Jump to content

Appeal to Reason (album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Iisnosmart (talk | contribs) at 06:27, 3 January 2010. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For the newspaper, see Appeal to Reason (newspaper).
Untitled

Appeal to Reason is the fifth studio album by American punk rock band Rise Against. After touring in support of their previous album, The Sufferer & the Witness, Rise Against began recording Appeal to Reason in January 2008 at the Blasting Room in Fort Collins, Colorado. Recording and production were finished in June, and the album was released in North America on October 7, 2008. The album is the band's first release with current guitarist Zach Blair.

Appeal to Reason is Rise Against's highest charting album, debuting at number three on the Billboard 200 chart and selling 64,700 copies in its first week of release. It received generally favorable reviews from critics. The album produced three singles: "Re-Education (Through Labor)", "Audience of One", and "Savior".

Writing and recording

In May 2007, it was reported that Rise Against was planning to return to the studio after touring in support of their previous album, The Sufferer & the Witness, to begin work on their next album.[1] The band headlined a North American tour supporting The Sufferer & the Witness throughout July and August 2007, instead of attending that year's Warped Tour.[1] When asked in July about the band's plans for a new album, guitarist Zach Blair told ThePunkSite.com that Rise Against would "start writing and recording the record" after touring and would be "writing for a few months" before returning to the studio. He also predicted a summer 2008 release date for the album.[2] In an interview with bassist Joe Principe in August 2007, he stated recording would likely begin around early 2008, although he said "everything could change", but that was "the plan right now".[3] The band continued to tour throughout the rest of 2007, playing several shows in the Taste of Chaos tour and supporting its headliner, The Used.[4]

On January 7, 2008, Rise Against announced on their website that they had begun writing and demoing for their next album.[5] When asked in May what the status of the album was, frontman Tim McIlrath told the Los Angeles modern rock radio station, KROQ, that the band was in the middle of the recording process. He also stated that the album would be recorded at the Blasting Room in Fort Collins, Colorado and produced by Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore, who had produced The Sufferer & the Witness.[6][7] Also in May 2008, Rise Against posted a blog on their website, stating that they were back in the studio working on the album. It explained that they had "spent many weeks in Chicago throughout the end of winter writing new songs" in their "rehearsal space".[8][9] Asked later about the writing and recording process, McIlrath said, "We kind of blocked a month off over the winter and said, 'Let's all get together, get the rehearsal space, and start putting some ideas together,' which is what we did. And then, we also blocked off a week or two at the Blasting Room after we arrived in Fort Collins to just kind of jam stuff out, get some new ideas going."[10]

In a June 2008 interview, Luisa Mateus of Gigwise.com asked McIlrath about the new album. He stated that it was "mostly finished" but that a name and release date were still undetermined. The only hint given on the musical style of the album was Mateus' statement that the band said that they were "happy keeping their sound organic".[11] On July 14, 2008, it was reported on Punknews.org that the album would be titled Appeal to Reason. The name is taken from a leftist newspaper from 1897.[12]

Musical style and themes

Appeal to Reason is considered by critics to be one of Rise Against's most accessible and melodic albums, both musically and lyrically. Jon Pareles of The New York Times felt that the band's "righteousness grows more tuneful with every album".[13] John Hanson of Sputnikmusic said that the album is "‘appealing’ to a larger audience than old fans will be comfortable with".[14] In an October 2008 interview with Tony Pascarella of AbsolutePunk.net, bassist Joe Principe said, "Appeal to Reason sounds like a Rise Against album but there's still something new that we're offering. I think we've grown as songwriters and as a band, and it shows on the record."[10] According to Bill Stewart of PopMatters, "Appeal to Reason is a Rise Against album. If you possess more than a passing familiarity with the band, I wouldn’t even bother scrolling through the rest of this review, and I’d certainly avoid checking out the rating at the end of it—because that first sentence, for better or worse, says everything that needs to be said about this album."[15]

"Re-Education (Through Labor)"
A sample of the album's lead single, "Re-Education (Through Labor)" which shows the band's movement toward more melodic and mainstream music.
Problems playing this file? See media help.
"Hero of War"
A sample of the acoustic song "Hero of War", which tells the tragedy of war on a soldier.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The album includes one acoustic song, "Hero of War", which is about an Iraq War Veteran looking back on his war experiences. It is described by Rolling Stone as an "ambivalent aggro-folk track".[16] McIlrath said of the song, "I wanted to take the perspective of 'What is the war going to be looked back on as?'"[17] He went on to say, "There are not many songs...talking about what's going on during eight years of occupation in Iraq. That, combined with meeting active soldiers and retired soldiers at our shows and hearing those stories about what is going on on the ground amid all the bullshit, showed me the differences from what is really happening to what is happening in the news media. I just thought that this needed to go into a song."[17] He said about the song in another interview, "It was a way to document what's going on, like other artists documented for their generation and for generations to come."[18]

