Here's a look back at July's political news and the best new albums that related to it. What albums would you suggest? Comment on听,听, or听email.听
1. KELEKETLA! - KELEKETLA!听
On July 1, the African continent had recorded 405,870 cases of COVID-19, 37% of which were in South Africa. Despite this, the South African government was insisting on restarting its economy amid protests that only the wealthy could afford to get tested for the coronavirus and that the figure of infection could be much higher. Two days later, international world music collective Keleketla! released their self-titled album, which features South African "anti-capitalist cultural resistance movement" chanting revolutionary slogans such as 鈥渇orward with the struggle鈥 on the track "Future Toyi Toyi". The song is inspired by , a style of protest that begins with the stomping of feet and spontaneous chanting. It has long been used in political protests in South Africa, where mining has been operating at full capacity since June 1, despite the pandemic. 听
2. MATTHEW O'NEILL - KYLL TIME听
On July 6, resource extraction was partially paused in the US when a district court ordered the shutdown of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The same day, US singer-songwriter Matthew O'Neill released his on streaming services. It features the song "Standing Rock", a tribute to the Standing Rock Indian Reservation where protesters fought on the front line against the notorious oil pipeline. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of an arrow tip of a song about the idea of resistance toward destructive forces and reconnecting people with a sustainable, indigenous way of life,鈥 O鈥橬eill . "I think more and more people are aware that things need to change, but we don鈥檛 really have much time to be dilly-dallying. Getting that message across to the right people is tricky. Rock 鈥榥鈥 roll and music is the best way to do it. It has more impact, the impact to change your life.鈥
3. MASSIVE ATTACK - EUTOPIA
Also railing against climate change were multimillion-record-selling British group Massive Attack, with their new audiovisual EP, . It was released on July 10, a day after Australia the world's biggest exporter of fossil fuels. Commenting on the project, the band : 鈥淟ockdown exposed the best aspects and worst flaws of humanity. That period of uncertainty and anxiety forced us to meditate on the obvious need to change the damaging systems we live by. By working with three experts, we鈥檝e created a sonic and visual dialogue around these global, structural issues, taking the form of climate emergency, tax haven extraction and Universal Basic Income." The release features UN Paris Climate Agreement author Christiana Figueres, Universal Basic Income Principle founder Professor Guy Standing and US 鈥淲ealth Tax鈥 policy inventor Professor Gabriel Zucman.
4. THE CHICKS - GASLIGHTER听
Climate change is one of many topics covered by The Chicks - formerly known as The Dixie Chicks - on their new album, released on July 17. It's found on the song "March March", written after the US country pop trio attended the March For Our Lives protest against gun violence. "But we didn't want to write three verses all about gun control," band member Emily Strayer. "So we started talking about other things we were passionate about. We were just all riled up about what was on the news." Singer Natalie Maines said the song could have been 25 minutes long. "Once you go down that path, we could have had endless verses." The band have become a byword for politics in music after they were shunned by country music radio for saying they were "ashamed" of then-US President George W Bush in 2003. The, which against the current president, is excellent. 听
5. STRIKE ANYWHERE - NIGHTMARES OF THE WEST听
Fellow president-baiting US political music diehards Strike Anywhere also returned this month after a long absence. Speaking about their new album of melodic hardcore anthems, they : "The point of Nightmares Of The West is to understand that despite of all the injustice in the world, it鈥檚 still important to fight the good fight... We really need to say 鈥極K, look, we can reorganise this. This thing happened 200 years ago, or the western hegemony of the globe happened 400 years ago and these were deep missteps. And we can either annihilate ourselves by trying to justify it to death, or 鈥 to quote the 鈥 we can find what鈥檚 good and make it last.鈥 The release came days after the Australian government announced it was spending $270 billion on new weapons, despite complaining it didn't have the money needed to support those made jobless by the pandemic. 听听
6. L-FRESH THE LION - SOUTH WEST听
