against me!

as the eternal cowboy

‘Fat Mike likes pop punk. He’s got a good ear for it. More importantly, he seems to like bands with a sense of humor. His label, like his band NOFX, is riddled with it.

That’s why it makes perfect sense for Gainesville, Florida’s Against Me! To be releasing “As the Eternal Cowboy,” their sophomore follow-up to 2002’s “Reinventing Axl Rose.” If it’s a savory blend of punk, pop and cynicism you’re looking for, search no further.

As is the case with some albums, the cover catches your eye long before you even have a chance to put the record in. The hot pink titles pique your curiosity. Upon a closer inspection, titles such as “Clich/ Guevara,” “Sink, Florida, Sink,” and “Turn Those Clapping Hands Into Angry Balled Fists,” assure you that the band is all about a good time.

Against Me! fits well in the Fat Wreck lineup, among similar bands that easily could serve as their musical muses, including Lagwagon, NOFX, and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes.

They seem like the kind of guys that, like David Sedaris, spend most of their time in grammar school being scolded for banging their shoes against their heads and licking the light switches, and you have to love them for it. No matter how childish you want to think it is, you just can’t stop laughing.

This band represents what more punk music should be like: something as witty as it is well-written, as relentlessly comical as it is catchy.

Whether you get the pure satisfaction of hearing a groundbreaking album is up for grabs, but the fact of the matter is that you’ll never think twice about it once their antics have reeled you in.