Much of the rest of the album deals with political issues in the United States as well. Jeff Miers of The Buffalo News calls the album "a response to the oppressive vacuousness of the Bush years".[19] Dealing with specific tracks on the album, Allmusic states that Rise Against "rages against the moral decay rotting the core of the U.S. on the opening 'Collapse (Post-Amerika),' just as they strike out against the slow dumbing down of America on 'Re-Education (Through Labor)'".[20] McIlrath said in an interview with The Red Alert, "All of our songs are 'that' song that we won't dilute. They always have been. I've never written a song, until "Hero of War," with a specific goal in mind." When asked about how Appeal to Reason continues Rise Against's tradition of making politically charged music, he said: "The reason I started this band, and the reason I still do it, is that I still open a paper and say, "Holy Shit! Are you kidding me? Is this really happening? Are people voting for things like Proposition 8? Is this America? Are we still in Iraq and in a place that people think a white versus a black president is a big deal?" There is so much to address through music. There is plenty we need to learn from."[18] Nevertheless, the band has stated that their songs don't only focus on politics. In one interview, Principe said, "The political side of this band is just that -- it's a side. There are political lyrics. There are social awareness and there are lyrics about the environment. I think if people take the time to read the lyrics, they'll know we're not strictly force feeding you our politics."[21]

Promotion and release

Guitarist Zach Blair and vocalist Tim McIlrath (right) playing on the Appeal to Reason tour on October 11, 2008.

Rise Against filmed the music video for Appeal to Reason's first single, "Re-Education (Through Labor)" with director Kevin Kerslake.[22] The single and its music video were released digitally on August 25.[23] In December 2008, it was reported that Rise Against would be shooting a music video for their second single, "Audience of One", with director Brett Simon.[24] The music video for "Audience of One" premiered on MySpace Music on January 15, 2009.[25] The music video was filmed in Los Angeles in December and features the band performing in a miniature world on the White House lawn.[26] The video for the song "Hero of War" was released on May 20, 2009.[27] Radio stations were sent copies of the album's third single, "Savior", on June 3.[28][29]

Rise Against began a U.S. tour with Thrice, Alkaline Trio, and The Gaslight Anthem to promote the album on October 2, 2008, in Cleveland, Ohio.[30] The band will be co-headlining a 2009 tour with Rancid throughout the summer months.[31][32] This will be followed by a short tour of the UK in November, which will also be supported by the bands Thursday and Poison the Well.[33]

Reception and sales

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AbsolutePunk.net(82%)[34]
Allmusic[35]
The A.V. Club(B)[36]
Entertainment Weekly(C+)[37]
PopMatters[38]
Rolling Stone[39]
Sputnikmusic[40]

Appeal to Reason received generally favorable reviews from music critics. It attained a score of 65 out of 100 on Metacritic's average of ten professional reviews.[41] In his review giving the album an 82% rating, Chris Fallon of AbsolutePunk.net said, "Appeal to Reason is essentially focused on one big thing: intelligence. There is no fluff here -- the band has put together a fast, smart and generally focused piece of work here."[42] Rolling Stone magazine tells of the band's further emergence into the mainstream with Appeal to Reason, "Rise Against may be nervous about leaving the underground behind, but with sharp songs like these, they're ready for the rest of the world."[16]

Appeal to Reason also had less positive reception, with many negative reviews criticizing the band's further movement into the mainstream. Entertainment Weekly criticized the album, saying, "Songs like "Re-Education (Through Labor)" and "Entertainment," which seeks to redress the evils of media manipulation upon the land, are peppy but pretty empty, power-chord downers with little bark or bite."[43] In giving the album five out of ten stars, PopMatters said, "McIlrath rarely reaches beyond his one-note vocal performance despite apparent and commendable earnestness ... he never channels the intensity of early-career songs like "Dead Ringer", let alone the intensity of Henry Rollins. The other members of the band don't fare much better: new lead guitarist Zach Blair, in particular, might have his three-chord attack down to a science, but the formula wears thin by the time the album gets through its first 30 minutes—and after that, there are still 18 to go. And the song writing doesn't get much more imaginative in the disc's final act."[15]

