|
|
|
Anti-Flag - The People Or The Gun
| Nme |
| Everything about ‘TPOTG’ makes good sense right now. Pittsburgh’s Anti-Flag are still the fastest-playing vocal troupe around on their seventh full-length offering and guess what? They’re taking it out on the economy. From the word go on ‘Sodom, Gomorrah, Washington DC (Sheep In Shepherd’s Clothing)’ the familiar flipping the bird to all things governmental takes centre stage. Then there’s ‘The Economy Is Suffering… Let It Die’ and ‘The Gre(a)t Depression’… They get the sentiment of a thousand anguished FT editorials across in a mere 30 minutes. The hidden track is a-minute-long final blast into why we dig these angry, passionate American punks....full text |
|
|
| Allmusic |
| After spending a few years consorting with the big corporate enemy -- just long enough to make two albums that were commercially viable enough to reach the mainstream -- Anti-Flag jumped ship from RCA. The group chalked up their stint on a major label as a chance taken and an opportunity fulfilled, where they got their anti-authoritarianism /anti-establishment/anti-consumerist mission statements out to a broader range of kids, and after a switch to Side One Dummy, they vowed to return to the raw punk music of their roots. Ditching the slick production of For Blood and Empire and the especially glossy Tony Visconti produced Bright Lights of America for the grimier People or the Gun, their tenth album plays more like early day Rancid than latter day Green Day. That's not to say that they've toned down their unpatriotic American Idiot viewpoints. There's no sense Bush-bashing after George W. has left office, but there's still a lot to address, especially with the economy left in shambles. "The Economy Is Suffering -- Let It Die" speaks on this topic directly, stating that bail-out proposals only help the CEOs, banks, and corporate lawyers who caused the economy to crash; not the common people who actually need it. Justin Case and his band are as brash as ever here; rejuvenated and back in their comfort zone on an indie label. Taking yet another soapbox stand against big corporations, the government, organized religion, and even their Warped Tour peers, their pro-underdog, working class messages sound even more poignant in this crude, mid-'90s recording style. Even if People or the Gun does nothing to break new barriers musically, fans of their early work will be pleased to hear a return to form....full text |
|
|
| Avclub |
|
The optimism of the new administration hasn’t trickled down to everyone: Anti-Flag’s The People Or The Gun features the blunt political posturing that punk bands have been screaming for years. The band isn’t in the same lyrical league as others of similar political persuasions (System Of A Down, Rage Against The Machine), though: “We’re so fucked and we don’t give a fuck, no / When the cities burn down we’ll all be warm.” (Anarchy! Ripped jeans!) What they do have is energy, which makes about half the album enjoyable, in spite of lyrics that would sound more appropriate coming from a high-school freshman. People veers between old-school hardcore (on the hidden track “Teenage Kennedy Lobotomy,” a good, fast number nearly ruined by the ubiquitous “whoa-oh” chorus) and Gaslight Anthem-ish pop-punk tunes (“This Is The First Night”). As with many ’80s straight-edge bands, the harder the music blares, the easier it becomes to swallow lines like “Warfare is everywhere / poisoned land, water, air / This routine is long old / It’s time to break that mold.” Indeed....full text |
|
|
Go to "Anti" lyrics