistrous radio rock.

2007's New Wave was an artistic and commercial breakthrough for Against Me!, the formerly stripped-down punk act, setting frontman Tom Gabel's strident, socially aware lyrics against melodic hooks via producer Butch Vig. That relationship is revisited on White Crosses.

Packed with bloated hooks, White Crosses is meant to be easily digestible: "Suffocation" and the title track glide effortlessly on shining guitar riffs, while "I Was A Teenage Anarchist" and "Bamboo Bones" explode with soaring harmony.

A triumph. [29 Oct 2011, p.52]

Sure, White Crosses is the most polished and pop-inflected album of Against Me!'s polarizing punk career--but underneath the studio sheen, the Butch Vig-produced disc also contains some of the band's best material to date. [Jul/Aug 2010, p.92]

Against Me!'s roots in punk and newfound interest in arena-rock should make them doubly disposed against any kind of subtlety, which makes it all the more refreshing when White Crosses only occasionally veers into the self-serious terrain for which both genres are known.

The biggest criticism that can be labelled at White Crosses is that its best two songs are its first two â?? a politely rousing title-track that sheds its skin at the first chorus, followed by lead-off single I Was a Teenage Anarchist. The latter handily epitomises everything that people liked about Against Me! in the first place â?? a brightly intelligent polemic, only this time itâ??s trained on the close-minded futility of scenester punks.

The album is packed full of glossy guitar riffs, silly sing a long lyrics, and bombastic arena-rock choruses.

White Crosses is all shiny and fresh and proudly expedient, without proving a thing except that Against Me! are fully capable of doing it again.

Mostly known for delivering folk-punk anthems, Against Me! delivers a no-fuss rock collection with its latest release.

White Crosses is a huge, mainstream rock album that draws as much from Bruce Springsteen and U2 as it does from their own folk-punk roots.

He can disavow his youthful rage all day, but Gabel is at his best when he's feisty.

White Crosses is a big-sounding album with a blue-collar soul, but though the guitars may aim for the rafters alongside lofty, singalong choruses, the songwriting ultimately comes off safer and more commonplace than anything they've done yet.

It's great to know the band still have some ire burning, but White Crosses is a crushing listen for someone who bought into Against Me!'s revolution.

Against Me! were great because of their flaws, not in spite of them--White Crosses just isn't that much fun to listen to. [Jun 2010, p.102]

The arena-huge tunes can get a little overbearing, but cuts like the title track â?? where Gabel yearns to smash white crosses displayed by anti-abortion activists â?? are righteous, churning gut-rollers.