Appeal to Reason is Rise Against's highest charting album to date. It peaked at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling 64,700 copies in its first week of release.[44] The singles released from Appeal to Reason also charted higher on the U.S. music charts than any of the band's previous releases. "Re-Education (Through Labor)" reached number 22 on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number three on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks (now Alternative Songs) chart,[45][46] making it Rise Against's highest charting single on a U.S. rock chart. "Audience of One" reached number four on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.[45] "Savior" peaked at number 7 on Billboard's Rock Songs chart and at number 3 on the Alternative Songs (formerly Hot Modern Rock Tracks) chart.[47] All three appeared on the Canadian Hot 100 chart.[46][47][48]

Track listing

All music was written by Rise Against; all lyrics were written by Tim McIlrath.

No.TitleLength
1."Collapse (Post-Amerika)"3:19
2."Long Forgotten Sons"4:01
3."Re-Education (Through Labor)"3:42
4."The Dirt Whispered"3:09
5."Kotov Syndrome"3:05
6."From Heads Unworthy"3:42
7."The Strength to Go On"3:27
8."Audience of One"4:05
9."Entertainment"3:34
10."Hero of War"4:13
11."Savior"4:02
12."Hairline Fracture"4:02
13."Whereabouts Unknown"4:02
UK bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
14."Historia Calamitatum"3:23
iTunes bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
14."Elective Amnesia"3:54
15."Prayer of the Refugee" (live)4:12

Chart positions

Chart (2008) Peak
position
Canadian Albums Chart[49] 1
Australian Albums Chart[50] 7
Germany Albums Chart[50] 21
New Zealand Albums Chart[50] 34
UK Albums Chart[50] 68
U.S. Billboard 200[51] 3
U.S. Billboard Top Rock Albums[52] 2
U.S. Billboard Top Modern Rock/Alternative Albums[53] 2
U.S. Billboard Digital Albums[54] 1

Personnel

Rise Against

Guest

Production

  • Bill Stevenson – record producer, engineer
  • Jason Livermore – producer, engineer
  • Andrew Berlin – engineer, additional production
  • Felipe Patino – additional engineering
  • Lee Miles – additional engineering
  • Chris Lord-Alge – mixer
  • Keith Armstrong – assistant mixer
  • Nik Karen – assistant mixer
  • Brad Townsend – additional engineering
  • Ted Jensen – mastering

Release history

Region Date Record Label
United Kingdom[55] October 2, 2008 Polydor
Australia[56] October 4, 2008 Universal
United States[42] October 7, 2008 Geffen, DGC/Interscope
Canada[57]
Germany[58] October 10, 2008 Rough Trade

