White Crosses | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 8, 2010 [1] | |||
Recorded | August–October 2009 | |||
Studio | Eldorado Recording Studios, Burbank, CA [1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 36:06 | |||
Label | Sire, Total Treble (Reissue) | |||
Producer | Butch Vig, Alan Moulder (mixer) [1] | |||
Against Me! chronology | ||||
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Singles from White Crosses | ||||
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White Crosses is Against Me!'s fifth studio album, and their second to be released on Sire Records. As with its predecessor, 2007's New Wave , the album was produced by Butch Vig. [4] It is also the only Against Me! album to feature George Rebelo, drummer of Hot Water Music, following the departure of previous drummer Warren Oakes.
Recording began in August 2009, finishing two months later. The mixing and mastering of the album finished in February 2010, and it was released June 8. [1] The initial pressing of the record included four bonus tracks. [5] This is also the last album prior to Laura Jane Grace's transition.
On March 17, 2010, their first video from the album, "Rapid Decompression," was released online via AOL Spinner. [6] A four-track digital EP for "I Was a Teenage Anarchist" was released as the first single from the album, on April 7, 2010. [7]
The two outtakes from the White Crosses sessions are "David Johansen's Soul", [8] [9] of which an acoustic version was released on Black Crosses, and "Dead Generations", [10] which remains[ as of? ] unreleased in any form.
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 77/100 [11] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AbsolutePunk | 83% [12] |
AllMusic | [4] |
The A.V. Club | B+ [13] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ [14] |
LAS Magazine | 9.4/10 [15] |
PopMatters | 7/10 [16] |
Punknews.org | [17] |
Slant Magazine | [3] |
Spin | 7/10 [2] |
White Crosses received generally favorable critical reception, [11] despite being leaked three months before its retail release date. [18] The album was mainly praised for its success in merging Against Me!'s long-time punk rock style with, according to critics, a newfound ethos of "arena-" or "radio rock", through its melody and "big" sound. [12] [15] [13]
All tracks are written by Laura Jane Grace
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "White Crosses" | 3:36 |
2. | "I Was a Teenage Anarchist" | 3:15 |
3. | "Because of the Shame" | 4:21 |
4. | "Suffocation" | 3:56 |
5. | "We're Breaking Up" | 3:57 |
6. | "High Pressure Low" | 4:13 |
7. | "Ache with Me" | 3:38 |
8. | "Spanish Moss" | 3:51 |
9. | "Rapid Decompression" | 1:46 |
10. | "Bamboo Bones" | 3:35 |
Total length: | 36:06 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
11. | "One by One" | 3:34 |
12. | "Bob Dylan Dream" | 2:59 |
13. | "Lehigh Acres" | 3:33 |
14. | "Bitter Divisions" | 4:02 |
Total length: | 50:10 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
11. | "Lehigh Acres" | 3:33 |
12. | "Bob Dylan Dream" | 2:59 |
13. | "One by One" | 3:34 |
14. | "Bitter Divisions" | 4:02 |
Total length: | 50:10 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
15. | "I Was a Teenage Anarchist" (acoustic) | 3:38 |
Total length: | 53:48 |
Black Crosses | ||||
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Demo album by | ||||
Released | July 26, 2011 | |||
Recorded | 2009, Goldentone Studios, Gainesville, Florida February 2010, Crescendo Studios | |||
Genre | Punk rock, alternative rock | |||
Length | 43:07 | |||
Label | Total Treble, Xtra Mile Recordings | |||
Producer | Against Me! | |||
Against Me! chronology | ||||
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In 2011 Against Me! launched their own record label, Total Treble Music, reissuing White Crosses with an added disc titled Black Crosses consisting of demos from 2009 (referred to as the Goldentone Studio versions) and acoustic sessions from 2010. The reissue features original artwork by Steak Mtn and a 32-page booklet with lyrics and additional artwork, and was released July 26, 2011, on compact disc and as a music download, and August 9 as a triple LP; [19] it became available in the UK and Europe in November from the band's UK label Xtra Mile Recordings. [20]
All tracks are written by Laura Jane Grace
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "White Crosses" (Goldentone) | 3:14 |
