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Siren Song of the Counter Culture
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Siren Song of the Counter Culture
Siren Song of the Counter Culture is the third studio album by American punk rock band Rise Against. Released on August 10, 2004, it was Rise Against's first album on a major record label, after the band signed with DreamWorks Records in September 2003 and is their first with lead guitarist Chris Chasse. The recording sessions for the album with producer Garth Richardson were mostly split between two studios in British Columbia. These sessions were marred by numerous distractions and inconveniences, such as the absorption of DreamWorks into Geffen Records, the arrival of a new guitarist, accusations of the band selling out, and the birth of lead vocalist Tim McIlrath's child.
Siren Song of the Counter Culture is primarily a melodic hardcore album. It comprises twelve songs, with lyrical themes ranging from social commentary to personal reflection. To promote the album, Rise Against toured throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and Japan. Siren Song of the Counter Culture sold poorly for the first six months, but the band's incessant touring schedule eventually led to a gradual increase in sales. It became their first album to chart on the Billboard 200, where it peaked at number 136, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The album received generally positive reviews, with praise for the lyrics, but drew some criticism for a lack of individually memorable songs and perceived overproduction. Three songs from Siren Song of the Counter Culture were released as singles: "Give It All", "Swing Life Away", and "Life Less Frightening". All three songs charted on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. "Give It All" and "Swing Life Away" in particular are credited with helping Rise Against achieve mainstream appeal.
After the release of Revolutions per Minute in 2003, a number of major record labels became interested in Rise Against, including DreamWorks Records. At the time, Rise Against was under contract with the independent record label Fat Wreck Chords. The general consensus among Fat Wreck Chords musicians was that major record labels sacrifice musical integrity in exchange for commercial profit. Rise Against held the same belief, but eventually came to the conclusion that, unlike other labels, DreamWorks supported the band's social and political charged lyrics. According to lead vocalist Tim McIlrath: "Their faith in what we do and the fact that they cared about stuff we cared about was an eye-opener." The band signed with DreamWorks in September 2003, and was given complete creative control to record Siren Song of the Counter Culture.
The band members went into the album with the assumption that DreamWorks was going to drop them at any moment, so they wanted to take advantage of the opportunity by working with their "dream producer". They chose Garth Richardson, known for his work with heavier sounding bands like Rage Against the Machine and Sick of It All, to produce the album. The recording sessions for Siren Song of the Counter Culture were split between Plumper Mountain Sound in Gibsons, British Columbia, and The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, British Columbia. Richardson insisted on recording the guitar and bass one measure at a time, to ensure perfect timing; as a result, each song took nearly twelve hours to record. Canadian politician Nicholas Simons contributed the cello to four songs. Simons met the band while in Gibsons, and recalled not knowing who they were.
The writing and recording sessions for Siren Song of the Counter Culture were marred by numerous distractions and inconveniences. In November 2003, DreamWorks was acquired by Universal Music Group for US$100 million, and eventually folded into Geffen Records. The transition period between labels left Rise Against without an A&R representative, and little acknowledgement from Geffen executives. Guitarist Todd Mohney left the band during the writing sessions, was replaced by Chris Chasse of Reach the Sky. McIlrath noted that the band members was nervous about teaching Chasse completely new songs in a short period. Meanwhile, McIlrath was experiencing more personal distractions. Some Rise Against fans accused the band of selling out after signing with DreamWorks. Although McIlrath felt that most of the fans would realize that the band had not changed upon hearing the album, it still bothered him knowing that some longtime fans now hated the band for switching labels. Additionally, McIlrath's wife, who was seven months pregnant, went into labor while he was in the vocal booth. The band temporarily moved recording sessions from Vancouver to Chicago so that McIlrath could be with his wife.
Siren Song of the Counter Culture is primarily rooted in melodic hardcore. According to Ultimate Guitar Archive, the album contains archetypal elements of punk rock, including "fast-paced drum beats, powerful guitar chords and thrashing bass lines". Each song has multiple guitar layers combined with rhythmic arrangements, which add "melodic flavor". Critics have compared the album to works by other punk rock bands like AFI, Bad Religion, Blink-182, Poison the Well, Refused, and Sick of It All. AllMusic's Johnny Loftus commented that the band diversified their lyrics for Siren Song of the Counter Culture, mixing social and political commentary with personal reflection. McIlrath believes that the album is about standing up for oneself, and not being afraid to have a dissenting opinion.
The first track on Siren Song of the Counter Culture is "State of the Union", a short and aggressive song that contains the most screaming on the album. Its lyrics criticize bureaucratic injustice, as well as those who do not speak out against injustice. Davey Boy of Sputnikmusic believes "The First Drop" is more toned down, and acts as a bridge to the third track "Life Less Frightening". "Life Less Frightening" is a conventionally structured song, that Boy notes almost has an alternative rock sound, but keeps underlying punk rock traits. The fourth track, "Paper Wings", tells a sad story about growing apart, backed by a guitar lick that lasts the entire song. "Blood to Bleed" features reflective lyrics about broken hearts, presented from a first-person perspective.
