A New Day
- filed under Music
As we wait for Barack Obama to take the oath of office, Carrie Brownstein (formerly of Sleater Kinney) has a great post running through some of the music made by bands “that wrestled with the fear, uncertainty, disenchantment and frustration that for many people defined the Bush era and the events that unfolded during his tenure.”
The age of Bush was the end of the end of history — the point at which, as Americans, we had to grapple once again with the reality that events — falling towers, wars, hurricanes, recession — would dramatically shape our lives.
Different artists dealt with that growing reality differently. One of the best concerts I ever saw was Sleater Kinney in the winter of 01, as the nation headed towards war in Iraq. The band seemed consumed — the songs grew noticeably longer, the solos angrier, and full of feedback. They needn’t have sung a word to convey exactly how they were feeling.
Here are some songs I might have added to her list:
TV on the Radio — I Was a Lover. The demarcation line opens the song: “I was a lover before the war.”
Pearl Jam — World Wide Suicide. Sometimes protest is explicit….
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
….And sometimes its just a terrible sense that something is very wrong…
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Radiohead — Bodysnatchers
Fleet Foxes — Blue Ridge Mountains. Like forty years ago, some chose to drop out…
…and some decided to make a stand.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Bruce Springsteen — Magic
History hasn’t disappeared with a new President. But at least we will confront it full on.
Subscribe to RSS
No album captures the madness of the W. years than Arcade Fire’s “Neon Bible” and no song embodies that spirit more than “Intervention.” If life were a movie, it’s the song that would play over the ending credits yesterday, right after the helicopter lifted up to take Bush back to Texas.