Review – Against Me! “Total Clarity”

Against Me! is a band that has never shied away from offering fans alternative takes of its music. From the very beginning, we’ve gotten everything from acoustic versions of electric songs, to electric versions of acoustic songs, to full-on remixes from producers outside of the band. And in 2009, Fat Wreck Chords offered fans a unique look at 2003’s As The Eternal Cowboy by releasing The Original Cowboy, a collection of the demos reportedly recorded in several hours by Tom Gabel that would eventually become the album.

So, with Searching for a Former Clarity still standing as my personal favorite Against Me! album, the announcement of Total Clarity, a similar release of demos and unreleased recordings from the Clarity era, it was hard not to be excited.

And, of course, there is the history of Searching for a Former Clarity that plays a big part in the intrigue of Total Clarity. The original demos for Former Clarity were reportedly stolen and leaked early, offering some unscrupulous listeners an early listen of what the album was on its way to becoming. The band also notably included some of the leaked demo names alongside those of the actual titles on Former Clarity. So this offers the first legal chance to hear the demos that many heard pre-release, as well as some unreleased tracks, and ultimately the genesis of Searching for a Former Clarity.

But Total Clarity will likely be a love it or hate it kind of release, and not just because the band’s old punk fans have a tendency to complain about anything Against Me! does, for one reason or another. The Original Cowboy was a fun release, and offered a great look into the origins of As The Eternal Cowboy, but it arguably could have been just as worthy of the full release as the final album was. The tracks on Original Cowboy were fairly polished and sounded great.

Total Clarity, on the other hand, does sound a lot more like a demos tape, and I’ve already heard some fans complain about that. Parts of tracks, especially knowing what they came to be, sound unfinished, with simpler guitar work all around and some purely bad lines that found more flavor later on. A great example is “Holy shit,” where it turns out the original form of “It’s pretty fucking boring, oh, don’t you think?” was “It’s pretty fucking boring, isn’t it?” It was obviously a change made for the better.

Many will find the raw cuts available on Total Clarity much less polished and listenable than the completed ones. But that doesn’t necessarily work against the release, depending on how one approaches it. Though it is not quiet as polished, if it was, fans would be better off just sticking with the original, as there would be nothing “new” to this release. As it stands, Total Clarity offers a true look at early demos, and serious fans should appreciate the songwriter process more by hearing them, even if in the long run it is more fun to listen to the final cuts. And maybe then, listen to the final cuts with more appreciation.

And there are a lot of fun differences. Aside from the aforementioned line, “Holy Shit” gets an alternate intro and has a slightly different pace. The verse in “Miami” of “On your fear, your greed…” sees the instrumentals mostly fall away to focus on the vocal work. “The Shaker,” or “Mediocrity Gets You Pears,” has a similar section. “How Low” offers an alternative intro, with just subtle guitar work in the background, and again the pacing is changed with a more aggressive approach overall. Like many tracks on Total Clarity, the version we’ve known for years may be better, but it is incredibly interesting to hear a different take on the track.

Many of the other tracks are similar, but less polished than their final counterparts. There are, however, three previously unreleased tracks available. “Exhaustion and Disgust” comes early in the collection, and sounds like it would have fit well with Former Clarity, with Gabel screaming his heart out on the cut. “Lost and Searching in America” isn’t quite as good. It’s definitely not terrible, but it doesn’t feel like as much of a loss to the Clarity. The band also provides a cover of The Brains’ “Money Changes Everything,” and Against Me! does a nice job of owning it. Overall, the three tracks aren’t revolutionary, but they’re a nice added touch, considering the demo nature of the rest of the album. It helps give Total Clarity a little extra mileage.

On vinyl, Total Clarity is a double LP, available only on standard black. It’s a bit boring for sure, and it’s a shame that the band also doesn’t offer it up with a download code for digital tracks. A digital package tying into those leaks could have been a fun addition. And the artwork, provided by punk favorite Steak Mtn, isn’t the greatest. The foldout insert with a picture of the band (Clarity lineup) and lyrics is nice, and overall the decision to go with grayscale static-y art is a good one, but the imagery seems stranger than it needs to be, without enough of a tie to the original. But much like whether the demo-y nature of Total Clarity appeals to fans or not, that’s mostly going to be a matter of differing opinions.

Sound/Pressing Quality: 3 / 5
The Album: 4 / 5
Artwork & Packaging: 2 / 5
Review by Bill Jones

Buy This Album at Shop Radio Cast  – Against Me: Total Clarity