Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Case File #13: "Cavalier Eternal"


Against Me!
"Cavalier Eternal"
As the Eternal Cowboy
(2003)





The need to know: One of the most exciting currently performing live bands on the planet, Against Me! won over an underground following for their furious modern punk tunes and Tom Gable's introspective and often politically charged lyrics. Of course they caught ample flack (and praise) for their major label debut, 2007's New Wave, but what came before still stands as some of the decades best of the genre. These anarcho-punks may not be as mysterious as they used to be, but their current status isn't all bad.

Why it's worthy: Break up songs aren't hard to come by in rock music, but ones as frank, clever and truthful as this aren't often among them. Part anatomy of a fucked up relationship, part realism on why relationships end, Against Me!'s acoustic leanings dress "Cavalier Eternal" up as a rogue's confessional, which, I suppose, it is. Appearing in its relatively raw form (Fat Mike famously convinced the band to use the demo version of "Cavalier Eternal" rather than the rerecorded version), the acoustic off-the-cuff jangle is ultimately what makes the song is so compelling. Who said punk music always has to be fast and furious?

Quotable lyric: "This just isn't love/ It's just the remorse of a loss of a feeling/ Even if I stayed/ It just wouldn't be the same"

Where you've heard it: Fat Wreck released The Original Cowboy in 2009, a collection of the demos for As the Eternal Cowboy which includes this version of "Cavalier Eternal." The song was also released as a single in 2004, featuring the rerecording originally intended for the album. 

Get obsessed:

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