Against Me - Searching For A Former Clarity

  by Philip Vincent

published: 17 / 9 / 2005

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Review

I like to judge a band's new album with a fresh set of ears, trying not to remember what went before the band's current release and, therefore, have no expectations of what is coming. With Against Me ! I was so pleasantly surprised, however, by their previous album 'The Eternal Cowboy' that I thought “I must have this” What a bloody disappointment it was then when I put this record on. Tom Gabel is a good lyricist. He was once amazing, but on this album his words are streamed over the top with no real structure or format. I am all for songs not rhyming , but on 'Searching for a Former Clarity' the lyrics sound so squashed into the musical structures that I wonder if the entire album was a rush job. There is one redeeming track entitled 'From Her Lips to God’s Ears (The Energizer)' which is a great attack on US National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice But apart from that I was expecting much better. To my ears Gabel seems to have lost his talent for fitting a good lyric into a good song. But, hey, maybe I just don’t get it.

Track Listing:-

1 Miami
2 Mediocrity Gets You Pears (The Shaker)
3 Justin
4 Unprotected Sex With Multiple Partners
5 From Her Lips To God's Ears (The Energizer)
6 Violence
7 Pretty Girls (The Mover)
8 How Low
9 Joy
10 Holy Shit!
11 Even At Our Worst We're Still Better Than Most (The Roller)
12 Problems
13 Don't Lose Touch
14 Searching For A Former Clarity