other punk rock bands, like AFI, Bad Religion, Blink-182, Poison the Well, Refused, and Sick of It All. AllMusic's Johnny Loftus commented that the band diversified their lyrics for Siren Song of the Counter Culture, mixing social and political commentary with personal reflection. McIlrath believes that the album is about standing up for oneself, and not being afraid to have a dissenting opinion. The first track on Siren Song of the Counter Culture is "State of the Union", a short and aggressive song that contains the most screaming on the album. Its lyrics criticize bureaucratic injustice, as well as those who do not speak out against injustice. Davey Boy of Sputnikmusic believes "The First Drop" is more toned down, and acts as a bridge to the third track "Life Less Frightening". "Life Less Frightening" is a conventionally structured song, that Boy notes almost has an alternative rock sound, but keeps underlying punk rock traits. The fourth track, "Paper Wings", tells a sad story about growing apart, backed by a guitar lick that lasts the entire song. "Blood to Bleed" features reflective lyrics about broken hearts, presented from a first-person perspective. The sixth and seventh tracks, "To Them These Streets Belong" and "Tip the Scales", have AFI-like vocals according to Blistering Justin Donnelly. "Anywhere But Here" features a backing drum beat that both Donnelly and Ultimate Guitar Archive highlighted as the best part of the song, with Ultimate Guitar Archive describing it as "contagious". "Give It All" is a short hardcore track, that Boy believes is reminiscent of songs by The Offspring. McIlrath commented that the song is "kind of a punk rock anthem about being a punk rocker in today's world; like what being a human being in today's world is like". "Dancing for Rain" opens with acoustic strumming, before transitioning into a frenetic pace, combining pop elements with punk rock. The penultimate track, "Swing Life Away", is an acoustic ballad, with simple lyrics discussing daily life and the working class. The final track, "Rumors of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated" features one of the few guitar solos on the album, and "end[s] things in huge style", according to Donnelly. Release and commercial performance To promote Siren Song of the Counter Culture, Rise Against toured extensively throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and Japan. They participated in the 2004 Warped Tour, and supported Bad Religion in a late 2004 tour.