What Are You Angry About

10 by 52
10 by 52
Aug 27, 2017 · 5 min read

(10 by 52 is a 52-week experiment of a blog. The goal is to create a 10-track playlist for the specific topic. These will obviously be highly subjective to my personal taste and or memory. I look forward to hearing your suggestions and your playlists.)

I still haven’t caught up from missing a week and it won’t happen this week with the Labour Day weekend coming up. Not that it matters, but it’s something I want to be on top of. There has been a lot of anxiety and anger happening around the country right now. I’ve felt it, even being a long way from any of these conflicts right now. We aren’t dealing with the struggles of some other countries like Kenya, but it has been a wake-up call for a lot of people here, I feel. So this week I wanted to channel some of that anger. I’ve had some personal stuff that has happened as well this week, so this will be a bit of a catharsis, or a call to fight, not sure I care which one. So, on with the list.

10. Humble — Kendrick Lamar

It’s easy to use Lamar’s zenith (if he has even reached that yet). There’s a lot to unpack in this track without even looking at the bigger picture of the album in total. The takeaway, in this blog about anger, is that he is talking about people being humble. Now, this may be directed at other artists, telling them to be humble and recognize who is the king right now. He may be right, but the chorus, “be humble”, hits me as something that a lot of people in charge could stand to do. That’s what I think of when I hear it. Sit down and be humble.

9. Sleepwalking — Bleached

“Now my eyes are opened wide”. What a great way to express that you weren’t paying attention, that you weren’t really involved? “Sleepwalkin my whole life” is the way I think a lot of people go through their routines, which is fine. We need to get through our own days in whatever way we can. But now, now we know what is really happening and bubbling under the surface. Are we going to sit back and do nothing or are we going to fight for what we know is right? “It’s really too bad to feel like walking death but now my eyes are open wide”.

8. Nobody Speak — DJ Shadow ft. Run the Jewels

Again, this track has the artists talking about their dominance and baiting people to come at them. This beat, coupled with the aggressive nature of the lyrics makes it an easy song to have on while raging. They make comments about making you pick your own switch to get beat with, kicking your dog, and to start running because they are coming for you. But the chorus “Nobody speak, nobody gets choked” is the perfect retort to someone that you may be in an argument with. Don’t talk because I will hurt you. This song gets me ready to fight (which I totally really wouldn’t do, unless necessary).

7. Vietnow — Rage Against the Machine

Turn off the radio because it’s all fear and provocation. Same about the news in general. There’s so much hate, it’s hard to see the other side of anything. Rage sing that this is the game of Right Wing radio, and propaganda. This doesn’t just happen on radio, but tv now, as this was written before we had all of these talking heads on tv and YouTube. It’s used to generate anger and fear and you’d be smart to listen to the words, hear the triggers “the power pendulum swings by the umbilical cord”. That “sheep tremble and here come the votes” because everyone is afraid of what might happen. Don’t let the propaganda get to you. Do your research. Or just rage to this fun song.

6. Nazi Punks Fuck Off — Dead Kennedys

This may all seem one sided, but this is what’s making me angry right now. It’s going to influence my radio. So, here’s a simple one. Dead Kennedys were never ones to really mince words. Jello Biafra could really get some things right, sometimes.

5. Symphony of Destruction — Megadeth

“You take a mortal man/And put him in control/Watch him become a god/Watch people’s heads a’roll”. Maybe you read that and think of a crappy boss, or a parent, or a dictator in a small asian country. I’m tempted to read this into the state of our country. People are being threatened with violence and worse by the very people who are there to protect us. Whether you believe people are abusing power or not, don’t be sheep, robots as this song suggests, and learn and get angry.

4. I Predict A Riot — Kaiser Chiefs

Peaceful protests, marches, rallies have all been a part of the news cycle recently. This song hints at night on the town, getting drunk and the people you run into. It is eventually going to be trouble, hence the riot. There is some deeper things going on though. His friend getting beaten by a policeman is one. It’s another issue that’s been a hot topic as of late. The main thing is, he’s out there having fun and expecting trouble. Sometimes that’s the way the mood is and when I’m angry, I want to be in the middle of it.

3. Ducking & Dodging — Parquet Courts

This album as a whole deals with freedom and captivity, as explained by its own frontman. There’s references to Russian and the KGB. They way they held down members of the state and artists. They sing about friends disappearing and writing in codes. This is stuff that has all been repeated before. The punk vibe of this gets me going and jumping around. The lyrics only incite me more.

2. Cleveland — Algiers

On their Instagram page, they posted a link to this track with this description:

“It is about the institutional murder of black people, a lamentation for those who’ve lost their lives within this context, and an indictment of those responsible.” If that doesn’t get you angry, I’m not sure what will. The slightly gospel sound with the light distortion, makes this all the more powerful.

1. Bounce Back — Big Sean

I’ll end this blog here, though it may seem odd to have Lamar to start us off and Big Sean to end it. There’s reasons though. Per Big Sean’s own reflection, losing is part of winning. You have to see what someone is made of. Do they handle the situation or fall apart? In this song, is hope. He’s singing about himself and coming back from adversity and that he’s going to keep coming back. The thing is, that is the attitude we need from this country right now. We need to take these lumps, but bounce back. We need to continue to fight, rise to the occasion and make sure the leadership is held accountable.

This is by no means a comprehensive list. If this was any other week or month, I might have picked entirely different music for this list. This is just what is on my mind right now. This is what’s making me angry and this is the music that is helping it. So enjoy and rage on.

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10 by 52

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10 by 52

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