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asklemmy·Ask LemmybycosmOS

Soundtrack for these dark times?

I used to listen to the band Muse a lot in high school. I was one of those quiet but rebellious types, so their music really resonated with me. As I got older and started my corporate career, the political messaging in their music, especially in their most recent album, felt a little too strong.

I am ready for it now.

If you’re feeling rage right now, like many of us are, I highly recommend listening to the entire “Will of the People” album by Muse. Really listen to it. Put on your headphones like we used to back in the day and take it all in.

Music has become background noise for me in my 30s, but I think it’s time to bring it back into focus.

Got any songs or albums you’d recommend with similar themes?

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lemmy.world

Nobody said System? Maybe I missed it. Toxicity the album. Individual tracks: Prison Song, Deer Dance, BYOB.

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papalonianreply
lemmy.world

Solid rec. System is the band for this. Prison System and Deer Dance have been up there with my favorite songs since the first time I heard the album.

All research and successful drug policies show that treatment should be increased, and law enforcement decreased, while abolishing mandatory minimum sentences.

BYOB is off Mezmerize, though.

6

Fuck you, Pig!

I'm partial to Highway Song, as far as Steal This Album goes.

2

holy shit i love this album. every track perfectly woven into the tapestry.

1
lemmy.ml

I'm cruising through Rise Against constantly, because a ton of their songs resonate with my anger

12

Rise Against is always my "The world is fucked I'm so mad" band. All their stuff is great, but Re-education(Through Labor), The First Drop, and Mourning in America are so incredible and so relevant.

3

Not a whole album but I had found this little modern folk song specifically about the current state of the US a while back:

https://open.spotify.com/track/5ff9fGBykcLIctsvauVTod

Oh say can you see what I see The future ain’t what it used to be And I’m not proud of anything That I have seen tonight

So tell me ‘bout that flag you wave And what your bumper stickers say And how you parse apart your faith Who's seated on the right?

So dress up in your suit and tie And say your thank yous real polite And raise your arm out to the sky Your fuhrer is your friend

And when that grifter steps in shit They lick his boots from heel to tip Or feel the wrath of all of it Praise Jesus Christ amen

Cause now we’re great again

Dissolve the law and federal courts Defund the peer reviewed reports Retract the hand that feeds the poor The hungry ones can’t speak

So raise a glass to business whores The autocrats and saboteurs And text the world about your wars Let flow your whiskey leaks

Berate the south, invade the north And conquer all impoverished shores Identify and then extort All those who lack defense

Forget the Paine of Common Sense We reign with our incompetence And designate all immigrants As sick and evil men

Cuz now… we’re great again

Then Francis Key tries to explain That freedom’s not a first class train Your red hat cannot be exchanged As credit toward your rent

The land of all the free’s a lie So where do all the brave reside The bombs are bursting through the sky That’s where your money went

A modern Betsy Ross has made A flag that fascists celebrate Our motto now commemorates The sword above the pen

No we are not inspired hosts Your huddled and your tired folks Are propaganda for our shows And we are not your friend

But now… we’re great again

Now weakness is admitting wrong So do your part and play along The showroom on the White House lawn Would make your grandad proud

So tell me who needs enemies When you've got Fox and friends like these Who spend the daytime on their knees In service to the crown

We bow down to the motorcades With banners and our boat parades The emperor we celebrate’s Not wearing anything

That starry spangled banner waves Goodbye to golden yesterdays The ramparts now have all been raised To clearly represent

That now... somehow... we are great again

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lemmy.world

Obsolete by Fear Factory

It's a concept album that involves fighting against a totalitarian police state that subjugates humans to the machines they created.

It also has an awesome "Cars" cover for whenever you're feeling good.

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muxikareply
lemmy.world

This should be higher. Delete Yourself! is an amazing album.

4

If and when I want to feel political listening to music, it's mostly RATM or some down to earth 90's black rap, such as Wu-Tang Clan (I'm white though). Occasionally I drink a few and sing Bella Ciao until my voice gives out.

Otherwise, nowadays, I'm mostly depressed (clinically) and I often just flee into some darksynth like Perturbator.

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The first Rage Against The Machine album feels more relevant today then when it was released. Like this is the first time I've really, really felt like RATMs intended audience and not a 3rd person.

