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Rating: I had somewhat lost track of Rise Against in recent months, setting them aside in my personal playlist, after being blown away some time ago by that gem known as "Revolutions Per Minute," which I played to the point of exhaustion, I'd dare say over-listened, getting a binge that I still need to recover from.
I was curious to get my hands on the rest of their discography, but I could hardly have imagined that this treatise of modern melodic hardcore could be matched and perhaps even surpassed in terms of song quality, considering that "Siren Song Of The Counter Culture," their third album, marks an important transition to a major label, after the first two albums were distributed by Fat Mike's independent label.
So many were awaiting this new album chapter to see if the much-feared major label effect had brought any new changes or disturbances to the musical proposal of the Chicago quartet. But just pressing play on the player and letting the fiery and surprising notes of the opener "State of the Union" ring out (between Hatebreed and SOIA), one of the nastiest and meanest tracks the Rise have ever composed, it's clear that not much has changed from the previous release, and that's a good thing. Excellent completely screamed start, bearing in mind that we have rarely heard the band reach such shores and sounds, almost rendering it an "exception" within the varied lineup of the album.
The tracklist flows smoothly, as shown by "The First Drop", a typical Rise Against track, complete with double vocals and choruses supporting an anthemic chorus, and "Life Less Frightening", slightly more melodic than its predecessor, where great attention is given to the excellent bass lines, always fitting and helping to make the sound wall well-constructed. If "Paper Wings" turns out to be perhaps the most canonical and predictable track with its teen aura, the central trio convincingly consists of "Born to Bleed" with its excellent central solo, the driving "To Them Streets Belong" (with its original and pressing structure, featuring a start and end worth framing), and the excellent "Tip the Scales", which highlights once again the great voice of Tim McIlrath, probably the best voice of the current punk-rock/melodic hc scene, warm and passionate in the slow parts and hoarse and raw in the more lively ones.
The second part proves the real extra gear of the album, where the quality, instead of decreasing, reaches very high levels, avoiding any sense of boredom. From the engaging and paced "Anywhere But Here" leading to a joyous and perfectly fitting choral refrain, to the underrated "Rumors of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated", it is a continuous alternation of anthems for the joy of those who continue to follow this genre regardless of trends or other influences. In between, it's impossible not to mention the touching "Swing Life Away", an acoustic guitar ballad where McIlrath takes the reins, demonstrating how expressive and emotionally evocative a voice can be when supported only by a bare guitar, and "Dancing for Rain" (the "Like the Angel" of the CD), with its complex structure starting from an acoustic guitar intro bursting into punk-rock verses and rock choruses before returning to the initial motif, finally exploding again in the finale with the singer's excellent screams. Finally, the well-known single "Give it All", previously featured in the "Rock Against Bush" compilation and revisited here, also deserves mention.
The strengths of "Siren Song..." include excellent production, inspired songwriting, and a convincing and varied tracklist like never before, capable of transitioning from moments of reflection to truly explosive parts. It would have been hard to imagine a better follow-up to "Revolutions Per Minute," which is thus even surpassed, with the stylistic coordinates of the latter being echoed in this latest chapter, with only a slight decrease in some of the more screamed parts, which were more present in the previous installment.
Ultimately, "Siren Song Of The Counter Culture" represents everything that a record of this genre should possess and be today: engaging lyrics and a lot of fun, creating a strong dependency in the unsuspecting listener, which will lead them to press the repeat button on the stereo without hesitation.
The undisputed heralds of melodic hc beneath the stars and stripes and worldwide, remain them once again.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 State of the Union (02:19)
If we're the flagship of peace and prosperity,
we're taking on water and about to fucking sink.
No one seems to notice, no one even blinks.
The crew all left the passengers to die under the sea.
Countdown
to the very end.
Equality;
an invitation that we won't extend.
Ready, aim.
Pull the trigger now.
In time you
firmly secure your place in hell.
State of the union address
reads "War Torn Country Still a Mess"
The words: power, death and distorted truth
are read between the lines of the red, white and blue.
Countdown,
to the very end.
Equality;
an invitation that we won't extend.
Ready, aim.
Pull the trigger now.
In time you
firmly secure your place in hell.
"guilty" is what our graves will read,
no year, no family.
We did nothing to stop the murder of
a people just like us.
