I loved UNKLE Matt’s idea for a themed monthly crush this time out, but the irony of putting up playlists of anti-war/anti-establishment songs at a website essentially named after the government’s military draft didn’t really hit me until I sat down to write this post. Har de har har. The policies of the Bush administration (v.2) has reinvigorated the musical community like nothing else - big-name performers like Neil Young, Green Day, Bruce Springsteen, Bright Eyes, and even Pink have been putting out albums and songs thick with political and anti-war messages, and they’ve become big hits to boot. Heck, I could easily come up with a playlist just out of songs released during the time Dubya’s been in office, but I wanted to focus on my all-time favorites, so here goes (Click on the link next to each song title to read the lyrics):

1. Bob Dylan, “Masters of War (Live)” (1963) - Read the lyrics
   When a lot of people think about Dylan’s folk protest songs, the first one to pop in their heads is the serene “Blowin’ in the Wind,” but for me it’s this one. “Masters of War” is Dylan at his most angry, passionate, vivid, and eloquent. Written in response to the Vietnam War, I find that it’s just as potent and relevant 40 years later. When I listened to it again, visions of Bush, Halliburton, and Neocons instantly filled my head, and I was filled with the righteous anger of his lyrics. This is necessary listening given our government’s ineptitide. The song originally appeared on The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, but this excellent live take comes from the soundtrack to No Direction Home, Martin Scorsese’s documentary about Dylan.
2. Public Enemy, “Fight the Power” (1989) - Read the lyrics
   This song made its’ initial debut in the opening credits to Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing, a gritty, tough film that tackled race relations in America, and PE’s call to arms was a perfect fit for it. Chuck D’s lyrics attacked America’s cultural racism and division head-on, and the Bomb Squad created an aggressive, agitated sound that can be the soundtrack to dancing or window smashing - the combination of beats and rhymes sounds like a riot’s goin’ on. I find that the lyrical power of this song goes well beyond just race relations - I hear it as a call for social intelligence, unity, and freedom.
3. Manic Street Preachers, “Crucifix Kiss” (1992) - Read the lyrics
   I may not always agree with the heavy political sentiment to the Manics’ songs (”For the Love of Richard Nixon”? Nyet.), but you can’t deny their anti-establishmentarian passion and the vigour with which they tear into their songs - subtle they ain’t. “Crucifix Kiss,” from their Generation Terrorists album, is a searing, aggressive punk-metal indictment of organized reilgion that rails against the subjugation and control that are inherent in capital-C Churches. With lyrics like those below, is it any wonder that the album didn’t get a US release?
4. Bonus! Pearl Jam, “Masters of War” (2003) - Read the lyrics
   This is proof-positive of Dylan’s talent and relevancy as a songwriter. Almost 40 years after it was written, Pearl Jam added “Masters of War” to their rotating setlist and it’s proved to be a powerful, meaningful addition. The feeling behind the song applies just as well to the ill-conceived “war on terror” as it did to Vietnam. This primarily acoustic live version comes from their Live At Benaroya Hall (22-Oct-2003) album, probably the best live document of the band there is.

Download: Bob Dylan, “Masters of War (Live)” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Public Enemy, “Fight the Power” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Manic Street Preachers, “Crucifix Kiss” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Bonus! Download: Pearl Jam, “Masters of War” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Okay so as far as a crush this month, the real truth of the matter is that if I listen to Snow Patrol’s Eyes Open album (and playlists involving it) anymore, I’ll probably end up walking in front of a bus. Don’t get me wrong, I love the album, but these guys have etched in laser-coded plastic a perfect audio companion for the emotionally downtrodden. Getting stuck on “You Could Be Happy” (breakup) and “The Finish Line” (death) was bad enough, but now recently it’s been “Open Your Eyes” (longing) shattering my eardrums. Luckily, I’ve found that mentioning monthly crushes here is a great way to put them behind me, so there. That’s that. Time to move on to more uplifting themes. Cue Ryan with the new Band Of Horses album, which is beautiful but tragic; a bit like the album The Stone Roses might have recorded if some time-traveler had shown up and informed them that their second album would go down in history as such a notoriously disastrous example of the sophomore curse that its solitary redeeming quality would be that it eventually serves as a punchline in “Shaun Of The Dead” . Yeah, listening to that will cheer me up… How about something completely different and uplifting - you know, like anti-war / protest songs!!! Sam and I were talking and decided that we’d put together short little miniplaylists this month, spotlighting some of our favorite/cleverest/unknown socially conscious songs.

1. Industry, “State Of The Nation” (1984)
   The first one to come to mind is a favorite little-known ditty from 1984, “State Of The Nation” by Industry. I taped this song off the radio back then, always kept it in the back of my mind, and when WinMX came along, I went looking for it and found it (I apologize for the low-quality resolution of my download). This song has always fascinated me, not just because I love the song and no one else has ever heard of it, and not just because it sounds like Boy George singing over a Depeche Mode instrumental. What interests me is that the song has some of my favorite anti-war lyrics, and had this song been recorded in 1966 by Dylan, or in 1991 by Consolidated, or in 2004 by Green Day, I’d know what war they were railing against. But 1984? A British band? I mean really, what was it, Grenada? The Falklands? …Panama? I suppose a little online research could provide an answer, but what little searching I just did barely scratched the surface of who the band was in the first place. Turns out I’ve heard of Jon Carin (songwriter / singer / keyboardist), as he went on to work with Pink Floyd and Roger Waters, and actually co-wrote “Learning To Fly.” But nothing on what the motivation, what the purpose of this song was. Not that there needs to be a specific war going on for these sentiments to be justified. I kind of like the way that this could be Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, Somalia, Bosnia, Iraq, whatever. It’s a pretty universally applicable “bring the boys back home” song, and I’m glad I finally get to share it with others. If any of you know any more about the origins of this song, please don’t hesitate to comment. Or we can all just enjoy the timeless truth of the following lyrics:

