Bad Religion: The New America

Bad Religion: The New America

2000

Atlantic Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. You've Got a Chance  2. It's a Long Way to the Promise Land  3. A World Without Melody  4. New America  5. 1000 Memories  6. A Streetkid Named Desire  7. Whisper in Time  8. Believe It  9. I Love My Computer  10. The Hopeless Housewife  11. There Will Be a Way  12. Let It Burn  13. Don't Sell Me Short

Ohhh, I love this album!  I was thrilled to hear this back in 2000...They sounded like they actually wanted to be here, after the phoned-in "No Substance." There's great hooks galore and new ideas being thrown around left and right (Although, they throw in quite a few old ones too...just for good measure!). I could  tell this was going to be an improvement over the last album right away, as soon as I  heard the urgent and speedy guitar into to "You've Got a Chance."

Barring the odd hardcore-speed tune, the tempo of this album is pretty similar to "No Substance," but the song-writing is on a much higher level...Mr. Brett even returns to the fold for "Believe It, " which is a pretty cool song, however, it's overshadowed by the title track, which  is seriously one of my all-time favorite Bad Religion songs. It's not in a style I've ever heard them attempt before; a bright, bouncy pop-rock song that bring prime Cheap Trick to mind...and don't they sound awfully optimistic for a change? Of course 9/11 and George W Bush would come along shortly hereafter and it was time to kick ass again, but it was fun to hear them in this mode for a change...

"Street Kid Name Desire" is nearly as flawless, aside from a pretty lame opening line ("It was Punk 15 in the morning...). This thing is so well put together and catchy I can scarcely believe it's the same band that dragged us through "Raise Your Voice."  Really, it's just one spectacular song after another here, the only song that I ever skip at my Friday Night Record Party is  "I Love My Computer," which is hilarious but also unbelievably dorky...

To be honest, I had kind of counted the band out before the release of this album, but this proved me wrong. I don't know if it was producer Todd Rundgren who's responsible for pulling this off, since he does have a well documented history of pulling great albums out of band's that seem to be floundering (see Cheap Trick's "Next Postion Please" and XTC's "Skylarking") or if this was what the band really wanted to do all along and just didn't have the guts to do until now...

As much as I've enjoyed their follow-up albums, I kinda wish they would have made one more like this...It might still happen one day...who knows....I doubt it though...But to anyone who might have missed out or overlooked this because they felt a little burned by "the Gray Race" and "No Substance," like I was, I highly encourage you to give this another chance...So let's check out "New America" by Bad Religion...Enjoy....