With all that has happened in the past four years and the
current political atmosphere in America, political music is once
again striking a chord with the masses. In the punk world, politics
have been key subject matter since the beginning. However, some
punk bands like Sum41 and Riddlin’ Kids are simply putting out
shallow “political” material to cash in on the political buzz of
the upcoming Election. Forget those posers, here’s the real
deal.
NOFX – “The Decline”
Who would have thought that the band know for silly songs such
as “She’s Nubs” and “Hobophobic (Scared of Bums)”, could sit down
and write one of the best political songs of all time? NOFX has
always had a political vein in their music, but it was almost
always humorous (“Murder the Government”, “Eat the Meek”). For “The
Decline”, NOFX sat down and wrote a scathing, eighteen-minute
attack on the religious right, gun culture, apathy and blind
patriotism.
The lyrics are exceptional, especially for NOFX standards (“Why
go against tradition when we can/ Admit defeat, live in decline/ Be
the victim of our own design”) If you only buy one poli-punk album,
make it “The Decline.”
Refused — “The Shape of Punk to Come”
After “The Decline,” the next most essential poli-punk album is
“The Shape of Punk to Come” by Swedish hardcore gods Refused.
Refused are angry, vicious socialist Swedes whose music is just as
beautiful as it is loud.
From the opening line; “I’ve got a bone to pick with capitalism/
and a few to break,” it is clear what Refused stands for. Unlike
typical hardcore, Refused incorporate jazz, techno, big band and
classical influences to create a wonderfully distinct sound.
On the lyrical front, Refused lead singer Dennis Lyxz�n
screams angry poetry about the injustices of capitalism, the
importance of truth and the spirit of freedom. The track “New
Noise” points out how society’s ills by comparing life to music;
“We dance to all the wrong songs/We enjoy all the wrong moves.”
Underneath all the screaming and the muscular guitars of “The
Shape of Punk to Come” lies one of the most beautiful expressions
of human anger and discontent.
Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros — “Global A Go-Go”
In the last five years of his life, Joe Strummer, leader of The
Clash, worked with a new band, The Mescaleros. In 2001, they
released their finest album; “Global A Go-Go”. “Global A Go-Go” is
not a straight forward political album. In fact, it isn’t even a
proper punk album. “Global A Go-Go” is a critique on the corporate
American push for Globalization.
“Global A Go-Go” is a very easy album to sit back and relax to,
unlike Refused and NOFX. Strummer’s voice is so versatile but it is
always soothing. “Global A Go-Go” starts off with the
American/Scotch-Irish folksy track “Johnny Appleseed.”
“Appleseed” addresses the poor working conditions and the
corporate dominance that are one-in-the-same with globalization and
contains the brilliant line “If you’re after getting the honey/
Then you don’t go killing all the bees.”
The album progresses, incorporating Hindi, Mediterranean,
African, Caribbean, Classical and East Asian music and tackling
issues from atomic power to industrialization and urban depression.
For an easy-going, socially conscious good time give “Global A
Go-Go” a listen.