Supporting those made jobless by the pandemic were Australian Sikhs, who dished out thousands of this month. On July 17, their fellow Australian Sikh, rapper L-FRESH The LION, released his new album of lessons that he wished he'd known as a kid. On the emotional "", he raps about losing fluency in his language: "Conversations with my grandmother would comfort me. I'd reply in our mother tongue, uncomfortably. She'd laugh unaware of the shame kept underneath. The process of losing it wasn't done consciously. I remember back when I was kicking it in school. At that age speaking your language wasn't cool. If you stood out they'd make you feel like a fool. The pressure from your peers is very powerful." And on the sublime "Peace & Light", he raps: "It's hard to free your mind when you're forced to leave parts of you behind." 听听
7. BUMI THOMAS - BROKEN SILENCE
Such colonisation was on brutal display on July 14, when letters released under the Freedom of Information Act revealed exactly how the Queen dismissed the government of leftist Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in 1975. Back in the "mother country", Glasgow-born artist Bumi Thomas used the launch of her new EP to how she was almost deported under racist laws introduced by former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Her fellow Black British jazz musician, Zara McFarlane, released an equally powerful on July 17, which " the iniquities of empire head on". Examining her Jamaican heritage, "Roots Of Freedom" talks about revolution and "retribution", because when the British empire finally banned slavery, compensation was paid not to the slaves, but to the slave owners. 听 听
8. NOVA TWINS - WHO ARE THE GIRLS?听
Lashing out at that colonial mindset were Black British punks Nova Twins, who skewer Brexit on their stupendous new album. Discussing the record as they limbered up for a gig this month, they : 鈥淲e called it Who Are The Girls?听because we didn鈥檛 always feel heard or accepted making the type of music we do, looking the way that we do. Being Black women doing punk music is political... It鈥檚 definitely challenging and there is a stigma attached to it." On the Brexit-baiting "Devil鈥檚 Face" they sing: "Deceivers, believers. You're weak or born leaders. Pick or lose, it's up to you. Die or pledge your allegiance. The devil's got your face on - look at your reflection." But as Black Lives Matter protests continued around the world, police shut down a rally in Sydney that was demanding justice for the 438 Aboriginal people who have died in custody since 1991.
9. ALEXTBH - THE CHASE 听
The effect of the Black Lives Matter rallies was even being felt in Malaysia, where queer pop artist Alextbh released his new EP this month. "It seems like Black issues are not exactly our issues, maybe because of proximity or maybe because we don鈥檛 have a huge Black community here," he . "But ever since George Floyd鈥檚 killing, we鈥檝e uncovered so many injustices here in Malaysia. I personally feel like I鈥檓 very privileged because I鈥檓 surrounded by people, friends and family who are really supportive and are behind everything I say. But that鈥檚 not necessarily the case for a lot of people here, especially if you鈥檙e Muslim. The government will send you to conversion therapy if you鈥檙e gay. It鈥檚 just completely ridiculous." The EP was released as activists complained that anti-refugee xenophobia was reaching "a peak" in Malaysia.
10. SHANE HOWARD - DARK MATTER听
On July 24, New Zealand to Behrouz Boochani, a refugee who had fled Iran via south-east Asia, only for Australia to imprison him on Manus Island for years. Just days earlier, Australian musician Shane Howard had released his new album, which features the song "Prison Island", inspired by Boochani's book about his ordeal. In discussing the album, Howard - the lead singer of '80s band Goanna and author of their 1982 hit about Uluru, "Solid Rock" - described how he smuggled the brutal truth about Australia鈥檚 colonial past into the mainstream at a time when most media denied access to Indigenous voices. 鈥淏ack in the '80s, we didn't hear Aboriginal voices on radio,鈥 he . In a sign of some progress, at the end of the month, 16-year-old Aboriginal rapper The Kid Laroi released his after his single "Diva" notched up more than on YouTube.
Video:听Massive Attack - Massive Attack x Algiers.听.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mat Ward has been writing for听91自拍论坛 since 2009. He also wrote the听听Real Talk: Aboriginal Rappers Talk About Their Music And Country and听makes听political music. This year, he released a concept album听about the media听听as "edgy, daring and new". You can download the deluxe version free for a limited time听.
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