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I'm not the type to yell "sellout!" when
a band signs to a major label. Sometimes it's a
good step for them. I might blink once or twice
when it's a band like Anti-Flag,
who've made their reputation cursing big business
and the government, but hey, whatever. I will, however,
be the first one to point out when a band starts
sounding more like Good Charlotte than their former
selves. Sorry, guys.
For Blood and Empire
starts off with a track that could've fit onto
their previous album (which I liked a lot, by
the way), at least sound-wise. From there, it
takes a detour through several different styles,
from hints of the Beastie Boys to bits of Against
Me! and AFI. They haven't cut down on the political
content, which is still about as subtle as Fahrenheit,
9/11, but there are quite a few tracks, especially
in the middle of the album ("The Project
for a New American Century," "Hymn for
the Dead," and "This is the End (For
You My Friend)") that are screaming out for
radio airplay.
Anti-Flag really wants to be the voice of a generation,
with song titles that read like a protest sign
and their slow climb up the ladder of fame, jumping
from label to label. And I can't fault the sentiment
behind the songs--if one kid learns to think about
what he hears on the news or in school from a
song by Anti-Flag, then that's worth jumping to
a major label. There's some fun in this record,
but it's nowhere near the level of their last
one.
www.rcarecords.com
-Sarah Jaffe, April 25, 2006
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