This is probably the best album I've heard this year. Thematically, it picks up where Rage Against The Machine left off, addressing issues like the xenophobic war on Latin American immigration and the 2nd Iraq War. Musically, it picks up where Against Me left off (when they decided to go make awful hipster rock - see "New Wave").Morello's clear baritone is a refreshing change from the high tenor whine of most male singer-songwriters. The sparse instrumentation lets you focus on the words and message, as befits a political rock album.It only loses a star because I wish there were a few more fast songs, like "House Gone Up In Flames" and "The Road I Must Travel" and "Union Songs".