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Siren Song of the Counter Culture
Siren Song of the Counter Culture is the third studio album by American punk rock band Rise Against. Released on August 10, 2004, it was Rise Against's first album on a major record label, after the band signed with DreamWorks Records in September 2003 and is their first with lead guitarist Chris Chasse. The recording sessions for the album with producer Garth Richardson were mostly split between two studios in British Columbia. These sessions were marred by numerous distractions and inconveniences, such as the absorption of DreamWorks into Geffen Records, the arrival of a new guitarist, accusations of the band selling out, and the birth of lead vocalist Tim McIlrath's child.
Siren Song of the Counter Culture is primarily a melodic hardcore album. It comprises twelve songs, with lyrical themes ranging from social commentary to personal reflection. To promote the album, Rise Against toured throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and Japan. Siren Song of the Counter Culture sold poorly for the first six months, but the band's incessant touring schedule eventually led to a gradual increase in sales. It became their first album to chart on the Billboard 200, where it peaked at number 136, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The album received generally positive reviews, with praise for the lyrics, but drew some criticism for a lack of individually memorable songs and perceived overproduction. Three songs from Siren Song of the Counter Culture were released as singles: "Give It All", "Swing Life Away", and "Life Less Frightening". All three songs charted on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. "Give It All" and "Swing Life Away" in particular are credited with helping Rise Against achieve mainstream appeal.
After the release of Revolutions per Minute in 2003, a number of major record labels became interested in Rise Against, including DreamWorks Records. At the time, Rise Against was under contract with the independent record label Fat Wreck Chords. The general consensus among Fat Wreck Chords musicians was that major record labels sacrifice musical integrity in exchange for commercial profit. Rise Against held the same belief, but eventually came to the conclusion that, unlike other labels, DreamWorks supported the band's social and political charged lyrics. According to lead vocalist Tim McIlrath: "Their faith in what we do and the fact that they cared about stuff we cared about was an eye-opener." The band signed with DreamWorks in September 2003, and was given complete creative control to record Siren Song of the Counter Culture.
The band members went into the album with the assumption that DreamWorks was going to drop them at any moment, so they wanted to take advantage of the opportunity by working with their "dream producer". They chose Garth Richardson, known for his work with heavier sounding bands like Rage Against the Machine and Sick of It All, to produce the album. The recording sessions for Siren Song of the Counter Culture were split between Plumper Mountain Sound in Gibsons, British Columbia, and The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, British Columbia. Richardson insisted on recording the guitar and bass one measure at a time, to ensure perfect timing; as a result, each song took nearly twelve hours to record. Canadian politician Nicholas Simons contributed the cello to four songs. Simons met the band while in Gibsons, and recalled not knowing who they were.
The writing and recording sessions for Siren Song of the Counter Culture were marred by numerous distractions and inconveniences. In November 2003, DreamWorks was acquired by Universal Music Group for US$100 million, and eventually folded into Geffen Records. The transition period between labels left Rise Against without an A&R representative, and little acknowledgement from Geffen executives. Guitarist Todd Mohney left the band during the writing sessions, was replaced by Chris Chasse of Reach the Sky. McIlrath noted that the band members was nervous about teaching Chasse completely new songs in a short period. Meanwhile, McIlrath was experiencing more personal distractions. Some Rise Against fans accused the band of selling out after signing with DreamWorks. Although McIlrath felt that most of the fans would realize that the band had not changed upon hearing the album, it still bothered him knowing that some longtime fans now hated the band for switching labels. Additionally, McIlrath's wife, who was seven months pregnant, went into labor while he was in the vocal booth. The band temporarily moved recording sessions from Vancouver to Chicago so that McIlrath could be with his wife.
Siren Song of the Counter Culture is primarily rooted in melodic hardcore. According to Ultimate Guitar Archive, the album contains archetypal elements of punk rock, including "fast-paced drum beats, powerful guitar chords and thrashing bass lines". Each song has multiple guitar layers combined with rhythmic arrangements, which add "melodic flavor". Critics have compared the album to works by other punk rock bands like AFI, Bad Religion, Blink-182, Poison the Well, Refused, and Sick of It All. AllMusic's Johnny Loftus commented that the band diversified their lyrics for Siren Song of the Counter Culture, mixing social and political commentary with personal reflection. McIlrath believes that the album is about standing up for oneself, and not being afraid to have a dissenting opinion.
The first track on Siren Song of the Counter Culture is "State of the Union", a short and aggressive song that contains the most screaming on the album. Its lyrics criticize bureaucratic injustice, as well as those who do not speak out against injustice. Davey Boy of Sputnikmusic believes "The First Drop" is more toned down, and acts as a bridge to the third track "Life Less Frightening". "Life Less Frightening" is a conventionally structured song, that Boy notes almost has an alternative rock sound, but keeps underlying punk rock traits. The fourth track, "Paper Wings", tells a sad story about growing apart, backed by a guitar lick that lasts the entire song. "Blood to Bleed" features reflective lyrics about broken hearts, presented from a first-person perspective.