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lemmy.world

Grandson.

Check out their newish single BRAINROT to start. That album Inertia is packed with great music.

Yeah, watch the world fall off its axis Watch the bombs go off, paid for by your taxes Watch the Met Ball, watch the brainrot Watch the Go-Pro footage of the headshot

Too relevant.

Also check out Blood // Water.

Great shit that really speaks.

What you gon' do when there's blood in the water? The price of your greed is your son and your daughter What you gon' do when there's blood in the water?

5

Check out Ren.

He's got many many good songs but I love Money Game pt 2.

Strange times we're living in, panic and hysteria

Poor man learn the rich man don't care for ya

Narcissist mindsets spread like malaria

Sit back and watch the show, America!

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infosec.pub

From King Crimson's first album:

  • 21st Century Schizoid Man
  • Epitaph
  • The Court of the Crimson King
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Refused

Cro-Mags

Napalm Death

Power Trip

Iron Reagan

Exodus

Non-metal suggestions:

Thievery Corporation

Skinny Puppy

Massive Attack

4

"Father's Advice" from the album Songs for Parents Who Like Drugs by Hamil on Trial

the entire album The Great Depression by Defiance, OH

"SST" by Strike Anywhere

3

Bluegrass and independent country artists are getting really good with their messaging lately.

3

Check out Jesse Welles. His song RED hooker me hard and now I’m a big fan.

1

I switched from almost all jazz, electroswing mostly, the summer of 2024 and added in what little dark hard rock I knew, or whatever you call it, like tool and rage against the machine, a perfect circle, old stuff. I knew we were fucked in july 2024. For sure fucked I knew before, I actually called kamala getting the nomination after biden back in like 2019.

Want some more kind of dark or hard stuff to listen to, but there was a lot more good rage against the machine stuff than I was aware, they weren't as popular as tool where I grew up.

3

Muse

If you can get hold of it, there’s a live set from a Big Day Out in Sydney getting around if you can find it.

I saw the Brisbane set. That was two days before the Sydney one, which incidentally was this date (26th), 2004 IIRC. It was one of the best live sets I’ve ever seen.

Amazing band. Live and on record.

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I was not expecting to see them here. I am pleasantly surprised.

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There's a handful of Audioslave tracks that could work. Going to listen to them shortly, I'll mention some specific tracks. Definitely my favorite rock band of all time. RIP Chris.

2

Here are a few:

Fen - Monuments to Absence (post-black metal)

GY!BE - NO TITLE (post-rock)

Ashenspire - Hostile Architecture (avant-garde black metal)

A Silver Mt Zion - this is our punk rock... (Post-rock)

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As far as I can tell Muse has only one good song (Take a bow). And even that is a bit cheesy.

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Expedition 33 soundtrack. I don't wanna know nothing about reality half of the time.

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Germany has many great punk bands. Fahnenflucht, Slime, Pascow, Terrorgruppe, WIZO, Fucking Angry, Feine Sahne Fischfilet, HASS.... so many great bands. I could go on. lol

1

Edge of a Revolution by Nickelback

Change by Taylor Swift

No Place Like Home from Wicked: For Good

1

I remember once reading that in bleak times, like the Great Depression, people historically favored upbeat movies; they wanted escapism. And then in boom times, people tend to favor grittier movies.

There might be something to that. That is, if you're not happy, you might be better off consuming happier media.

1

Glow by aviators

https://youtu.be/ppG_fCn2IIg

Red water Dreams by aviators

Eye of the storm by aviators

Writing on the walls by aviators

Wartorn by aviators

Raise your flag by hidden citizens

The times they are a changing.

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Super old school folk/country western or other older clasic rock. Its got its stigmas and opinions but if you control your Playlist library then id recommend adding the generic artists like Kat Steven, Willie Nelson, Dylan or stretch out to other mega-artists from that gen like the Beatles. Everyone knows their name and knows their billboard br3akers but theyr library is sooo deep with artists like that, there will absolutely be songs you never heard that sound better than their chary toppers.

My last recommendation: go down the limit Hendricks live recordings, rabbit hole.

If you are like me you might write off most rge artist ive named as being too... idk... legendary. But what ive found empirically, is that even the worst songs from great artists are better than any great song by an average to good artist.

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