2. | "I Was a Teenage Anarchist" (acoustic) | 3:39 |
3. | "Because of the Shame" (acoustic) | 4:28 |
4. | ""The Western World"" (Goldentone; Demo version of "Suffocation") | 3:55 |
5. | "Strip Mall Parking Lots" (Goldentone) | 2:21 |
6. | "High Pressure Low" (acoustic) | 4:18 |
7. | ""Hot Shots"" (Goldentone; officially untitled [22] ) | 1:49 |
8. | "Spanish Moss" (Goldentone) | 2:22 |
9. | "Rapid Decompression" (Goldentone) | 1:45 |
10. | "Soul Surrender" (Goldentone) | 2:06 |
11. | "Lehigh Acres" (Goldentone) | 3:36 |
12. | "David Johansen's Soul" (acoustic) | 2:49 |
13. | "One by One" (acoustic) | 3:35 |
14. | "Bitter Divisions" (Goldentone) | 3:10 |
Total length: | 43:07 |
Chart (2010) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard 200 [23] | 34 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [24] | 87 |
Greek Albums (IFPI) [25] | 23 |
Bryan David "Butch" Vig is an American musician, record producer, and songwriter who is the drummer and co-producer of the rock band Garbage. Vig has produced for several alternative rock acts of the 1990s, including Nirvana, the Smashing Pumpkins, L7, and Sonic Youth. Vig is best known for producing the diamond-selling Nirvana album Nevermind (1991). His work on the latter earned him the nickname the Nevermind Man. Other notable production credits of Vig include L7's Bricks are Heavy (1992) and the Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream (1993).
Against Me! is an American punk rock band, formed in 1997 in Naples, Florida by singer and guitarist Laura Jane Grace. That same year, Grace moved to Gainesville, Florida, which is considered the band's hometown. Since 2001, the band's lineup has also included guitarist James Bowman. After releasing three studio albums through independent record labels, Against Me! moved to Sire Records for 2007's New Wave, which reached no. 57 on the Billboard 200. In 2011, the band launched the record label Total Treble.
Against Me! Is Reinventing Axl Rose is the debut album by the American punk rock band Against Me!, released on March 5, 2002 under No Idea Records. It was the group's first release as a full band with electric guitars, bass guitar, and drums. The album was produced by Rob McGregor, who would also produce the band's second album Against Me! as the Eternal Cowboy (2003). The album's title references Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose, illustrated on the cover.
"In Bloom" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It appears as the second track on the band's second album, Nevermind, released by DGC Records in September 1991.
"Sex Is Not the Enemy" was a single released from alternative rock band Garbage's fourth album Bleed Like Me (2005).
Searching for a Former Clarity is the third album by the Gainesville, Florida punk rock band Against Me!, produced by J. Robbins and released on September 6, 2005, by Fat Wreck Chords. Supported by singles and music videos for the songs "Don't Lose Touch" and "From Her Lips to God's Ears ", it was their first album to chart on the Billboard 200, reaching #114. It also reached #9 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart. Singer/guitarist Laura Jane Grace has described Searching for a Former Clarity as a concept album.
Against Me! as the Eternal Cowboy is the second studio album by the punk rock band Against Me!, released on November 3, 2003 by Fat Wreck Chords. It was the group's first release for the label and their first album with bassist Andrew Seward, who had replaced original bassist Dustin Fridkin the previous year. The album was produced by Rob McGregor, who had also produced their first album Against Me! Is Reinventing Axl Rose (2002). Two singles were released in support of the album, "Cavalier Eternal" and "Sink, Florida, Sink", though each features different versions of the songs than those found on the album. As the Eternal Cowboy was Against Me!'s first album to reach the Billboard charts, reaching No. 36 on Top Independent Albums.
Against Me!, also known as The Acoustic EP, is the second widely distributed release by the punk band Against Me!. No tracks on the album contain any electric instruments or drums, only acoustic guitars and an acoustic bass. The original vinyl version, released November 2001, had four tracks, and two extra songs were included on the CD version released in February 2003. Electric versions of several songs appeared on the band's debut full-length Against Me! Is Reinventing Axl Rose.
