Cam’s Choice

“Gurl shake dat laffy taffy, dat laffy taffy, gurl shake dat laffy taffy.” Simply amazing. While I don’t think I’d be fooling anyone by claiming that D4L are lyrical geniuses, they do provide an excellent example of the kind of music that appeals to people. That is, music with a message. Of course, these days there’s music with just about any message you want to hear. You can find anything from rappers singing about large-bottomed women to seemingly-innocent folk songs with hidden white-power themes. While some concepts might dominate significantly larger slices of the musical pie, nobody can deny the incredible rise in popularity of politically-themed music over the last couple years (in conjunction with the hotly debated presidential election of 2004). In this issue, I’d like to share a few of my favorite political albums, in particular those that demonstrate a somewhat timeless attitude instead of being focused completely on a certain era.

Propagandhi
Today’s Empires, Tomorrow’s Ashes Bleeding Liberal Hearts: 9/10
I’ll begin with one of the most blatantly political bands of all time, Propagandhi. While some might accuse me of giving this band too much attention, any band that can crank out albums like Today’s Empires, Tomorrow’s Ashes deserves it. Simply put, TE,TA is the textbook political punk album of the 1990’s, a blistering attack on conservative practices throughout the world. Songs such as F*** the Border illustrate the band’s stance on corporate expansion in the third world with statements like “I stand not by my country, but by the people of the whole world […] it’s our culture and consumption that makes [third world] life unbearable.” Propagandhi continues to take no prisoners in their attack on western foreign policy, ‘Albright Monument Baghdad’. Although it was released prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom, it offers insight into the current conflict with lyrics like “I’m losing faith that we, here in the Cradle of Affluence can cease this sickening drive for individual strength through state-powers’ swinging fists.” Fans of Propagandhi should also look into the following bands: The Weakerthans, The Subhumans, Crass, and Leftover Crack.

Billy Bragg
Must I Paint You a Picture?
Bleeding Liberal Hearts: 8/10
In contrast to the openly defiant lyrics and shredding guitars of Propagandhi, Billy Bragg expresses his politics with intimate and soulful ballads, proving that not all liberal musicians make loud, angry garbage. While he might be most famous for his work with popular indie artists Wilco, I can assure you his solo work far surpasses any collaborative projects. Must I Paint You a Picture is a collection of songs spanning his three-decade career as a singer-songwriter, throughout which he stayed true to his roots as a folk musician standing up for the people. In ‘Help Save the Youth of America’, Bragg speaks out against selfish Western practices, claiming “A nation with their freezers full/Are dancing in their seats/While outside another nation/Is sleeping in the streets.” Bragg also shows reverence for the grandfather of folk music, Woody Guthrie, with his cover of ‘All You Fascists Bound to Lose’. Guthrie’s lyrics matched with Bragg’s musicianship makes for a piercing strike on racial prejudice, speaking of a future where “People of every color [are] marching side by side/Marching ‘cross these fields where a million fascists died.” Heavily influential, Bragg’s ideals can be seen in the songs of numerous modern musicians who grew up listening to him on secret liberal radio waves. If you enjoy Billy Bragg’s music, you might also like Wilco, World/Inferno Friendship Society, The Mekons, and Erik Petersen.

Against Me!
Reinventing Axl Rose
Bleeding Liberal Hearts: 7/10
Drawing heavily on English peace-punk classics such as Crass, Omega Tribe, and the aforementioned folk singer Billy Bragg, these wholly-American teenagers created my favorite album of all time while sustaining themselves off whatever leftover scraps of food they could dig out of the dumpsters of North Florida. Despite the fact that they are now on the fast track to becoming rock stars, the albbum Reinventing Axl Rose remains a classic for its uncompromising honesty, one that can only be bred from sheer desperation. Anthems like ‘The Politics of Starving’ and ‘8 Full Hours of Sleep’ give us an introspective look into the unfortunate lives that many poor Americans face every day, as lines like “There are some of us who have, and some that go without, America and justice are not synonymous” manage to touch everyone, even the rumored hearts of hardline-conservatives. The real jewel of this album is the folk tune ‘Baby, I’m an Anarchist’, a tongue-in-cheek caricature of a counter-culture currently being fostered by a slew of leftist bands. Lines like “you believe in the ballot, you believe in reform, you have faith in the elephant and [donkey], and to you solidarity is a four-letter word […] no I won’t take your hand and marry the state” clearly demonstrate recognition of the inherent hypocrisy of our current regime and a consensus of rejection for traditional conservative viewpoints. If you enjoy the angry rantings of Against Me, you might also enjoy the progressive propaganda of The Lawrence Arms, Strike Anywhere, No Choice, and Smoke or Fire.

Ghost Mice
Debt of the Dead
Bleeding Liberal Hearts: 12/10 (seriously)
It’s honestly hard to get much more progressive than Ghost Mice, a two-piece folk group from Indiana who have made a reputation for themselves by not only touring relentlessly and often playing free shows, but also by launching a non-profit music label (Plan-it-X Records) that has blossomed into one of the most respected underground labels that I can imagine. Debt of the Dead is their first full-length recording, and since its release, it has set a standard of lyrical quality and ethical musicianship that has inspired countless other bands to follow suit. Debt of the Dead is also impressive in that it addresses international issues in songs like $1,000,000/Hour, which questions US Foreign policy, but also manages to tackle many of the social issues that people face daily, putting progressive spins on such common problems as high school politics in ‘Hang on Kids’. With crisp and clear singing voices, there is no need to quote lyrics, but I think it suffices to say that Ghost Mice are probably the finest example of a band who not only forms a cohesive message throughout the album, but also practices what they preach. At this moment, as you’re most likely sitting in Harcombe having a warm lunch, they’re probably hitchhiking across the country on empty stomachs, because that’s what they think music is all about. If you enjoy supporting kids who make albums in their basements and ride bicycles instead of SUVs, then you might want to look into This Bike is a Pipe Bomb, Defiance Ohio, Saw Wheel, and One Reason.