Rise Against Revolutions Per Minute, 2003
I feel like everyone has an "angry" album. The album you listen to instead of burning it all to the ground and going off and living in the desert because the world is against you and it always will be. Revolutions Per Minute is that album for me. But it's so much more than angry, yelly catharsis.
The hint that this is the case is right there in the title. And in the album art. The title's a pun on the unit of playing speed of a vinyl record vs how many times can you revolt in a minute's time. (Five Iron Frenzy did SORT of the same thing with their live album Proof The Youth are Revolting). The album art (the cover and the back and the inside of the liner notes) features objects of destruction hybridized with everyday objects. For instance, the cover features a pair of headphones plugged into a grenade.
This is an appropriate symbol for what this album contains. Half reflections on living life to its fullest despite what naysayers you might encounter and half anthems to inspire people to fight against oppression in all its forms. In the most moving songs on the album, the first type and the second type meld together.
My favorite track, however, is solidly in the second type of songs. It's called "Blood-Red, White, and Blue" and is one of my all-time favorite protest songs. And before you call me out on it, yes, it has a bitchin' guitar solo. But that's only PART of what makes this song great.
I want this to be an album that my children and their children discover and draw inspiration from. Inspiration to stand up for others, to stand up for themselves, and to fight for the life that will make them happy instead of settling for a life that doesn't make waves.
Rise Against - Like the Angel
Rise Against - Blood-Red, White, and Blue
You can buy Revolutions Per Minute at Amazon, Amazon MP3, and iTunes
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