“Borne on the FM Waves of the Heart (f/ Tegan Quinn)” – Against Me!
(Words/music: Tom Gabel, available on New Wave, Sire Records 2007)

There’s the theory that strong reactions, either favorable or unfavorable, mean that an artist is doing something right.  That being said, one of the easiest ways to provoke a strong reaction is by taking a risk.   When an established band branches out and tries something new, fans either issue praise for pushing the envelope or proclaim the band “sell-outs” for tweaking their sound.  As with most things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle, but it’s interesting to watch the returns come in when a band tweaks the formula on a new album.  In particular, punk bands often face the stiffest critique from their fanbase.  To many, punk rock carries an unwritten web of stringent regulations and as with any dogma, some come to strange interpretations – for example, that any deviations from their “sound” equates to selling out.  Sure, some punk bands are content to buff their smooth edges in exchange for dating famous women, but sometimes the songs (or, in this case, the songwriters) evolve to a place where the old formula can’t tell the story in the proper way.

Even before his band’s major label debut, Tom Gable didn’t step in line with all of punk rock’s rigid code and as a result earned a loyal following for his band’s blend of protest folk and potent punk.  However, it wasn’t much of a surprise that New Wave created a minor backlash within this fanbase.  Sure, producer Butch Vig, the same one who glossed up Nirvana for their moment in the spotlight eighteen years ago, made Against Me! sound like a stronger, more focused band by helping to polish up the arrangements.  However, Gabel’s songs deserved the extra attention paid to their arrangements.  In particular, “Borne on the FM Waves of the Heart,” a duet with Tegan Quinn from Tegan and Sara, marks a new step in Gabel’s growth as a songwriter.  For instance, Gabel uses the second voice in this song as an essential storytelling tool.  The two characters – one female and one male – sing about the slow disintegration of their relationship, using radio imagery as a metaphor for interpersonal communication (or, in this case, miscommunication as the signals get crossed, scrambled, and delayed).  However, rather than make it a “he said, she said” break up song, the two characters repeat fragments of each others’ lines.  It makes the hearbreak even more wrenching – the pair is on the same page (literally sending out the same signals), yet knows that their love ceased broadcasting a while back.  On the surface, miscommunication seems to be the culprit, but deep down both of these characters know exactly how the other feels and acknowledges the end of the relationship (as the only time the two sing together is when they’re acknowledging their shared flaws).  It’s a complex and sad song requiring a careful arrangement (even beyond the placement of both vocal parts), and one that requires more than a three chord thrash or even Gabel’s frenetic acoustic strumming.  Many might point to “Borne on the FM Waves of the Heart” as a sign of mellowing (or selling) out, but maturity shouldn’t be confused with a cash grab; if Against Me! simply wanted to keep cashing checks, they’d churn out Warped Tour-ready jams for the rest of their career.  Instead, Gabel is willing to play against type (in this case, his self-made image as a anarchic punk) in order to tell some stories he might not have been able to do a few years earlier.

More on Against Me!: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm