Bad Religion – The New America
(Atlantic)

Despite the rumours that Bad Religion were going to call it quits a while back, they have apparently decided to stick around a while longer and now they have given us their latest effort, The New America. I am sure many people would say that they should have just bowed out gracefully before lowering themselves to release a mediocre album like this. Others would say that Bad Religion have been gradually lowering themselves for years with each successive release on Atlantic Records. The New America is definitely not an outstanding achievement in the world of punk rock, but I for one still think that it is far from an embarassment.

Still, it seems like every time Bad Religion puts out a new album, the punk scene becomes less and less interested in what they are doing. There’s no question that they are past their prime, especially without Brett Gurewitz’s help in the songwriting department anymore. But as Greg Graffin has said, they try to put out something “relevant and thought provoking” every year, and I don’t think they have ever failed to achieve that goal.

With my first listen to The New America, I felt a bit disappointed. There didn’t seem to be an edge to any of the songs, and none of the song topics interested me. Things like the flat electronic drums at the beginning of “A World Without Melody” and the cheesy computer sound effects and cliched lyrics of “I Love My Computer” really turned me off. I am happy to say, however that the album has grown on me at least to the point where I can stand to listen to it and sometimes even tap my foot along with it.

The album definitely continues the progression towards a newer, and I daresay more commercialized version of Bad Religion. The guitars are soft and smooth rather than harsh and searing, and the rhythm section is somewhat subdued. The singing too is lacking intensity on many of the tracks. Luckily, the album is saved by some rockin songs like Let It Burn, Don’t Sell Me Short, and my personal favourite, The Hopeless Housewife.

Strangely enough, Mr. Brett managed to take time out of his busy schedule toco-pen the song “Believe It”, but musically it is one of the least interesting songs on the album. Graffin has said that Mr. Brett will probably help out even more on the next album… let’s hope this doesn’t end up being a bad thing.

When it comes to Bad Religion, even if the music is sub-par, Greg Graffin’s distinctive voice and ambitious lyrics always manage to keep me interested. The New America can’t possibly compare to any of their earlier efforts, but it’s still Bad Religion, and a poor Bad Religion album is still head and shoulders above a lot of the other mindless crap out there. — Sean