''Civil War'' (stylized as ''C I V I L W A R'') is the fourth album by the
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
punk rock band
Dillinger Four
Dillinger Four, sometimes abbreviated as D4, is an American punk rock band formed in 1994 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They have released four full-length studio albums. Since 1996, the band's lineup has been Patrick Costello on bass guitar and ...
, released on October 14, 2008, by
Fat Wreck Chords
Fat Wreck Chords (pronounced "Fat Records") is a San Francisco, California-based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by NOFX lead singer Michael Burkett (better known as Fat Mike) in 1990.
The label has released mater ...
.
It is the band's second album for the label, following 2002's ''
Situationist Comedy
''Situationist Comedy'' is an album by Dillinger Four, released in 2002.
The song title "Sell the House Sell the Car Sell the Kids Find Someone Else Forget It I'm Never Coming Back Forget It" is a reference to the film ''Apocalypse Now
''Ap ...
''. Its recording and production took place over several years, and its release date was pushed back several times. An early
internet leak
An internet leak is the unauthorized release of information over the internet. Various types of information and data can be, and have been, "leaked" to the Internet, the most common being personal information, computer software and source code, a ...
of the album was the source of some controversy.
Recording and delayed release
Dillinger Four had announced as early as June 2006 that ''Civil War'' would be released on October 31 of that year. However that August they amended the expected release date to March 2007. In November 2006 drummer Lane Pederson stated that the band were "working at D4 speed on a new record. About half of the songs are written." A month later bassist Patrick Costello announced in an interview that the album would be released in the Spring of 2007, stating that it was being pushed back so that the band would be better prepared to tour in support of it:
We're aiming for the Spring but we’re not being that vague just because of concerns of when the record's ready. It’s more to do with when we want to tour. Right now it's more that Lane's having a baby and Billy might be selling his house. Just all sorts of crazy shit like that. We're waiting to see when would be the best time that we could leave for two and half months.
The album went unreleased in the Spring and Summer of 2007, however, and guitarist Bill stated in September that the band were still working on it:
The new record is coming along great! The new jams are high energy, and are gonna be a blast to play live. We're working on really using all three vocals, which we used to do a bit more in the early days and works great, and people always seem to want more of, so that will be fun. But mostly I expect a great Dillinger Four record: fun, fast-paced, great change-ups and a couple songs on this one where it's a bit different than stuff we've done before.
In December 2007 guitarist Erik Funk remarked on the album's progress, stating in the
Minneapolis-Saint Paul ''
Star Tribune
The ''Star Tribune'' is the largest newspaper in Minnesota. It originated as the ''Minneapolis Tribune'' in 1867 and the competing ''Minneapolis Daily Star'' in 1920. During the 1930s and 1940s, Minneapolis's competing newspapers were consolida ...
'' that "We have a lot of stuff written and are gonna take the next few months to finish an album." Months continued to pass with no release details, however, and on April 1, 2008, the music news website Punknews.org poked fun at ''Civil War''s long-delayed release by making a fake news post in celebration of
April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may ...
giving false cover artwork and song titles for the album. In July Dillinger Four announced that they were entering a recording studio to finish the album, and that it would be completed by August. This recording session took place at The Terrarium in Minneapolis with producer Dave Gardener. On August 19, 2008
Fat Wreck Chords
Fat Wreck Chords (pronounced "Fat Records") is a San Francisco, California-based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by NOFX lead singer Michael Burkett (better known as Fat Mike) in 1990.
The label has released mater ...
posted the official cover artwork on their website and set a release date of October 14.
The full track listing was subsequently listed on the band's official website and the Fat Wreck Chords website.
On September 16 the band posted the song "Americaspremierfaithbasedinitiative" for listening on their
Myspace profile, and on September 18 Fat Wreck Chords made the song available as a free download through their website.
The full album was made available for listening in
streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...
on the band's Myspace profile on October 8.
In an interview with ''
Chart
A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabu ...