References

  1. ^ a b "Rise Against Plan Next Album". Ultimate-Guitar.com. May 18, 2007. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
  2. ^ "Rise Against Interview". The Punk Site. July 18, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
  3. ^ Koroneos, George (August 14, 2007). "Interview: Rise Against". Life In A Bungalo. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
  4. ^ Moran, Jonathon (May 13, 2007). "Why Used is new again". News Limited. Retrieved 2009-04-11. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthor= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Happy 08". Wayback Machine. January 7, 2008. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
  6. ^ "KROQ talks to Rise Against". Punknews.org. May 20, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-21.
  7. ^ "Rise Against Interview @ KROQ Weenie Roast Y Fiesta 2008". KROQ-FM. May 19, 2008. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
  8. ^ "Rise Against Back In The Studio!". RiseAgainst.com. May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
  9. ^ "Rise Against begin studio blog". Punknews.org. May 30, 2008. Retrieved 2009-03-30.
  10. ^ a b Pascarella, Tony (October 19, 2009). "Rise Against - 10.06.08 - Interview". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
  11. ^ Mateus, Luisa (June 18, 2008). "Rise Against Reveal All About Their New Album At Download". Gigwise.com. Retrieved 2009-03-30.
  12. ^ DeRogatis, Jim (November 21, 2008). "Will Rise Against be the next big Chicago band?". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2009-04-22. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ Pareles, Jon (October 12, 2008). "New CDs". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-05-04. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Hanson, John A. (October 7, 2008). "Rise Against - Appeal To Reason Review". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
  15. ^ a b Stewart, Bill (November 7, 2008). "Rise Against: Appeal to Reason < Music". PopMatters. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  16. ^ a b Anderson, Kyle (October 16, 2008). "Appeal to Reason : Rise Against : Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-05-04. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ a b McKibbin, Adam (October 2008). "Rise Against Interview [2008]". The Red Alert. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
  18. ^ a b Sciarretto, Amy (December 14, 2008). "Interview: Rise Against". Artistdirect.com. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
  19. ^ Miers, Jeff (May 6, 2009). "Rise Against stands firm in punk rock history". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
  20. ^ Erlewine, Stephen. "( Appeal to Reason > Overview )". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
  21. ^ Fuoco-Karasinski, Christina (November 22, 2008). "Rise Against continues its 'Appeal to Reason' through live show". Booth Newspapers. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
  22. ^ DeAndrea, Joe (August 5, 2008). "Rise Against to Shoot New Music Video". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
  23. ^ DeAndrea, Joe (August 7, 2008). "Rise Against Single Radio Date". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  24. ^ "BOOKED: Rise Against - Brett Simon, director". VideoStatic. December 10, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  25. ^ "Video Premiere: Rise Against's 'Audience of One'". Aceshowbiz. January 16, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  26. ^ "Rise Against's 'Audience Of One' Video Premiers On MySpace Music". Starpulse.com. January 15, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  27. ^ "Rise Against: Behind "Hero of War" and America's "Broader Disease"". Rolling Stone. May 20, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-06. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  28. ^ Stanger, J (June 3, 2009). "The future of music - June 3". Examiner.com. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
  29. ^ Shields, Mel (July 5, 2009). "You go, girl - across the country". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved 2009-07-09.
  30. ^ Cohen, Jane (August 4, 2008). "Rise Against announces 29-date tour with Alkaline Trio, Thrice". TicketNews. Retrieved 2009-05-03. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ Carman, Keith (April 23, 2009). "Billy Talent Return For Album Number III". Exclaim!. Retrieved 2009-05-03. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  32. ^ "Billy Talent complete "III"". Punknews.org. April 21, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-03.
  33. ^ alex101 (May 13, 2009). "Rise Against / Thursday / Poison the Well (UK)". Punknews.org. Retrieved May 18, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  34. ^ Fallon, Chris (October 6, 2008). "Rise Against - Appeal to Reason". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
  35. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Appeal to Reason > Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
  36. ^ Burgess, Aaron (October 6, 2008). "Rise Against: Appeal to Reason". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
  37. ^ Weingarten, Marc (October 1, 2008). "Appeal to Reason". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
  38. ^ Stewart, Bill (November 7, 2008). "Rise Against: Appeal to Reason". PopMatters. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
  39. ^ Anderson, Kyle (October 16, 2008). "Appeal to Reason : Rise Against : Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
  40. ^ Hanson, John A. (October 7, 2008). "Rise Against - Appeal to Reason Review". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
  41. ^ "Rise Against: Appeal To Reason (2008): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  42. ^ a b Fallon, Chris (October 6, 2008). "Rise Against - Appeal to Reason - Album Review". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  43. ^ Weingarten, Marc (October 1, 2008). "Appeal to Reason". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2009-05-07. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Text "Music Review" ignored (help)
  44. ^ Harris, Chris (October 15, 2008). "T.I. Continues to Rule The Charts With Paper Trail". MTV. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  45. ^ a b Artist Chart History - Rise Against
  46. ^ a b "Re-Education (Through Labor) - Rise Against". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
  47. ^ a b "Savior - Rise Against". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
  48. ^ "Audience of One - Rise Against". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
  49. ^ "Top Canadian Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-05-15. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  50. ^ a b c d "Rise Against - Appeal To Reason - Music Charts". ACharts.us. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
  51. ^ "Artist Chart History - Rise Against". Billboard (magazine). Retrieved 2009-05-15. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  52. ^ "Top Rock Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-05-15. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  53. ^ "Top Modern Rock/Alternative Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-05-15. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  54. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/album/rise-against/appeal-to-reason/1185702
  55. ^ "Appeal To Reason: Rise Against: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
  56. ^ Weston, Cameron (October 2008). "Rise Against: Appeal To Reason". Citysearch Sydney. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
  57. ^ "Appeal To Reason: Rise Against: Amazon.ca: Music". Amazon.ca. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
  58. ^ Diadium. "Review". Whiskey Soda. Retrieved 2009-06-06.

External links

Preceded by Canada Top 100 number-one album
October 12, 2008 – October 19, 2008 		Succeeded by
Death Magnetic by Metallica
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Appeal_to_Reason_(album)&oldid=335592783"