Where are all our protest singers?
This subject matter seems to come up all the time, most recently in a well written blog over at http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article6529747.ece
Recently there have been at least 5 major uk political releases from Enter Shikari, The Enemy, Reverend and the Makers, The King Blues and Gallows. The reviews of these albums have been mixed but mostly the lyrics have been subject to undue criticism. Certainly a greater amount than if the songs were not politically orientated. It seems the desire of the modern music journalist to exude critique and moral superiority when reviewing albums. This often makes for entertaining and informative copy but do not under estimate the effect this has on the artist and the fan of the band/singer in question.
In the last 4 years of being a fairly active musician, I have noticed the development both in my public speaking and in my lyrics. Yet am met with intense apprehension when writing political lyrics, probably due to the scathing views expressed on a couple of songs on my last record. It’s no secret that I am a fan of Billy Bragg but I often wonder if the charming naivety and adolescence that soaks “to have and to have not” would be decimated by todays music press if it was released today. I can’t imagine the nme mincing their words over the phrase “just because I dress like this, doesn’t mean I’m a communist.” Yet from this seed germinated one of the all time great protest singers, with lyrics that have lit the touch paper on many issues and have touched many lives.
Since the last record I have been battling a few demons and fortunately due to a lack of caring and the aforementioned work from the king blues, I’ve began to love wearing my heart on my sleeve and have left the apprehensions behind when writing about politics. I doubt I will ever write a poltical song that even comes close to Bragg or to Dead Prez but it is my passion and duty to try.
However I feel if we are ever going to have one of those artists its the duty of the music press and the internet community to lighten up a bit. It’s easy to knock the naivety or inexperience of young artists writing politically but it sets a negative tone to the young fan, often even before they have heard the record. The most recent example of this is the critism I’ve read towards the new Enter Shikari Album. This is a stauntly political and no holds bared record, to a predominately young fan base, by a young band. Yet its being critiqued by journalists with years of experience, talking about the politics like they are dissecting an afternoon in the house of commons.
How can we expect young musicians to find their political tongue (which is a lot harder to find than writing about love and everyday life – usually because politics is a subject that our nation struggles to embrace except in times of crisis) if we shoot them down on their first attempt? Its easy to then say there are no relevant political artists, what you mean to say is that there are no developed young artists with the intellect of a politician and the musical prowess of legends. Billy Bragg, Rage against the machine and Saul Williams were very special indeed. They had the power to wrap up intense views in succinct and powerful, creative music. I would love it if every artist in the world was like that, but lets be fair, they’re not. However go easy on the ones who do try (not so much musically, say your piece, but maybe turn down the intense dissection of lyrics) because a knock of confidence to a fragile youngster might, unfortunately, be the difference between trying to write a more succinct political song or sticking to the tried and tested lyrical subjects.
I wouldn’t even mind you tearing to bits political lyrics, if you had some political editorial yourselves. In the days of Bragg and Rage, the worlds music press had an interest in the cultural underbelly and not just trying to break the next cool hot band. If you want our generation to step up. Then you have to step up too. I don’t mean a few choice photo calls or a lmhr gig review, I mean editorial, research, controversy.
We are a young music community crying out for political songs, saddened when members of our community are chastised for making a stand, sick of the same plastic music press, the same old autotuned processed radio crap. We know that the media hold the key to immediate success in this country and yet for all the detractors there seems to be little political impetus to our radio stations and magazines. Maybe its time to lay off of the ones of us who do try and take a long sobering look in the mirror?