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.[4] It is also the only Against Me! album to feature George Rebelo, drummer of Hot Water Music, following the departure of previous drummer Warren Oakes.

White Crosses
Studio album by
Against Me!
ReleasedJune 8, 2010[1]
RecordedAugust–October 2009
StudioEldorado Recording Studios, Burbank, CA[1]
Genre
Length36:06
LabelSire, Total Treble (Reissue)
ProducerButch Vig, Alan Moulder (mixer)[1]
Against Me! chronology
The Original Cowboy
(2009)		 White Crosses
(2010)		 Total Clarity
(2011)
Singles from White Crosses
  1. "I Was a Teenage Anarchist"
    Released: April 6, 2010
  2. "White Crosses"
    Released: August 31, 2010
  3. "High Pressure Low"
    Released: December 21, 2010

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] The initial pressing of the record included four bonus tracks.[5] This is also the last album prior to Laura Jane Grace's transition.

On March 17, 2010, their first video from the album, "Rapid Decompression," was released online via AOL Spinner.[6] A four-track digital EP for "I Was a Teenage Anarchist" was released as the first single from the album, on April 7, 2010.[7]

The two outtakes from the White Crosses sessions are "David Johansen's Soul",[8][9] of which an acoustic version was released on Black Crosses, and "Dead Generations",[10] which remains unreleased in any form.

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic77/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AbsolutePunk83%[12]
AllMusic[4]
The A.V. ClubB+[13]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[14]
LAS Magazine9.4/10[15]
PopMatters7/10[16]
Punknews.org[17]
Slant Magazine[3]
Spin7/10[2]

White Crosses received generally favorable critical reception,[11] despite being leaked three months before its retail release date.[18] 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.[12][15][13]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Laura Jane Grace

No.TitleLength
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.TitleLength
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.TitleLength
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.TitleLength
15."I Was a Teenage Anarchist" (acoustic)3:38
Total length:53:48

Black Crosses
Black Crosses
Demo album by
Against Me!
ReleasedJuly 26, 2011
Recorded2009, Goldentone Studios, Gainesville, Florida
February 2010, Crescendo Studios
GenrePunk rock, alternative rock
Length43:07
LabelTotal Treble, Xtra Mile Recordings
ProducerAgainst 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, and was released July 26, 2011, on compact disc and as a music download, and August 9 as a triple LP;[19] it became available in the UK and Europe in November from the band's UK label Xtra Mile Recordings.[20]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Laura Jane Grace

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

Charts
Chart (2010) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[23] 34
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[24] 87
Greek Albums (IFPI)[25] 23

Personnel

[26][27]

Band

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

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

References
  1. White Crosses (album) at Discogs
  2. Kandell, Steve (May 24, 2010). "Review: Against Me!, 'White Crosses' (Sire)". Spin. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  3. Cole, Matthew (June 7, 2010). "Review: Against Me!, White Crosses". Slant Magazine. Retrieved April 3, 2020. They're vets now, but they're still an evolving band that's yet to figure out anything as big as the world or as small as their own sound. And they're probably better for it.
  4. Apar, Corey. "Review: Against Me! - White Crosses". Allmusic. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  5. Clint (March 20, 2010). "White Crosses: Your Thoughts". Against Me! Forum. p. 23. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  6. Admin (March 17, 2010). "Video premier for Rapid Decompression/Lots of new dates announced". Against Me.net. Archived from the original on September 17, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  7. Kiel (April 7, 2010). "Surprise!". Against Me.net. Archived from the original on September 17, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  8. Grace, Laura Jane (September 21, 2011). "Making Of White Crosses Pt. 9". I feel sick to my stomach. Blogspot. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  9. "DAVID JOHANSEN S SOUL". BMI - Repertoire Search. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  10. "DEAD GENERATIONS". BMI - Repertoire Search. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  11. "White Crosses by Against Me!". Metacritic. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  12. "Against Me! - White Crosses - Album Review - AbsolutePunk.net". Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  13. Mincher, Chris (June 8, 2010). "Against Me!: White Crosses". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 3, 2020. Diehards in the punk scene won't like it specifically because it's meant to be inclusive, but based purely on music and message, New Wave and White Crosses prove that powerful albums don't have to sidestep the mainstream.
  14. Pastorek, Whitney (May 26, 2010). "White Crosses". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 3, 2020. …whaddaya know, it is possible to merrily sing along with lines like 'We were bashing our brains out on a kitchen cabinet.'
  15. Lang, JJ (June 3, 2010). "Against Me! White Crosses Sire". LAS Magazine. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2020. White Crosses is no retread. Rather, it's an even more focused, equally compelling follow-up to 2007's arena-punk juggernaut New Wave. Maybe even better.
  16. Conaton, Chris (June 1, 2010). "Against Me!: White Crosses". PopMatters. Retrieved April 3, 2020. White Crosses is a huge, mainstream rock album that draws as much from Bruce Springsteen and U2 as it does from Against Me!'s own folk-punk roots. Sorry, bitter old-school fans, but it's really, really good.
  17. Pelone, Joe (June 8, 2010). "Against Me! - White Crosses". PunkNews.org. Retrieved April 3, 2020. It's a logical growth from New Wave, with Butch Vig again manning the soundboards, but it's one that I can't grow with.
  18. Chart Attack (June 22, 2010). "Against Me! Actually Were Teenage Anarchists". Chart Attack. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  19. ""WHITE CROSSES" RE-ISSUE". AgainstMe.net. June 20, 2011. Archived from the original on June 30, 2011. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  20. "WHITE CROSSES UK & EUROPE RELEASE". AgainstMe.net. November 2011. Archived from the original on November 25, 2011. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  21. White Crosses (album) at Discogs
  22. "Archived copy". cdn.discogs.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  23. "Against Me! Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  24. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  25. "Greekcharts.com – Against Me! – {{{album}}}". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  26. White Crosses (CD booklet). Against Me!. New York City: Sire Records. 2010. SIRE 524438-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  27. White Crosses/Black Crosses (CD booklet). Against Me!. Total Treble Music. 2011. TTM 001.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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