White Crosses (album)

White Crosses is Against Me!'s fifth studio album, and their second to be released on Sire Records. As with its predecessor, 2007's New Wave, the album was produced by Butch Vig. It is also the first (and only) Against Me! album to feature George Rebelo, drummer of Hot Water Music, following the departure of previous drummer Warren Oakes. It is also the last Against Me! album featuring Laura Jane Grace performing under her birth name, Tom Gabel.

Recording began in August 2009, finishing two months later. The mixing and mastering of the album finished in February 2010, and it was released June 8.^[1]^[2] The initial pressing of the record included four bonus tracks.^[3]

On March 17, 2010 their first video from the album, "Rapid Decompression," was released online via AOL. A four-track digital EP for "I Was a Teenage Anarchist" was released as the first single from the album, on April 20, 2010.^[1]

The two B-sides from White Crosses are "David Johansen's Soul",^[4]^[5] of which an acoustic version was released on Black Crosses, and "Dead Generations"^[6] – which remains unreleased.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AbsolutePunk	83%^[7]
Allmusic	^[2]
Entertainment Weekly	B+^[8]
PopMatters	7/10^[9]
Punknews.org	^[10]
Slant Magazine	^[11]
Spin	^[12]

White Crosses received generally favourable critical acclaim, despite being leaked three months before its retail release date.^[13] The album was mainly praised for its success in merging Against Me!'s long-time punk rock style with, according to critics, a newfound ethos of "arena-" or "radio rock", through its melody and "big" sound.^[7]^[14]^[15]^[16]

White Crosses was Against Me!'s best-charting album to that date, peaking at #34 on the Billboard 200.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Laura Jane Grace.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"White Crosses"	3:36
2.	"I Was a Teenage Anarchist"	3:15
3.	"Because of the Shame"	4:21
4.	"Suffocation"	3:56
5.	"We're Breaking Up"	3:57
6.	"High Pressure Low"	4:13
7.	"Ache with Me"	3:38
8.	"Spanish Moss"	3:51
9.	"Rapid Decompression"	1:46
10.	"Bamboo Bones"	3:35
Total length:		36:06

Bonus tracks

Limited edition
No.	Title	Length
11.	"One by One"	3:34
12.	"Bob Dylan Dream"	2:59
13.	"Lehigh Acres"	3:33
14.	"Bitter Divisions"	4:02
Total length:		50:10

Re-issue
No.	Title	Length
11.	"Lehigh Acres"	3:33
12.	"Bob Dylan Dream"	2:59
13.	"One by One"	3:34
14.	"Bitter Divisions"	4:02
Total length:		50:10

iTunes Deluxe edition
No.	Title	Length
15.	"I Was a Teenage Anarchist" (acoustic)	3:38
Total length:		53:48

Black Crosses

Demo album by Against Me!

Released

July 26, 2011

Recorded

2009, Goldentone Studios, Gainesville, Florida
February 2010, Crescendo Studios

Genre

Punk rock, alternative rock

Length

43:07

Label

Total Treble Music, Xtra Mile Recordings

Producer

Against Me!

Against Me! chronology

Total Clarity
(2011)

Black Crosses
(2011)

Transgender Dysphoria Blues
(2014)

In 2011 Against Me! launched their own record label, Total Treble Music, reissuing White Crosses with an added disc titled Black Crosses consisting of demos from 2009 (referred to as the Goldentone Studio versions) and acoustic sessions from 2010. The reissue features original artwork by Steak Mtn and a 32-page booklet with lyrics and additional artwork. The reissue was released July 26, 2011 on compact disc and as a music download, and August 9 as a triple LP.^[17]^[18]

Track listing

^[19]

All songs written and composed by Laura Jane Grace.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"White Crosses"	3:14
2.	"I Was a Teenage Anarchist" (acoustic)	3:39
3.	"Because of the Shame" (acoustic)	4:28
4.	"The Western World" (Demo version of "Suffocation")	3:55
5.	"Strip Mall Parking Lots"	2:21
6.	"High Pressure Low" (acoustic)	4:18
7.	"Hot Shots" (officially untitled^[20])	1:49
8.	"Spanish Moss"	2:22
9.	"Rapid Decompression"	1:45
10.	"Soul Surrender"	2:06
11.	"Lehigh Acres"	3:36
12.	"David Johansen's Soul" (acoustic)	2:49
13.	"One by One" (acoustic)	3:35
14.	"Bitter Divisions"	3:10
Total length:		43:07

Personnel

^[21]

Band

Laura Jane Grace (Listed as Tom Gabel) – lead vocals, guitar
James Bowman – guitar, backing vocals
Andrew Seward – bass guitar, backing vocals
George Rebelo – drums, backing vocals
Warren Oakes – drums, backing vocals on Black Crosses (tracks 1, 4–5, 7–11, 14)

Additional musicians

Zac Rae – additional keyboards on White Crosses (tracks 3, 5)
Jon Gaunt – fiddle on White Crosses (track 12), Black Crosses (track 7)
Ron McGregor – mouth harp on White Crosses (track 12)

Production

Butch Vig – producer
Billy Bush – recording engineer
Chris Steffen – assistant engineer
Alan Moulder – mix engineer
Darren Lawson – mix assistant
Emily Lazar and Joe LaPorta – mastering

Art and design

Christopher Norris and Laura Jane Grace – art direction
Steak Mtn – design, typography, and illustration
Autumn deWilde – band photography

References

External links

"Against Me! Actually Were Teenage Anarchists" by Kate Harper. CHARTattack. September 22, 2010.

Against Me!

Laura Jane Grace James Bowman Atom Willard Inge Johansson Kevin Mahon Dustin Fridkin Warren Oakes George Rebelo Jay Weinberg Andrew Seward

Studio albums	Against Me! Is Reinventing Axl Rose Against Me! as the Eternal Cowboy Searching for a Former Clarity New Wave White Crosses Transgender Dysphoria Blues

Live album	Americans Abroad!!! Against Me!!! Live in London!!!

EPs	Against Me! (2000) Crime as Forgiven by Against Me! Against Me! (2001) New Wave B-Sides

Demo albums	The Original Cowboy Total Clarity Black Crosses

Singles	"The Disco Before the Breakdown" "Cavalier Eternal" "Sink, Florida, Sink" "Don't Lose Touch" "From Her Lips to God's Ears (The Energizer)" "White People for Peace" "Thrash Unreal" "Stop!" "New Wave" "I Was a Teenage Anarchist" "White Crosses" "High Pressure Low" "Russian Spies / Occult Enemies" "True Trans" "Unconditional Love" "Osama bin Laden as the Crucified Christ"

Related articles	Discography Plan-It-X Records No Idea Records Fat Wreck Chords Sire Records We're Never Going Home