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I feel global political oppression or global wars usually produce great music but Macklemore might be the peak.

Nothing against him, some of his songs are good, but I expected real rage inducing stuff with everything going on. Or is this just the state of music as a whole?

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[-] brem@sh.itjust.works 6 points 11 months ago

Just because the music you listed isn't new, doesn't mean it can't serve the same purpose as it did for previous generations.

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[-] Know_not_Scotty_does@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago

Dropkick Murphys are killing it right now. Their last 3 albums are all great.

I also really dig Jeff Rosenstock.

[-] jsomae@lemmy.ml 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Before those, in the 60's there was CSNY, CCR, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Buffalo Springfield writing protest bangers.

Can't really think of much for this generation unfortunately. Instead we have, uh... Ye. :(

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[-] arcterus@piefed.blahaj.zone 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Regarding Palestine, a number of groups have done stuff on stage or donated money and so on, but there don't seem to be a ton that have written music specifically about the war. I'm guessing this is partly due to a lot of record labels supporting Israel on top of just so much other horrible shit going on in recent years. You could probably find more stuff if you looked for music by people from the countries directly involved.

Pretty much the same situation for Ukraine I think. Bands like Jinjer are vocally pro-Ukraine.

It's much easier to find one-off songs about a specific issue than like entire albums right now AFAICT (again probably partially because of how much crap is going on). A lot of groups also seem afraid to really hammer on specific points to avoid alienating fans I think, so it's sort of just the state of music as well IMO.

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[-] floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Dub Fx? Check out Cracks in the Mirror. Definitely not as popular as your examples though

[-] Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 11 months ago

That is my whole point. There is a lot of amazing music but no major breakouts know globally. This post is filled with wonderful examples but 90% have to be searched to figure out who they are.

Say the Doors in the late 60s or early 70s and everyone knew who you were talking about. We don't have that as much.

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[-] bobbyfiend@lemmy.ml 4 points 11 months ago

It's this super unknown band. Very underground. Nobody seems to know who they are. They're called Apostrophe.

[-] Veedem@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Grandson’s new album seems to be shaping up to have those tones. First released tracks hit them pretty pointedly. He’s not as refined as some of the artists you mentioned, though.

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[-] Thavron@lemmy.ca 4 points 11 months ago

Fontaines D.C. comes to mind.

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[-] KingGimpicus@sh.itjust.works 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Get into the punk/folk scene.

Wingnut Dishwashers Union

Pat the Bunny

Daze N Days

The Orphans

Really anything in this genre. You'd be surprised at the observations made by people living on the streets or just generally down on their luck.

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[-] reddrop@lemmy.ml 3 points 11 months ago
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[-] Azzu@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

I'm a 90s kid and I never got into music like this. I always had single songs I liked, including from RatM, Nirvana etc but I never really cared about more than 1 or 2 songs of any individual artist, or albums. I just didn't like the other songs.

I assume the reason why you have these "recognizable" names was solely because music was sold in albums. People couldn't reaaaally get music conveniently any other way. And only the biggest ones could afford to produce albums in the first place. So even if you liked 1 or 2 songs only, you were "forced" to buy the whole album and since you got it already, why not listen to the rest. And since you didn't have infinite money to buy infinite albums you listened to the same ones again and again.

I never really did that. I bought an album and actually only listened to one song or I bought compilations. I never cared about a particular artist, only about songs. The current music acquisition process is perfect for me, I find plenty of amazing songs everywhere. Do I know the artist of my songs? Not really, and I don't care. When I meet someone, we listen to each other's music together. I vibe with and pick single new songs from them. We don't bond over artists, we bond over music. I think everything is perfect that way.

Edit: just one German example of a popular song that many people here know that criticizes shit here in the country: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Y-B0lXnierw

[-] Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 11 months ago

I didn't listen to these bands when I was younger. I listen to a lot of rap (southern rap). I thought Nirvana sucked when I listened to them. The older I get the more relevant the music has become. 60s and 70s music as well. The 80s has its moments but rhip-hop really shines through.

I just feel like todays music is so tame at times. Especially from the "top" performers. No one has a stance or rally cry. It is just remixes and pointless shit.

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[-] shiroininja@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago

You’re like my polar opposite. I like listening to albums because songs go together usually. I hate streaming services, but mostly Spotify because their UI is so trash it just pushes you to playlists.

It’s why I’ve just returned to Downloading music and using an iPod until I get my own streaming server set up.

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[-] LaLuzDelSol@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago
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[-] CurlyWurlies4All@slrpnk.net 3 points 11 months ago
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[-] meathorse@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Killswitch Engage's Atonement album has some excellent tracks with RATM-esque lyrics incl Crownsless King

[-] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago

Who's that lady that wrote the folk song "It's not going away"? There are like three or four folk groups and troubadours writing protest songs for tiktok. Mon Rovia with Heavy Foot, Jesse Welles with The Poor, stuff like that.

Taylor Swift sorta got under Trump's skin, but she's not particularly political.

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[-] Formfiller@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago
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[-] JadenSmith@sh.itjust.works 2 points 11 months ago

Seems to me that these days, with a lot of issues fragmented in our society, different bands tend to focus on certain issues - although there are some exceptions, yet this is also just based off what I've noticed.

Bob Vylan has been making the rounds, Kendrick Lamar has also been outspoken on some injustices over the years. Lambrini Girls focus on sexism in a rather angry manner. IDLES have some songs regarding frustration with aspects of society, however they're not as detailed in their messages yet they still provide the energy for them.
Kneecap have been speaking about the situation in Palestine in a rather political manner, and have great pride for Ireland - they sing mainly in an Irish language, however great energy for the message.

If you go a bit further you have Bloodywood, an Indian metal/hard rock band focusing on various issues (I think one of their songs talks about punching rapists in the face).

Just some off the top of my head. They're out there for sure.

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[-] Skankboot@sh.itjust.works 2 points 11 months ago

Ashenspire's Hostile Architechture is, in my opinion, a fantastic album. Full-on anticapitalist metal with an operatic twist.

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this post was submitted on 04 Sep 2025
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