Sire – Release Date: 6/8/10

White Crosses is Against Me!’s second major label offering, and by industry standards, this time it’s platinum or bust. Their last album, New Wave, was critically-acclaimed and achieved modest commercial success, but now they need to move at least a million units, as the music bigwigs say, to keep things above water. Whether or not that will happen has yet to be determined, though with a hit single like “I was a Teenage Anarchist”, newfound levels of achievement could likely lie in the band’s future. The song addresses singer/guitarist Tom Gabel’s youth, takes aim at the group’s haters and above all, is a quintessential summertime anthem. It’s tailor-made for full-volume highway sing-along sessions, with its plethora of sunny melodies and an abundance of beefy hooks. Another bright spot is “Because of the Shame”, even if sounds a bit too much like Bruce Springsteen’s “No Surrender”. The song’s driving rhythm is propelled by an array of rousing backing vocals and a tasteful piano accompaniment, both of which would surely make The Boss proud. Another positive is “Rapid Decompression”, as it harkens back to the band’s punk rock roots, romps along with snarled hostility and clocks-in at less than two minutes. Sadly, the remaining tracks don’t fare so well. Musically speaking, most of them stray too far from what the group’s known for, (and adept at) while from a lyrical stance, many of the entries seem uninspired. Also disappointing is the fact that the addition of drummer extraordinaire George Rebelo, (Hot Water Music) goes virtually unnoticed, as his playing seems stifled and predictable. In the end, this is by no means Against Me!’s best record. There are certainly a couple of great songs present, but unfortunately they’re outweighed by the ones that lie beyond the band’s comfort zone. Trying new ideas is never a bad formula, but sometimes when you lean too far on a limb the branch snaps, and such is the case with White Crosses.