December 10th, 2008 by revolutionarywarfare · 1 Comment · Music
These guys are pretty literally political. Where Rage Against the Machine just makes you mad and says “bulls on parade,” and makes their political motives public beyond the recording studio, these guys are more in the vain of J-Live, Dead Prez, Dilated Peoples lyrically. The sound draws on the following for me: Rage Against The Machine, Cake, Atmosphere/Brother Ali, plus some really classic instrumental rock like ELO, and Metallica.
The Flobots - Fight With Tools
Mayday–Without mentioning anything explicit, they just say the world is messed up right now–mayday.
My favorite verse is here: “mayday mayday/put it on blast/for the passengers and messengers/cause this is a disaster/where the fuck are the rescue workers/not far off pissing on a cop car/in the hall with a poptart/sipping liquor in the rockbar/everyone climb to the frontline/lunchtimes cancelled/all hands on deck to pull survivors from the landfill/onlookers passers-by brush of your shoulders/shake off that rubble
break free from your standstill” It says, we’re all complicit in and affected by all the s*** going on in our world. And we gotta buck up and get together or it’s not going to get any better–it’s easy to do what we do and say someone else will deal with the world’s problems. But this is serious, and so while we might like to party and be our innocuous 20-something selves, maybe we all have to do something. By we, I mean you an dme and her and her. Also I like this flow. [Read more →]
So, in assessing and listening to the below playlist, context will prove to be highly important. The tunes reflect a seemingly bizarre mix of easy-listening study music, cathartic emotional releases and “i can see the light at the end of the tunnel where this degree might actually provide some income” hip hop anthems that perhaps only a terribly swamped and disinterested grad student can grasp. That being said, enjoy.
1) Sia - Breathe Me - Heard it in a commercial and it made me tear. Or maybe it was the Hills episode I was watching just prior, while eating my Edamame and Diet Water.
2) Kid Cudi - The Prayer and Cleveland - Dude is the new old Kanye - stumbles onto terribly infectious (and familiar) beats with limited flow but charmingly simple and insightful lyrics. Somehow, the formula, which he definitely has, works. [Read more →]
These tracks are meant to energize, to invigorate, to push you out in to new situations. Play it just before you walk out the door and you’ll see how it makes you want to go. This isn’t dance music, but it makes you want to move. Try it out.
10) Banquet - Bloc Party: This is the where we start with get up and go songs. Snares and Bass. With an infectious beat Bloc Party throws you right into the mix. A great get in the car song.
9) No Cars Go - Arcade Fire: *Shameless plug alert* it could be me but this video my buddy made to this song from our job just makes me wanna run around. Bonus points if you can spot me!
8) You Can’t Stop Me Now - Bobby Digital 1.0 (RZA) Obvious shout out to our own 2.0 but also because this track just feels right when you are going out feeling naughty.
7) Beautiful Struggle - Talib Kweli: I don’t think this is Talib’s best song, but there is a certain motivational way about his rhymes. They just make sense just like popping your collar and tilting your hat sometimes just makes sense.
6) Enter Sandman - Metallica: You didn’t think I could forget the song that charges my stadium out of its seats did you? Odd that a song about dreams and sleep could be such an eye opener.
5) Idioteque - Radiohead: Forgive me here for getting a bit trippy and weird for a moment, but just listen to this song on the subway packed with people and tell me it doesn’t make you want to smile. So what if it also sounds great in a meadow full of rainbows. Radiohead is heralded as one of the great bands of our generation. I don’t always see it, but this song has power.
4) Lex - Ratatat: Not everyone has heard of Ratatat. These guys have tracks everywhere in popular culture though because they make the perfect video game background music that kids of our generation have always wanted for our own personal soundtracks. For me I feel like I could be using my spread fire to kill three headed mecha beasts in Contra.
3) Good Morning - Kanye West: Just like the song says, “Good Morning, On this day we become legendary, everything we dreamed of.” What better way to get out of bed.
2) Wildcat - Ratatat At this point Ratatat has already made an appearance on this list, but this one takes the cake I think. Perhaps the finest example of bob your head, tap your leg, electronic funktacular music there is. Will someone team these guys up with Kanye already!
1) Such Great Heights - The Postal Service This song is different from the others because it fits only one specific get up and go moment. When you finish the night and hop in that cab thinking of bedtime, this one will put you right there. Time to go home.
So go ahead and try one of these songs tomorrow and see if it helps you shake the sleep out of your eyes long enough for you to hit the pavement running.
Normally I wouldn’t post Beyonce because I don’t really have any negative or positive feelings about her. Sure I’ve bopped to a few of her tunes on occasion, especially back in the DC days, but lately she’s been slipping. With all that said, this latest song off her bizarrely title newly released studio album is just unreal. First of all I don’t understand the title, “If I Were a Boy.” Secondly, I’m not sure what kind of mixed message this is sending to women, who for the purposes of this post can only be referred to as “girls.” I don’t know if I’m more alarmed by the fact that Beyonce released this song, that people like this song, or that she made this even more horrendous video to go along with it:
Since we are so heavily Hip-Hop oriented here at Digital Chaos Media, I thought I might give those non-Dead Prez loving cats out there something a little different. Here is the new music video for The Killers single, Human, off of their new album Day & Age. If this song is any indication of the direction The Killers are heading in, things look promising. The synth-pop returns and the claims of creating “one of the best albums of the past twenty years” are gone. Also, is anyone else relieved that Brandon Flowers has lost the pedophile mustache…
Not sure how many people have seen this already, but a couple months ago, my sister (a true soldier of the not-for-profit world - in stark contrast to yours truly) sent me this video. It’s the theme song/video for what is a basically a joint venture between Youtube/Will I Am and virtually anyone with an interest in the war on poverty. Footenote, R.IP. Pac. In case you were wondering from your viewing of Will’s “Yes We Can” tribute….Scarlett Johannson makes an appearance in this one as well.
Aside from the catchy (and pretty good) tune, the power, at least emotionally, of the concept is pretty self-explanatory. Although seemingly inherent in a battle for humanity, personalizing the mission to save what might actually equate to the “substantial majority of everybody else” is a clever step. That being said, such peaceful viral techniques of an outspoken populace do not seem to have fared well in advancing social or political goals since the Civil Rights movement came to close with the death of MLK. The trend has advanced quite differently in the corporate world. [Read more →]
This is sit back and relax music. Keep it out of the gym, out of the bar, away from the club. These songs imply more introspection. Plug in and tune out:
1) Moby - One of These Mornings: I’m by no means the biggest Moby fan out there. Regardless, he’s put out a few songs that catch a mood like only the rarest artist can. This is one of the more relaxing sounds I’ve ever heard. It isn’t hip-hop in any sense, but it fits best on this list and it’s a good palate clearer.
2) Lupe Fiasco - Daydreamin: Wow. This man absolutely attacked the scene with his first release. I’m not sure he hit his potential with it, but Food and Liquor was a rare album, and this song is manifest of that.
3) Atmosphere - Me: One of my favorite songs. Ever. [Read more →]
“This statue is the least expression of our appreciation for Muntazer al-Zaidi, because Iraqi hearts were comforted by his throw.”
-Fatin Abdul Qader about the recently erected 'Shoe Statue' in Iraq dedicated to Muntazer al-Zaidi attack on President Bush
