Rise Against - Siren Song Of The Counter Culture
Rise Against
Siren Song Of The Counter Culture
Politics and music. Not always the happiest of bedfellows. System of a Down do it well, yet Kinesis split because no-one cared. At all. The latest in the line of political rockers are Rise Against. And to give them credit they pull it off really well. Ok, so their album has been out in the US for a few months, but only now has their record company kindly got round to giving the British fans the songs that should have been the soundtrack to the anti-war march.
If ‘Give It All’ doesn’t make you want to stand up and rebel against everything that the government can throw at us, then nothing will. Exploding in under three minutes, it is more urgent and anthemic than pretty much anything else in the politico-punk genre. Rise Against have a great live reputation, and this album does this justice.
‘State of the Union’ and ‘Blood to Bleed’ are compact slices of energy and emotion, with the raw passion of singer Tim McIllrath’s vocals soaring over the top. Not all the record is pedal to the metal punk rock however, acoustic track ‘Swing Life Away’ is one of the most perfect songs you’ll hear all year. It is proof of the amazing range of Rise Against. Political punk they may be, but label them exclusively as that at your peril.
They’re playing in the Lock Up tent at the Carling Festivals at Reading and Leeds this summer and have promised to return for a full tour later in the year. Rise Against are the band for the underdogs. They play with true passion, making music that transmits a message as well as rocking hard. The bottom line, ladies and gentlemen, is that they give it their all. Amen to that.
2nd Jun 2005