'' magazine shortly before ''Civil War''s release, Funk reflected on the reasons for the long delay:
We weren't trying not to put out a record. It was just one thing after another and time flew by. When you don't do your band like a career like us, you've got other things to do than worry about getting records made. If you don't put a deadline on it, it may never get done. Like us, you turn around and it's been six years. The first year or two after the last record, we were still touring and not thinking about making an album. Then, in the third year, we were busy and it took a few months to write and get in the studio. There's lag time at the label and then it's winter... It just goes on and on. When NOFX
NOFX () is an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1983. Vocalist/bassist Fat Mike, guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin are original founding and longest-serving members of the band, who have appeared on every ...
asked us if we wanted to go on the road with them, we thought it would be fun, but we thought it would be better if we had the record finished. We hadn't planned on being done in October. It was for later in the year, so we had to kick it in high gear and get into the studio. Everything worked backwards from there 'cause if we had fucked it up, we'd be looking at 2009 before the album was done. That deadline really got it all together, but it was only a matter of a few weeks. We'd planned to go into the studio three weeks after we actually did. We'd have only rehearsed with the luxury time, so we were ready. Most of 'Civil War''s songs were written inthe last 12 months, so it's a new record, not stuff we were sitting on and hadn't recorded. It's also not like we were writing these songs for the last six years. Once we were ready, it came together surprisingly quickly, and I think people will be kind of shocked but happy with the results.
Funk described the album as "all around slicker, occasionally heavier, more melodic, poppier and longer" than previous Dillinger Four albums.
Internet leak controversy
An early
internet leak
An internet leak is the unauthorized release of information over the internet. Various types of information and data can be, and have been, "leaked" to the Internet, the most common being personal information, computer software and source code, a ...
of ''Civil War'' was a source of some controversy. Aaron Hale-Williams, a writer for the online publication ''Racket Magazine'', was given a password-encoded
streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...
version of the album by
Fat Wreck Chords
Fat Wreck Chords (pronounced "Fat Records") is a San Francisco, California-based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by NOFX lead singer Michael Burkett (better known as Fat Mike) in 1990.
The label has released mater ...
so that he could publish a review prior to its release. Hale posted the password and a link to the album stream on the music news website Punknews.org, and the album soon spread onto
peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer (P2P) computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads between peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the network. They are said to form a peer-to-peer n ...
networks after the streaming audio was converted into
MP3
MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...
format.
''Racket Magazine'' Editor Jonathan Yost learned of the leak from Hale and contacted Fat Wreck Chords: "He called me to tell me how good it was, and mentioned that he gave it to 'two or three' people. I scoped it on PunkNews and saw that it was all over the place, so
dropped Fat a line to change the password before it got too far out of control."
Meanwhile, Hale had been submitting samples of his writing to Scott Heisel, Music Editor for ''
Alternative Press
Alternative press may refer to:
Individual publications
* ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine
Alternative journalism
* Alternative media
** Alternative media (U.S. political left)
** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...
'' and former editor for Punknews.org. Heisel had been covering news of ''Civil War''s recording and development for ''Alternative Press'' and learned of the album leak, which he called "illegal...immoral and immature."
He contacted Fat Wreck Chords to inform them of the situation at about the same time as Yost, and learned that the Hale was the suspected source of the leak:
When I asked a friend who worked for Fat where they think the leak came from, they pinpointed it to one specific person from a specific magazine (again, not AP) who had been begging them to hear the record. Upon hearing this person's name, I realized that same person had been emailing and IMing me incessantly for the past few weeks about trying to write for AP...Once I found out the label was holding him responsible for the leak, I promptly wrote him and let him know that AP doesn't use writers who leak records, so I would not need his services.
Yost subsequently fired Hale from ''Racket Magazine'', explaining that "it was very obvious that this was a giant fuck up on our homeslice’s part. So...it was my decision to fire Aaron from Racket."
