POP/ROCK
Rise Against, "Appeal to Reason" (DGC/Interscope)
Righteousness grows more tuneful with every album by this Chicago band. In the punk and hard-core heritage that Rise Against has proudly continued, galloping beats and relentless guitars backed up testimonials of stubborn alienation on the band's 2001 debut album, "The Unraveling." Later albums added sociopolitical manifestos. "There is no middle ground, no compromise, we've drawn the line," Tim McIlrath sings in "Collapse (Post-Amerika)," the first song on "Appeal to Reason."
Along the way Rise Against has steadily broadened its music, but cautiously, lest anyone accuse the band of selling out. On their fifth CD, the musicians deploy grungy hard-rock chords in "Re-Education (Through Labor)," try Tool's triplet rhythms in "The Strength to Go On," and even allow an acoustic-guitar ballad, "Hero of War," which is about a patriotic young soldier who finds himself torturing and killing civilians.
McIlrath used to scream, sooner or later, in just about every song. Now he saves his screams for occasional peak moments, while Zach Blair's guitar parts have grown more intricate with each album.
On songs like "Audience of One" and "Entertainment," Rise Against worries about trivializing its original purpose. To preserve credibility, it refuses to show a glimmer of humor. Punk-rockers, like bluesmen, often devote themselves to perpetuating their style rather than transforming it. For Rise Against, that relentless earnestness is both a defining factor and a limitation. Rise Against performs Nov. 18 at Myth in Maplewood.
JON PARELES, NEW YORK TIMES
HIP-HOP
Gym Class Heroes, "The Quilt" (Decaydance)
As the title suggests, this is a colorful patchwork project. The hip-hop darlings of the Warped Tour, Gym Class Heroes proudly wear their rap identity on their sleeves but they keep pulling choice pop influences out of their pockets. "Blinded by the Sun," for instance, quotes extensively from Corey Hart's 1984 hit, "Sunglasses at Night." Even the most white-bread song on the CD, "Live a Little," suggests a mash-up of Fountains of Wayne and the Beach Boys. Gym Class Heroes are like House of Pain with serious musical chops. Superficial but pleasing, this offering is best consumed in small doses.
