In these monthly recaps, I am starting to draw a blank in how to introduce it. Lately, it ends up some variance of these are shitty times but at least we have the music. Here is a sampling of some of the socially conscious songs, videos, and albums released during the past month. Songs/Videos: Noname – Rainforest As expected, the […]
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Much of the music of the 90s may be associated more with personal angst that political dissension, but it was still a rich decade for socially conscious music. The decade could be considered the golden age of afro-centric hip-hop music. Movements such as riot grrrl and queercore were also important in amplifying women and LGBTQ+ voices. There was a diverse […]
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Just about every 2020 best album list features some variance of 2020 was a shitty year, but at least we had plenty of good music to help get us through. Let’s skip all of that, and get straight to the list of the 40 best protest albums of 2020. When putting the list together several notable releases deserved consideration but […]
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This is the second video posted to the recently launched Ongoing History of Protest Songs YouTube channel. I’ll be posting at least one video a week. The first video focused on the best protest tunes of the 2010s, and subsequent videos will focus on the 90s, 80s, 70s, and 60s. These videos were based on articles that I wrote for […]
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Acclaimed singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle sadly passed away on August 20, 2020, at the age of 38 years old. The son of influential alt-country artist Steve Earle, like his father he was able to establish a reputation as a gifted storyteller who at times was also able to provide meaningful social commentary. His eighth and final full-length album The Saint […]
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Along with this site, I also have had the privilege of regularly contributing to Shadowproof. Twice a month a post on this website is also featured on theirs. I have also been asked to contribute to their best albums lists. Recently I contributed to their list of Top Ten Protest Albums of 2020 (So Far). I selected five albums and […]
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2020 has been a shitty year and we are only halfway through. In comparison, since starting this site in December 2017, I’ve never had a tougher time narrowing down a best-of list. It has been a peak year for socially conscious music. Many of the albums that have been released are the perfect snapshot of the current political climate. There […]
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It has been another crazy month. The ongoing Corona pandemic has been compounded by the tragic events surrounding the senseless murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Minnesota Police Department. Fuck racism and fuck racist cops. Right now we will sample some notable socially conscious music that was released during the month. At least we have music to […]
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Part of the purpose of this site is to chronicle the historical developments of protest music. One way to do this is to look back at previous decades. I previously published a list of the 100 Best Protest Albums of the 2010s. Now we are going to look back at the best albums of other decades, starting with the 2000s. […]
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It continues to be a crazy time in isolation, but at least we have music to help get us through. Here is a sampling of some of the socially conscious music released in April. Also, as a note, for any of the releases available on Bandcamp, on Friday, May 1st (and the first Friday of the month for the next […]
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