BAD RELIGION - Against The Grain

Artist:  Bad Religion

Album: Against The Grain

Year:  1990

Genre:  Punk

I’ve been doing this blog for some time now and it just hit me that there are records I haven’t written about which I consider my favorite albums ever created.  I’ve written about albums that I enjoy immensely, but I’ve only touched upon a handful of records which have not only stood the test of time with me, but they  have also earned a spot in my “best albums ever” list.  With that lame epiphany, I’m going to remedy this mistake starting with Bad Religion’s 1990 offering Against The Grain.  Bad Religion is one of the most consistent bands in punk and rock.  How many other bands can say they’ve had, and continue to have, a successful 36 year career with only an approximate 2 year hiatus in their lifespan and, as compared to others, a rather minimal amount of member changes?  They’ve steadily released records and have managed to maintain a respectable quality of music output.  Although some lows spots definitely exist in their massive catalog, I’ve always felt Bad Religion bring their best to the table when making a record so a fan can rest assured it will follow the unique formula of aggression, melody, harmonies and socially charged lyrics that the band began crafting in 1980 without the gimmicks, pageantry or shock value used repeatedly in punk rock.  Between the years 1988-1990, Bad Religion blasted out three records that are still considered their strongest achievements.  Disagreements and robust conversations amongst hardcore followers continue as the fight for the top spot sways so often between Suffer, No Control and Against The Grain.   For this fan, Against The Grain walks away with the championship belt. 

While the aforementioned are damn incredible records and even contain some of my outright favorite Bad Religion songs, Against The Grain is a true juggernaut.  It's a machine that does not stop after the first notes of the album opener "Modern Man" pound the speakers.  The songs are absolutely fluid and brilliantly composed as there isn't a single guitar break or part introduction that halts their forward progress.  Some would accuse it of being punk simplicity.  I accuse it of being genius.  Random thought number one...this was the final record for drummer Pete Finestone.  While that may not seem important, his drumming style shaped the delivery of these songs.  His talent and contributions became glaringly obvious as the drumming on the batch of  BR albums that followed was, without a better way to put it, formulaic and horribly boring.  The intense lyrical phrasing and vocabulary instantly speed past typical comprehension and examines human existence as related to Earth.  Are we good?  Are we bad?  They never give a definitive conclusion, but satiate the listener with enough evidence to believe we rarely contribute anything positive to our planet’s existence.  The Bad Religion song writing formula is in full effect on this record and pushes their agenda to a new level as the songs are faster, guitar leads are catchier, lyrics are smarter, melodies and the harmonies are more prominent.  Random thought number two....a dictionary was helpful to me on a number of songs as Greg, Brett and Jay really outdid themselves using vocabulary that typically doesn’t make it into songs and isn’t utilized too often in daily English vernacular.  This album taught a 20 year old kid the words anthropocentric, sepsis, eddies, swath, entropy and about the work of  Ludwig Boltzmann.

The album blisters by in the quickest 35 minutes I’ve ever experienced as there is just zero filler in the writing and performance.  Bad Religion set a standard with this record and laid out an impossible-to-recreate blueprint for all melodic hardcore punk.  I've easily listened to this record 100+ times since its release and never once has it become dated, irrelevant, lifeless or overplayed.  It's a true achievement that others have tired so hard to do, but never have accomplished.  Simply put, this is one of the best punk rock records around.

Listen to "The Positive Aspect Of Negative Thinking" here.