Hale responded with his version of events on his
blog
A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order ...
:
I'm sorry for whom I hurt t Fat Wreck Chords but the truth is...I did my job, in a roundabout way. I got people, in a way, really hyperventilating about a band that's been dormant for nearly a decade. In the terms of underground music...that's nearly impossible, with so many bands worthy of attention falling on and off the radar nearly daily. Not that this particular band needs any help, but with years and years of taunting new releases, new music, and then shooting them down, it became a game of "band who cried album."
In the wake of the controversy artist
Mitch Clem
Mitch Andrew Clem (born September 15, 1982) is an American cartoonist best known for his web comics '' Nothing Nice To Say'', ''San Antonio Rock City'', and ''My Stupid Life''.
Biography
Early life
Clem was born in Minneapolis, on September 15 ...
published a six-part
comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...
satirizing the events in his
webcomic
Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books.
Webcomics can be co ...
''
Nothing Nice to Say''.
He received an
email
Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic ( digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" meant ...
from the album's producer Dave Gardener criticizing his satire of the situation: "As the guy who recorded the record I have to say I found your attempt at social commentary via satire was pretty weak and actually fairly insulting. If you had any idea of the work that all of us, the band, the other guy who did the record and honestly the label put into making the record happen you might have an inkling over how shitty the leaking of the record is to us all."
Clem responded that the comic was actually intended to oppose music piracy, not to advocate it.
Punknews.org editor Jesse Raub addressed the situation in his blog, stating that "It sucks that Mr. Hale’s decision to share the album with his friends turned out this way. But he is directly responsible for the leak and needs to accept accountability for his actions. You can’t place the blame on everyone but you because they were forced to react to your initial actions."
Punknews.org posted a synopsis of the controversy, stating that "Punknews.org does not support or condone leaking albums. It's not just about the commerce; there are many people who work on an album like this one, it is fair for people to at least be compensated for the time they took away from other jobs, families and friends in order to put together an album for you."
In an interview with Dillinger Four singer/guitarist Erik Funk for ''Alternative Press'' on the day before the album's release, Heisel asked what Funk thought of the controversy surrounding ''Civil War''s online leak. Funk replied that the band members do not have a strong stance on the issue and were surprised at the controversy:
We were surprised to see it become as big--I mean, the story became way bigger than our part in it. Or it wasn't really about ''our'' record. It was just about that circumstance. For us, none of us have a real strong position against people sharing music. I mean, I think that's fine. We didn't feel like we were getting ripped off or anything. Everything else related to it, between that writer and his boss... aughs... Whatever else happened, I feel like we're out of it.
Critical reception
Critical response to ''Civil War'' was generally positive. Online retailer Interpunk.com called the album "worth every second of the interminable wait. From the opening note of the first track it's blatantly apparent that the guys in D4 haven’t lost a step". Reviewer Jason Lymangrover of
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
commented that the album "
olds Olds may refer to:
People
* The olds, a jocular and irreverent online nickname for older adults
* Bert Olds (1891–1953), Australian rules footballer
* Carl D. Olds (1912–1979), New Zealand-born American mathematician
* Chauncey N. Olds (181 ...
strong to their melodic punk roots, but
howsa new, more mature side of the band. The fiery pep is still intact here, but the carefree days of 'He's a Shithead (Yeah, Yeah)' have been replaced with thoughtful lyrics dealing with social injustices...it's their most glossy, most consistent, most calm, and surprisingly, their most socially relevant album, despite their approach toward middle age on a teen-oriented punk playground."
Chris Fallon of
Absolutepunk.net also praised the album, calling it "a new stitch in a damaged American flag; it's the healthy new dose of oxygen we are severely in need of in a crippled music industry starved of substance." He particularly praised the band's songwriting and use of melody, stating that "The record is audibly more melodic than previous releases, with a focus on pop-infused choruses and hooks, all while still containing that raw focal point the band has continually reached for on past albums."