Laura Jane Grace is an American musician best known as the founder, lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the punk rock band Against Me!. In addition to Against Me!, Grace fronts the band Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers, a solo project she started in 2016. Grace is notable for being one of the first highly visible punk rock musicians to publicly come out as transgender, which she did in May 2012. She released her debut solo studio album, Stay Alive, in 2020, followed by Hole in My Head (2024).
"We're Never Going Home" is the first DVD release of the Gainesville, Florida folk punk band Against Me!, produced by Jake Burghart and presented by Fat Wreck Chords. The feature presentation of the DVD follows the band on their United States tour that spanned from April 1 to May 2 of 2004 and also featured the hardcore punk band Planes Mistaken for Stars and the punk band No Choice.
New Wave is Against Me!'s fourth full-length studio album and their debut album on Sire Records. Produced by Butch Vig of Nevermind fame, it was released on July 10, 2007. The album's first single, "White People for Peace", was released in May 2007, prior to the album's release. A second single, "Thrash Unreal", followed in July 2007.
"Stop!" is a single by punk group Against Me!. It is the third single from their album New Wave. The video game, Rock Band, features this song as downloadable content.
Heart Burns is the debut solo extended play by American singer-songwriter Laura Jane Grace, released under her birth name. It was released October 28, 2008 on Sire Records.
"I Was a Teenage Anarchist" is a song by the Gainesville, Florida-based punk rock band Against Me!, released as the first single from their 2010 album White Crosses. The single was released as a four-track digital download through various online music stores on April 6, 2010, including the additional album track "Rapid Decompression" and two B-sides from the album's sessions, "One by One" and "Bitter Divisions". A 7" single was released on April 17 in conjunction with Record Store Day, with an acoustic version of "I Was a Teenage Anarchist" featuring as the B-side.
"White Crosses" is the second single, from the album of the same name by Against Me!, released exclusively in the United Kingdom as a digital download, made available from August 31, 2010, on iTunes.
"High Pressure Low" is the third single from Against Me!'s fifth studio album White Crosses, released as a 7" vinyl single on December 21, 2010 on Sabot Productions.
"Russian Spies" / "Occult Enemies" is a single from Against Me!, released as a 7" vinyl single on June 14, 2011 on Sabot Productions.
"Anna Is a Stool Pigeon" is a single from Against Me! singer/songwriter Laura Jane Grace, released under her birth name. The song was released as a 7" vinyl single on November 11, 2008 on Sabot Productions. This song relates the true story of Eric McDavid and "Anna". It was Grace's only solo single until her cover of "The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton" by The Mountain Goats for the podcast I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats in 2017.
Transgender Dysphoria Blues is the sixth studio album by American punk rock band Against Me!, released on January 21, 2014 by Total Treble Music and Xtra Mile Recordings. The album deals with gender dysphoria, following Laura Jane Grace's gender transition and coming out.
James Robert Bowman is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the punk rock band Against Me!. Starting as a solo act in 1997, Against Me! eventually expanded into a quartet, having currently released seven studio albums.
They're vets now, but they're still an evolving band that's yet to figure out anything as big as the world or as small as their own sound. And they're probably better for it.
Diehards in the punk scene won't like it specifically because it's meant to be inclusive, but based purely on music and message, New Wave and White Crosses prove that powerful albums don't have to sidestep the mainstream.
…whaddaya know, it is possible to merrily sing along with lines like 'We were bashing our brains out on a kitchen cabinet.'
White Crosses is no retread. Rather, it's an even more focused, equally compelling follow-up to 2007's arena-punk juggernaut New Wave. Maybe even better.
White Crosses is a huge, mainstream rock album that draws as much from Bruce Springsteen and U2 as it does from Against Me!'s own folk-punk roots. Sorry, bitter old-school fans, but it's really, really good.
It's a logical growth from New Wave, with Butch Vig again manning the soundboards, but it's one that I can't grow with.
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