Rise Against's newest release is not anything new, but that's not to say the punk rock band from Chicago has lost its sound. Rather, Long Forgotten Songs: B-Sides & Covers 2000-2013, the band's newest work since 2011, is a compilation of B-sides that did not make it onto earlier recordings: singles that only had limited release, covers and even a rare live performance with members of Rage Against the Machine. The album serves as a tribute to Rise Against's growth since 1999 and the talent of the four members, while capturing the band's history of progressive activism and musical influences.

Rise Against records songs that are fast, loud and, more often than not, angry and melancholic. The one downside of the album, something that is not unusual in punk music, is that it can be difficult to understand the lead singer, Tim McIlrath. Some of the songs on Long Forgotten Songs, especially covers of other punk songs, tend to fit this style, but the majority of the songs are catchy and easier to listen to and understand than Rise Against's typical fare.

Such was the case with the album's first two songs, "Historia Calamitatum" and "Death Blossoms." While they aren't as memorable as some Rise Against songs, both are fast, catchy and enjoyable to listen to because of their clever lyrics and fleeting guitar riffs.

Other songs previously released as B-sides or on movie and video game soundtracks, like "Generation Lost," "Dirt and Roses" and "Voices of Dissent," are very similar to the first two tracks on the album. All these songs have memorable guitar and drum lines and lyrics that are for the most part easy to understand, with lots of emotion. Most of these songs sound more like songs from older albums, like their Siren Song of the Counter Culture.

Three tracks especially stick out on Long Forgotten Songs. "Everchanging" is a soft, mournful piece that calls reference to other acoustic Rise Against hits like "Hero of War." The cover of Bob Dylan's "Ballad of Hollis Brown" gives a modern twist to a classic folk ballad. The final track, a live rendition performed with Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine of "The Ghost of Tom Joad" by Bruce Springsteen, is the most powerful song on Long Forgotten Songs. "The Ghost of Tom Joad" is intense, haunting and by far the most emotional song on the album. The listener can feel the desperation of the everyman the song describes, and the guitar and bass eerily echo throughout the performance.

Interestingly, the weakest tracks on Long Forgotten Songs were covers Rise Against did of older punk songs or some of Rise Against's earliest works that did not make it on albums. For example, "Join The Ranks," the first song the band ever recorded together, is very difficult to understand and has a much rougher sound than the rest of the album. Likewise, "Built To Last," a rendition of the Sick of It All hit, is next to impossible to understand and is simply less than impressive.

My favorite tracks were the re-releases of exclusive tracks that originally were only released on special iTunes recordings or outside the United States. Any die-hard fan will recognize "Elective Amnesia," "Lanterns," "Give It All" and "But Tonight We Dance." It is refreshing to hear familiar songs, even though some of them are not the exact same cuts as the tracks that were on certain albums.

By far the most interesting tracks were the covers of either songs not composed by punk bands or acoustic covers of punk songs. They ranged from a hilarious punk rendition of "Any Way You Want It" by Journey to a reimagined "Making Christmas" from the Nightmare Before Christmas, where the band transposed the entire orchestration for guitar, drums, bass and voice. "Blind," a cover of Face to Face, is played on baritone guitars, which gives it a sound different from anything else on the album.Anyone who needs a Rise Against fix until their new album comes out in 2014, likes punk rock music or just wants to get pumped up will enjoy Long Forgotten Songs. While the album is not the best or most innovative Rise Against album, it is a nice reminder of how far the band has come in nearly 15 years and a good way to get excited for new material to come.
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