Pro-Billy Bragg Anti-Flag will never sag with new CD in the bag

By Eric Jaen
Collegian Editor
April 16, 2008

With two decades worth of political tunes that DDT the man, Anti-Flag has always generated mixed feelings amongst the punk community. After inking a deal with RCA Records back in 2005, however, critics had a field day with the muck-slinging, while many fans felt the move was slightly hypocritical due to the group’s explicit anti-capitalistic views. Fortunately, their major label debut, For Blood and Empire, showed no signs of letting up, and proved to be a record one would expect from Anti-Flag. While still a solid release, longtime listeners may still conceivably question how much longer the Pittsburgh quartet could follow the same formulas for songwriting in the future.

As more information leaked on their newest record, The Bright Lights of America, it became evident that the band was going to experiment with new styles and elements. Whenever a punk band decides to “experiment,” it either works out for the best (i.e. Crime In Stereo’s Is Dead), or their fans turn into big jerks a la Face To Face’s Ignorance is Bliss. Teamed with producer Tony Visconti, it was interesting to hear what kind of ideas they’d come up with to beef up their power chord-driven anthems.

The most noticeable difference on their second major label release is the addition of various orchestral instruments, including cellos, tympani drums, trumpets and saxophones, to name a few. In some cases, these parts almost catch you off guard and may seem to be thrown in willy-nilly at first listen. Once acclimated with the mood of the record, however, all of the added frills begin to sound more cohesive, adding an extra sense of beauty to balance out the more aggressive parts, as can be best heard on “We Are the Lost.”

In a similar fashion, the tracks “Good and Ready” and “The Ink and the Quill” both build up to a unique addition of a children’s choir, which gives them a more epic feel and sets them apart as the opening and closing tracks on the record.

While there are a few more mid-tempo songs featured than usual, such as “If You Wanna Steal” and “Vices,” the track “Spit in the Face” has got to be one of the fastest, hardest-hitting songs Anti-Flag has ever conceived and will surely cause circle pits your mother wouldn’t endorse.

Additionally, “Smartest Bomb” and the title track feature some incredibly catchy hooks, which even the group’s biggest detractors could devour as guilty pleasure. There are also some big surprises stylistically, like the more danceable Against Me!-esque ditty “No Warning” and the more folk oriented sing-a-longs found on “Go West” and the hidden track “Tar and Sagebrush.”

As far as lyrical content goes, those politically charged songs you would come to expect from Anti-Flag are still there, but they also expand those issues into other areas as well. “The Bright Lights of America,” for example, contain the lyrics “I just want you to know/That there are whole houses full of f----- up kids like you and me/So many lost in stride/ caught in an endless fight/to leave this empty ugly place/I’m leaving you at sea!” It seems as if a few tracks deal more with their reactions to what has been going on in the world over the past few years, and a call for a bigger focus on personal relationships rather than trivial needs.

After a few spins, The Bright Lights of America is a very strong effort from Anti-Flag and serves as a testament to the band’s drive to grow as musicians. At some points in the record, it’s hard to imagine that this is the same band that wrote songs like “This is NOT a Crass Song” and “Drink Drank Punk.” A New Kind of Army would still be a better start for new listeners, but Anti-Flag’s latest is definitely not one to sleep on.

jaene1@lasalle.edu