04 Paper Wings (03:43)
one last thing i beg you please just before you go
i've watched you fly on paper wings half way round the world
until they burned up in the atmosphere and sent you spiraling down
landed somewhere far from here with no one else around
to catch you falling down
and i'm looking at you now
and i cant tell if you're laughing
between each smile theres a tear in your eye
theres a train leaving town in an hour
its not waiting for you and neither am i
swing for the fences son
he must have told you once
that was a conversation you took nothing from
so raise your glass now and celebrate exactly what you've done
just put off another day of knowing where your from
catch up with yourself if you run
and i cant tell if you're laughing
between each smile theres a tear in your eye
theres a train leaving town in an hour
its not waiting for you and neither am i
is this the life that you lead?
or the life thats left for you?
will you take the road thats been laid out before you
will we cross paths somewhere else tonight? somewhere else tonight....
and i cant tell if you're laughing
between each smile theres a tear in your eye
theres a train leaving town in an hour
its not waiting for you and neither am i
and i cant tell if you're laughing
between each smile theres a tear in your eye
theres a train leaving town in an hour
its not waiting for you and neither am i
05 Blood to Bleed (03:48)
this place rings with echoes of
lives once lived but now are lost
time spent wondering about tomorrow
I don't care if we lose it all tonight
up in flames, burning bright
warming the air of the world
"I don't love you anymore,"
is all I remember you telling me
never have I felt so cold
but I've no more blood to bleed
cuz my heart has been draining
into the sea
steps I take in your footsteps
aren't getting me closer to what is left
of the dreams of what I once claimed to know
within my bones this resonate
boiling blood will circulate
could you tell me again what you did this for?
"I don't love you anymore,"
is all I remember you telling me
never have I felt so cold
but I've no more blood to bleed
cuz my heart has been draining
into the sea
and still I wait with a hope inside of me
so still I wait until again we meet
until again we meet
within my bones this resonate
boiling blod will circulate
could you tell me again what you did this for?
"I don't love you anymore,"
is all I remember you telling me
never have I felt so cold
but I've no more blood to bleed
cuz my heart has been draining
into the sea
07 Tip the Scales (03:49)
Are we so alone,
So distant,
So forgotten,
As we think ourselves to be?
These are our lives
But did they ever even matter?
Are we worth remembering?
These machines feed on the tears of broken lives and dying dreams
We’re throwing wrenches in the gears
Our lives will not be lived in vain
When this is all said and done
We spent this life on the run
Judged by the company we keep
Our language, buried inside
These lungs that keep us alive
We breathe so selfishly
Promises we plan to break
Are made in whispered voices
Cause our despair knows many names
We make mistakes
But we apologize with roses we never stop to smell along the way
These machines feed on the tears of broken lives and dying dreams
We’re throwing wrenches in the gears
Our lives will not be lived in vain
When this is all said and done
We spent this life on the run
Judged by the company we keep
Our language, buried inside
These lungs that keep us alive
We breathe so selfishly
We fell from the sky today
We melt into balls of clay
We sell ourselves everyday
Don’t tell me how to live this way
Pushed so far to the edge
We teeter just on the brink
You can lead me to the bloodbath
But you can’t make me drink
As these machines feed on the tears of broken lives and dying dreams
We’re throwing wrenches in the gears
Our lives will not be lived in vain
My life will not be lived in vain!
08 Anywhere but Here (03:38)
we've been alright up to now
but the air that we breathe is about to run out
we've rehearsed our lines clear and loud
but the cue never came and the lights they never went down
so we're passing the time
while time passes us
the fast lanes a term never applied to us
without a dime to my name or a prayer in the world
i walk out the door
destination anywhere but here
away from you
now i'm on my way to the otherside
[on my way]
i'll forget everything i left behind
[on my way]
these empty rooms
[on my way]
are still filled with you
[on my way]
so i dropped out of my own race
a race with no finish line
no first or last place
i watch these faces all run right past me
i turn and walk away
'cause we finally know now what our
time here's about we were not meant to be
another face in the crowd
we're a forest of lives
we grow tall and wide
we won't ever be cut down
now i'm on my way to the otherside
[on my way]
i'l lforget everything i left behind
[on my way]
these empty rooms
[on my way]
are still filled with you
[on my way]
i'm so tired and turned around and scared
i'm lying in empty beds again
i'll wait for you to come
to your senses barbed-wire fences
won't keep me from breaking through
i swear i will for you
now i'm on my way to the otherside
[on my way]
i'l lforget everything i left behind
[on my way]
these empty rooms
[on my way]
are still filled with you
[on my way]
i'm so tired and tunred aroud and scared
i'm lying in empty beds again
away from you
09 Give It All (02:50)
Break through the undertow, your hands I cant seem to find,
pollution burns my tongue, cough words I can't speak
so i stop my struggling, then I float to the surface,
fill my lungs with air, then let it out
I give it all, this is the reason why I sing,
So give it all, and it's these reasons that belong to me
Rock bottoms where we live, and still we dig these trenches,
to bury ourselves in them, backs breaking under tension
For far too long these voices, muffled by distances,
its time to come to our senses, up from the dirt
We give it all, this is the reason why I sing,
So give it all, and its these reasons that belong to me
Breathe, the air we give, the life we live, our pulses racing distances,
so wet my tongue, break into song, through seas of competition,
So please believe your eyes, a sacrifice,
is not what we had in our minds,
I'm coming home tonight, home tonight
We give it all, this is the reason why I sing,
So give it all, and its these reasons that belong to me
Today I offer all myself to this I'm living for my dying wish,
I give it all, now there's a reason, there's a reason, to give it all
10 Dancing for Rain (04:01)
We're losing daylight but I cant work any faster, under the veil of dusk we go on
Dont close your eyes, what if it all disapears in the shadows that reach for the stars
If I held my ground would you ask me to change
This drought bleeds on, now we're dancing for rain
We drink the air but its still not the same
These worlds colide but the distance remains
We point the finger, never accept the blame and I know
Let's go!
