Put A Record On: Music For Fighting Back
Songs we love by artists who aren't afraid to tell it like it is (and whose music you should buy).
By Natalie
We’re not shy about expressing our views (political and otherwise) over here at DRTI, as you’ve probably noticed from our ongoing anger at the exclusionary and conservative commercial country music status quo. It’s been another hard week in now years’ worth of hard weeks that feel overwhelming and unprecedented; a week when embracing anything other than fear is extremely difficult, especially here in the blood-red states (at least according to our broken, ineffective electoral system) Marissa and I live in.
Typically, we try to balance our own political views with our task as critics interested in the most expansive possible definition of what the term “country” means: We don’t want to legislate what is and isn’t country, as that path has traditionally been used by people seeking to reinforce the genre’s imagined whiteness and cis-maleness. Instead, we try to consider everything from the schlockiest radio hits to the freakiest folk on its own terms (and of course, through the lens of our own biases). Because I want to give commercial country a chance — because there’s a lot of music I enjoy in that specific tradition — I try to take artists’ political leanings on a case-by-case basis: I will listen to an artist who I suspect to be conservative but who doesn’t make that fact a core part of their music or persona. But every MAGA-leaning detail I learn does make it harder to swallow (I’m looking at you, Lainey, with your MAGA boyfriend and your Brittany Aldean IG posts).
This week, I’m feeling downright nauseated as I think about how much Music Row aids and abets when it comes to music for and by the people who have made our country into a dictatorship; how even though I’m positive many of the people who make major label country music possible voted for Kamala, a healthy amount of the music they are pushing out into the world helps affirm the racist, sexist and queer-phobic (and frankly, reality-averse) delusions that are rapidly being enshrined into our laws. Jason Aldean did blackface and it was deemed more or less Fine; look at him now. Morgan Wallen…well, you already know. The money keeps getting printed, both by the labels on Music Row and by the billionaires who are running the big show.
But! We mustn’t despair, right? That’s what all the chatter on my corner of the internet is right now: Find a way to act, anything to do that will bring you closer to the people around you, to distance yourself from the algorithmic profit-fueled nightmare we live in and instead find solid ground. What I’m doing, and hoping you’ll join me in doing, is giving money to a bunch of artists who I admire — artists who fearlessly speak truth to power and make it sound amazing. Most of them don’t have big record deals, and are just working show to show and record to record.
Instead of our usual Spotify and Apple playlists (because, again, the algorithmic profit-fueled nightmare), this one is on Bandcamp. But really, I recommend just going through and buying all the songs — songs chosen to fuel your fire, to channel rage, to offer hope, to make you smile and maybe cry a little bit thinking about how smart and courageous this music is (or maybe that’s just me).
*************I can’t embed the playlist so the link is here!*******************
But first, I want to once again direct you to the Songs Not Bombs compilations (vol. 1 and vol. 2), all proceeds of which go to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund — plenty of DRTI faves including the Deslondes, Lizzie No, John R. Miller and Adeem the Artist on the tracklists.
Here’s some context on just a few of the 50 or so songs on the playlist:
“Throw ‘Em Out,” Croy And The Boys: I’ve been shouting about Croy on here forever, and this song is as devastating and clear-eyed as the rest of his catalog.
”Play God And Destroy The World,” Amythyst Kiah ft. S.G. Goodman: In a fit of unfortunately optimal timing, Amythyst Kiah just released a stellar new album a few weeks ago — dynamic, bold and full of righteous anger and energy.
“Trouble” and “Goodnight America,” Miko Marks: Miko freaking Marks. Possibly no two better songs for this moment; “Goodnight America” has, unfortunately, only grown more relevant. “America, your dream has died” — that about sums it up!
“Your Heart’s a Big Tent,” Willi Carlisle: I just wrote about seeing Willi live for this newsletter; instant tears with this one.
“Won’t Fence Us In,” Nick Shoulders: How many times do I have to shout about Nick Shoulders before he’s the most popular artist in America? Still more, apparently. “Is freedom ringing in your ear or just a death rattle?”!!??!
“American Male,” Ottoman Turks: Look, we need to laugh too — and with all the handwringing about the rightward turn of young men, I haven’t heard a better musical portrait of your average Roganite than this one (full disclosure: the Turks are good friends).
“Tear Down the Fences,” Alice Gerrard & Kay Justice: What do you say about the person who basically wrote the book on this stuff? A perfect song by an all-time icon and legend.
“Workin’ On A World,” Iris DeMent: Iris DeMent is a goddamn genius. This whole album is so earnest and deeply felt; as someone who can be sincerity-averse, I was initially a little thrown. But Iris doesn’t care about my feelings and she shouldn’t, she’s right — singing about what’s good and true, and what it’s like to work on a world we’ll probably never see.
Whoa! Workin' on a World made me cry. Sincerity is powerful.
“fences created by such evil men…”