Maximum Rocknroll magazine coordinator Justin Briggs wrote in the December 2008 issue, "
..While nothing they ever do will knock ''Midwestern Songs of the Americas'' from the position of 'DILLINGER FOUR's best album,' which is an impossible feat among impossibilities in itself, ''Civil War'' has tracks that I'd definitely put on a 'Best of DILLINGER FOUR' mixtape - quite a few, actually.
..Just f**king buy it already."
Not all reviewers praised the album, however. Scott Heisel of ''
Alternative Press
Alternative press may refer to:
Individual publications
* ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine
Alternative journalism
* Alternative media
** Alternative media (U.S. political left)
** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...
'' gave it three out of five stars, noting that the band's extended period of inactivity did not allow them to test the new songs in front of an audience, and thus "the band's fourth proper full-length isn't the New Testament of beard-punk that so many Fest attendees want it to be."
He also remarked that their hiatus had distanced them from contemporary punk, and thus ''Civil War'' sounds dated and "lacks bite and innovation."
Heisel also felt that it did not measure up to the promise of the band's earlier work, stating that "While the album has bright spots, overall it feels a bit dull and without the spark that made 1998's ''
Midwestern Songs of the Americas
''Midwestern Songs of the Americas'' is an album by the punk rock band Dillinger Four
Dillinger Four, sometimes abbreviated as D4, is an American punk rock band formed in 1994 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They have released four full-length s ...
'' so fresh and exciting. With the albatross around their neck finally loosened, Dillinger Four have the talent to return with another truly great, defining punk album–hopefully it'll be before 2014."
Kyle Ryan of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' remarked that the album was "mostly interchangeable with its predecessors, right down to the silly samples that bookend the songs" and that "after six long years, it would've been nice for Dillinger Four to deliver something beyond more of the same".
He did note, however, that the band's pop tendencies were more prominent than on previous releases, and that Funk's vocals were clearer, citing "Contemplate This on the Tree of Woe" and "Americaspremierefaithbasedinitiative" as strong tracks and saying that "Fruity Pebbles" "may be D4's most accessible song yet".
Punknews.org ranked the album at number two on their list of the year's 20 best releases.
Track listing
All songs written by
Dillinger Four
Dillinger Four, sometimes abbreviated as D4, is an American punk rock band formed in 1994 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They have released four full-length studio albums. Since 1996, the band's lineup has been Patrick Costello on bass guitar and ...
(Patrick Costello, Erik Funk, Bill , and Lane Pederson)
#"A Jingle for the Product" - 3:47
#"'Contemplate This on the Tree of Woe.'" - 3:03
#"Parishiltonisametaphor" - 2:59
#"Gainesville" - 3:39
#"Ode to the North American Snake Oil Distributor" - 2:29
#"Minimum Wage is a Gateway Drug" - 2:24
#"The Classical Arrangement" - 2:24
#"Americaspremierefaithbasedinitiative" - 3:21
#"The Art of Whore" - 3:14
#"Fruity Pebbles" - 3:06
#"A Pyre Laid for Image and Frame" - 2:51
#"Like Eye Contact in an Elevator" - 3:10
#"Clown Cars on Cinder Blocks" - 3:18
Personnel
Performers
*Patrick Costello -
bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
,
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
*Erik Funk - vocals,
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
*Bill - guitar, vocals
*Lane Pederson -
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
*Jake Luck -
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
intro on "Parishiltonisametaphor"
Production
*Produced by Dave Gardener.
*Recorded and mixed by Eric Olsen and Dave Gardener at the Terrarium, Underwood and magento,
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
,
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
.
*Mastered by Dave Gardnener and Bruce Templeton at Magneto Mastering, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Artwork and layout
*Cover art and flags by John Grider
*Layout design by Jason McShane Miller
*Inside cover photo by Brian Kelleher
*Live band photos by Brian Garrity
References
{{Authority control
2008 albums
Dillinger Four albums
Fat Wreck Chords albums