The waters gone but the fire still rages on here
The men all shrugged their shoulders and left
We sleep so sound in rooms just up the stairs
Will you save us like you saved them
If I held my ground would you ask me to change
This drought bleeds on, now were dancing for rain
We drink the air but its still not the same
These worlds colide but the distance remains
We point the finger, never accept the blame and I know
You've bled me dry but I'm still breathing, I swear I'm sucking dry the sky
And you wont ever find us kneeling or swallowing your lies
If I held my ground would you ask me to change
This drought bleeds on, now were dancing for rain
We drink the air but its still not the same
These worlds colide but the distance remains
We point the finger, never accept the blame and I know
This drought bleeds on, this drought bleeds on
11 Swing Life Away (03:20)
Am I loud and clear,
or am I breaking up.
Am I still your charm,
or am I just bad luck.
Are we getting closer,
or are we just getting more lost.
I'll show you mine
if you show me yours first.
let's compare scars
I'll tell you whose is worse
lets unwrite these pages
and replace them with our own words
We live on front porches,
and swing life away.
We get by just fine here on minimum wage.
If love is a labor,
I'll slave till the end.
I won't cross these streets
untill you hold my hand.
Been here so long
I think it's time to move.
The winters so cold,
the summers over to soon.
So let's pack our bags
and settle down where palm trees grow.
I've got some friends,
some that I hardly know.
We've had some times,
I wouldn't trade for the world.
We chase these days down,
with talks of places that we will go.
We live on front porches,
and swing life away.
We get by just fine here on minimum wage.
If love is a labor,
I'll slave till the end.
I won't cross these streets
untill you hold my hand.
Swing life away...
Swing life away...
Swing life away...
Swing life away...
12 Rumors of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated (04:14)
So please don't ask me how I ended up at my wits end and breaking down
Pages torn from books we never read because we're plugged into this grid
Don't pull this plug right now or then we'd really have to live
When I die will they remember not what I did but what I haven't done?
It's not the end that I fear with each breath, it's life that scares me to death
When we build these dreams on sand how they all slipped through our hands
This might be our only chance
Let's take this one day at a time, I'll hold your hand if you hold mine
The time that we kill keeps us alive
Your words won't save me now, I'm at the edge feeling the sweat drip from my brow
'Get a grip on yourself' is what they say every hour every day
Hands over my ears I've been screaming all these years
When I die will they remember not what I did but what I haven't done?
It's not the end that I fear with each breath, it's life that scares me to death
When we build these dreams on sand how they all slip through our hands
This might be our only chance
Let's take this one day at a time, I'll hold your hand if you hold mine
The time that we kill keeps us alive
We came in search of answers, we left empty handed again
Shots fired into the sky are now returning, where the fuck will you hide
Hiding from the laughter in the closet of our lives
But the door hinges are squeaking letting in thin shards of light
And now a hand's extending outward, quiet comfort they invite
Do we dare take what they offer, do we step into the light
When I die will they remember not what I did but what I haven't done
It's not the end that I fear with each breath, it's life that scares me to death
When we build these dreams on sand how they all slip through our hands
This might be our only chance
Let's take this one day at a time, I'll hold your hand if you hold mine
The time that we kill keeps us alive
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Other reviews
By Tms_K.I.N.G.
"State of Union" not only has become the ultimate anti-American anthem for the undersigned, but it’s also a very powerful song.
"Give It All" is a true anthem of rebellion and breaking traditional standards.
