Sometimes you really can judge an album by its cover, as is the case with Anti-Flag's latest addition, The Bright Lights of America. The album cover is adorned by an eagle in business attire perched in front of a monochromatic city, eerily similar to the cover of Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory. Such unimaginative packaging just screams: We're punk, we're cool, we're liberal, follow us - but, by all means, make sure you stop by the merch tent on the way out."" Like its cover, this album is boring and unimagined. While it has a few moments, Bright Lights is, for the most part, both quiet and preachy - two things punk rock should never be.
Every song on this album is a disappointment. Each seems to start off blazing, only for the fire to die halfway through, leaving the listener unsatisfied. The first two songs have a pretty good vibe to start off, but their paces quickly dwindle thanks to repetitive choruses and preachy messages. Any energy left is then mercilessly killed by the Linkin Park-esque third track, ""Vices."" It seems any rise in the album's tempo is destined to be followed by a buzzkill, as is the case with the slimy ""Spit in the Face,"" ruined by an air-raid siren-backed drum solo.
The album is filled with more of Anti-Flag's same tired imagery, telling listeners too much instead of showing them. The third song, ""Vices,"" says it all: ""I must again sing my dissent until your end."" These ambiguous, dull lyrics make it seem as though Anti-Flag thinks they're the first band to wear their politics on their sleeves and can afford to sacrifice original expression.
At other times, the album mocks Godsmack fans as idle followers of The Man, while later taking time out to thank their sponsors at Fender and Gibson.
This album is full of contradictions. It says: ""We're angry punks. Ha!"" but follows up its talk with an arena-rock sound that can be found on any FM radio station.
It's great the band works with PETA and that they bring some level of political awareness to sheltered suburban kids, but increasing the level of awareness is not an excuse for stale music. Bright Lights is not a bad album, it just does not bring anything new to the punk genre. A bit more creativity or energy would have warranted at least some respect for the album but, for the most part, both are absent.
Anti-Flag's main problem is they want to make every other song into a punk anthem. They superfluously use creepy children's choirs and bells on several tracks, sucking the listener out of the song, and their professed apathy is corrupted by their constant need for attention.
Honestly, the best song is the country-tinged hidden track, ""Tar And Sagebrush."" It is the only part of the album that seems like an honest attempt to make music. The band does much better when they set aside their political agenda and focus on making good music instead. Unfortunately, in this respect, Bright Lights has failed the test.
