I have a certain respect for punk orientated bands that are able to mix emotion with the standard punk music. Rise Against are a perfect example of this; throughout their entire back catlogue you start to see a pattern. Their songs feature many different themes, however the one thing that is obvous in every one of their songs is that they are well written and intend to serve a purpose.
‘Like The Angel‘ focuses on a man, presumably lead singer Tim McIlrath, who seems to be torn between the career he has chosen as a musician and the woman he loves. It’s clear exactly how he feels about this woman, and the fact that he is away from her clearly kills him. The song is beautifully written to articulate that fact and the music works incredibly well to symbolise the brutality of the music he plays, mixed with the sorrow of his frayed relationship.
Close Competitors:
Hero Of War
There are amazingly beautiful songs in this world, and Hero Of War is one of them. Again, dealing with a subject matter that the band truly believes in (the futility of war), they are able to evoke such emotion in such a small amount of time. The song takes the form of the inner monologue of a young soldier and how good war sounds. But in a beautifully clever fashion, the song reaches the climaxes of being a huge middle finger to the principles of war and how futile it all is.
Swing Life Away
Rise Against are one of the bands that cannot make a bad song, and they also can’t make a song that doesn’t evoke some sort of emotion. ‘Swing Life Away‘ is a bittersweet song that deals with the underprivileged, and how, despite their situations, are still able to make the best of their situations. With lyrics mentioning; “I’ve got some friends, some that I hardly know, but we’ve had some times I wouldn’t change for the world.”, it had the ability to give an insight into the forgotten people of the world whilst still showing how admirable they are.
The 100 Best Songs From 2000 - 2009 
Leave a Reply