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AOTY #4: Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues Lyrics by Rock Genius

2014 Albums of the Year

2015

Against Me! fans will tell you, we thought that the band was dead (at least as a studio outfit). The record just prior to Transgender Dysphoria Blues, 2010’s White Crosses, had a handful of good songs on it (eg. the undeniable fist-pump bliss of “I Was A Teenage Anarchist”), but for the most part represented the nadir of Laura Jane Grace’s songwriting and performance (witness the mindbogglingly literal lyric, “The dynamic to the relationship never changes”; thanks, Dr. Phil). So we all sat around and bashed the band for, like, five years...
Imagine how shitty we felt when we all learned why the music had been so devoid of life—Laura had been dealing with a depression that nearly took her life. When she confirmed her gender in 2012, as many cis people are, I was new to the whole idea of being transgender, and felt like I was mourning the band I’d known for more than a decade. But that passed and then I thought, imagine what a tour-de-force it’ll be when she gets this stuff out in song
And I wasn’t wrong. Musically, Transgender Dysphoria Blues is classy, sophisticated, and cheerful pop-punk, one song after another redolent of James Bowman’s Goldtop Les Pauls and Laura’s beloved Rickenbackers chiming out of a wall of Vox AC30 amps. But lyrically, there isn’t a Norwegian black metal record bleaker, a grindcore record more brutal, than the emotion here. We’re talking slit wrists, dead friends, dying marriages, cut-off fingers, caved-in skulls. It’s as if all the darkness in Grace had been stewing, fermenting, congealing, and finally exploded out into the written word here
If you happen to be transgender—as approximately 700,000 Americans do—then I can only imagine that Transgender Dysphoria Blues will be so intensely personal that you’ll be moved to tears. But there’s a certain kind of album that takes an idiosyncratic experience, puts it under the magnifying glass, and universalizes it, so that anyone can relate to lyrics that are in reality very disparate from their own experience. The incredible thing, that pushes the record into Will-Graham-like levels of empathy, is that TDB will floor you even if you’re not transgender. Let this album in, and you will not be the same person when you’re done listening
- Wild Rose Chance
Only three albums left! Come back tomorrow for #3 and catch up on the rest of the list so far
Credits
Rock Genius

Rock Genius

About “AOTY #4: Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues” by Rock Genius

Read the complete lyrics to "AOTY #4: Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues" by Rock Genius from the album "2014 Albums of the Year" in 2015. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Review, Rock.

"AOTY #4: Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues" is performed by Rock Genius. from the album "2014 Albums of the Year" in 2015 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "AOTY #4: Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues", explore more songs by Rock Genius using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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"AOTY #4: Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues" is credited to Rock Genius. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"AOTY #4: Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues" appears on "2014 Albums of the Year" in 2015.

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