friday five - 07.11.08 - obligatory politics post

I don't know if you knew this, but there was an election earlier this week. Some guy won, some other guy didn't. It wasn't really a big deal, I'd say.

Pardon the sarcasm, if you will, but I -- like most people -- have become so tired of the affair that I'm just glad it's finally over. However, the election has provided an ideal opportunity to inject some heretofore absent political music into the Friday Five Radio bloodstream. Some of the most passionate and urgent music ever put to tape has come in the form of the protest song, and I'd like to take a few minutes to share a few with you today.

Before we go on, you may have noticed that I am not Lea. As I mentioned in my Sunday post, Lea currently has her hands full with stuff and has called me onboard to fill in for a little bit. So think of me as your substitute -- one of those days you got lucky and ended up with an actual teacher from the same school instead of one of those "professionals." So I'm not one of those weird subs who dresses in pink jumpsuits and makes you address them as Grandma Bunny (oh you think I am making this up). You know me; I'm a cool sub. I'm the dude who teaches next door. I'll write the class a good note.

That having been said, let's get political.



Arcade Fire - "Windowsill" (mp3|5.87MB)
I think it's safe to say that this would've been a huge highlight on a lesser album. As it stands, though, Arcade Fire's Neon Bible is so flabbergastingly good that "Windowsill" -- one of the most pointed commentaries on contemporary America in recent musical memory (and they're Canadian!) -- seemed to slip a little beneath the radar. This gives it a great buried treasure quality. Its melody is beautiful, Win Butler's lyrics and vocals carry their normal urgency, and its message is certainly well-taken. It's really not hard to see why these guys are beginning to acquire numerous Band of the Decade labels.

Green Day - "Holiday" (mp3|7.59MB)
I won't be the first to admit that Green Day isn't the best band in the universe, but back in 2004 the stars really aligned for them. American Idiot is indisputably the best album they've put out, and "Holiday" -- just one of four immensely successful singles the aforementioned album spawned -- is their finest song to-date. Although its anti-Bush America political agenda comes through loud and clear, what really makes it special is that it's just so dang catchy. I'm sure I lose indie cred points left and right for admitting I actually like this, but I can't help it. It's an excellent punk-pop song. That's all there is to it.

Paul Kantner - "Hijack" (mp3|11.4MB)
Blows Against the Empire was actually released in 1971 by principal member Kantner under the Jefferson Starship moniker (making it I guess the "first" JS album), but I think you'll find it bears little resemblance to either later Starship or, indeed, the more contemporary Jefferson Airplane. Basically, this is hippie music. Hardcore, drugged-out hippie music (just look at the list of people who play on it: David Crosby, Graham Nash, Jerry Garcia, Grace Slick ... the list goes on). The album's concept is intriguing: it tells the story of a bunch of then-futuristic hippies who hijack a government-built starship and fly it across the galaxy to the Promised Land. Yeah. So, like I said. Drugs. "Hijack" is, naturally, the album's centerpiece, and while the idea itself may seem a bit loopy, the musicianship here is quite good. The first couple minutes especially have a dark, ominous atmosphere that I'm absolutely in love with ("We sail out into the grasshopper night and we seek the righteous poison" -- nice). The whole affair is a bit of an acquired taste, but if yours are anything like mine, you'll find this an unusual but rewarding listen.

Tokyo Police Club - "Your English Is Good" (mp3|4.38MB)
If indie were more mainstream, all of the world's problems would be solved this would have been everywhere this election season. Perhaps as a fortunate safeguard to ensure I didn't get sick of it, it wasn't. From what I can tell, though, it is the anthemic political song of 2008. I'm not entirely sure what Tokyo Police Club is saying with it, mind you, but they've definitely got something on their plates ("You don't need to change; the future's with us"). Whatever it is, it tastes good enough to make this both the highlight of their debut album Elephant Shell, as well as one of my favorite songs of the year.

VNV Nation - "Kingdom" (mp3|8.05MB)
I suppose all of VNV Nation's Empires carries a fairly strong political undercurrent, but lead-off track "Kingdom" seems to possess the album's most direct and barbed commentary. On top of that, it's also a killer dance song that no doubt packs the floor when it comes up in rotation at goth clubs. So, wait. It's danceable and it's intelligent? I think I'm starting to see why they call this genre Electronic Body Music.

And that's it! I will see you all in my class next period for another dose of Sunday Superlative. Take care, now.

As always, send lovemail/hatemail/anymail related to the Friday Five to fridayfiveradio@gmail.com. Requests are always considered and welcomed. See you next week!