Year in Rock 2011 Nominee: Against Me!

AGAINST ME!
Occult Enemies

From: Russian Spies/Occult Enemies 7"
Released: June 14

Dissatisfied with their mishandling by clueless major label dimwits (as I documented in full last year while praising White Crosses as 2010's Album of the Year), Against Me! parted ways with Sire Records and opted, like so many mishandled bands do, to go the independent route. After starting up Total Treble, their own label, the band christened it with a new single, containing Russian Spies on the A-side and Occult Enemies as the B-side (which, by its inclusion on Year in Rock, pretty much locks it up as the year's best B-side). It's also the first studio recording to be released with Jay Weinberg on drums. If the last name sounds familiar, it should; Jay's dad is Max, famed drummer of the E Street Band and Conan O'Brien's O.G. house drummer from his Late Night days.

As for the material, it's suitably raw yet surprisingly crisp. It's the sound of a band tentatively taking its first sips of freedom. It's also a hell of a jumping point for their next album, which bandleader Tom Gabel hopes to record this winter. Now, it's incredibly hard to gauge a band's future from two songs, but if they're any indication of what's coming, consider this writer completely and thoroughly excited.

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