   I see them marching off to war
   They’re looking so heroic
   I’m told they won’t be gone for long
   But that’s a lie and they know it
   Ten thousand gone they won’t return
   Never to be seen again
   Strategic games are all we learn in the end
   But they say:

   Don’t you worry about the situation
   (A message from the telephone)
   They’re out there fighting for the state of the nation
   (And waiting a chance to come home)
   They’ll always have to fight the alienation
   (And realize they’re fighting alone)

   When nightmares memories fades to dust
   We’ll get back on our feet again
   This war has nothing to do with us
   But somehow we’re still involved in it

   Well don’t you worry about the situation
   (A message from the telephone)
   They’re out there fighting for the state of the nation
   (And waiting a chance to come home)
   Don’t you worry about the situation
   (A message from the telephone)
   They’ll always have to fight the alienation
   (And realize they’re fighting alone)

   There’s no place like home
   There’s no place like home
   There’s no place I don’t want to be anywhere else

2. Shinehead, “Who The Cap Fit” (1986)
   The second song on my playlist is another that most will be unfamiliar with, but has always been one of my favorite “wake up and smell the world” songs. Shinehead is a Jamaican / New York reggae-rapper, most popular in the late 1980’s, hugely influential on both KRS-One and Sublime. His “Who The Cap Fit”, released on his first album “Rough And Rugged” (and later remixed on his more popular Elektra disc “Unity”), is a complete melting pot mishmash of social issues of the 1980’s. This original version is musically sparse, but that puts more emphasis on the raw vocals. Containing lyrics like “Lebanon, Israel, Iraq & Iran, my man they been goin’ at it since time began”, this remains (sadly) timeless and still relevant. I’ve often toyed with the idea of covering this song, but for now I’ll settle for letting you guys hear it.
3. Pink Floyd, “The Fletcher Memorial Home” (1983)
   And finally, speaking of “bring the boys back home”, I couldn’t let an anti-establishment playlist go by without something from Roger Waters. I do feel bad the guy’s dad died at Anzio, but the result of that pain has been decades of the best anti-war songs since Dylan gave a crap. Here we have “The Fletcher Memorial Home” from the Pink Floyd album “The Final Cut”. Some would describe this album as Waters’ first solo album, recorded without Richard Wright, mainly in collaboration with Michael Kamen, with David Gilmour adding only a few guitar solos here and there (thankfully this song has one). It really is Waters’ anti-war opus, matched perhaps only by “Amused To Death”, his reaction to the first Gulf War. “The Bravery Of Being Out Of Range” from that album almost beat this out. But here we have a wonderful theatrical dirge about a fictional asylum in which we could stick all the warmongering madmen of the 1980’s, where they could amuse themselves, hopefully to death. As I said, fun uplifting stuff this month. Want something better? GET OUT AND VOTE!!!

Download: Industry, “State Of The Nation” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Shinehead, “Who The Cap Fit” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Pink Floyd, “The Fletcher Memorial Home” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

So U.N.K.L.E. Matt suggested that this month’s crushes be songs of protest. Fair enough, and I had a lot to choose from. In this case, the theme can be seen as one revolving around the current administration and its misguided policies in the Middle East.

So step on in, kick back, and listen to the dulcet tones of Bruce Springsteen, R.E.M., Roger Waters and a Welsh mens choir.

And once you’re done doing that, you’d best be ready to don good, sturdy walking shoes and take to the streets in solidarity.

1. “Bring ‘Em Home,” Bruce Springsteen & The Seeger Sessions Band (2006) - Read the lyrics
   When I saw Bruce perform this song at Nissan Pavilion back in May, I shed tears as I (and the rest of the audience) sang along. It’s such an engaging song, so poignant and current - despite the fact that the song is half a century old. The author of the song, Pete Seeger, is perhaps the greatest living protest singer, if not the greatest protest singer of all time. And thanks to Bruce, a new generation can enjoy this beautiful song. This version of “Bring ‘Em Home” was performed on Late Night with Conan O’Brien back on June 23, with O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon and Thomas Hayden Church performing in the chorus.
2. “World Leader Pretend,” R.E.M. (1988) - Read the lyrics
   Over the years, the members of R.E.M. - especially Michael Stipe - have been politically active. However, this song, from Green, can be seen as rather accurate foreshadowing. Written and recorded during the waning days of the Reagan administration, its tale of a world leader who doesn’t realize the gravity of his own actions, who doesn’t realize that his own inner demons are the real “enemy combatants.” This allegory fits perfectly with George W. Bush and his crony squad, and their so-called “war on terror.”
3. “Towers Of Faith,” Roger Waters & The Bleeding Heart Band (1985) - Read the lyrics
   This song is from what is likely the most depressing animated film ever produced, When The Wind Blows. The film, based on a book by Raymond Briggs, chronicles an elderly British couple who survive a nuclear holocaust, only to slowly die from the radioactive fallout. The film’s soundtrack featured songs by David Bowie, The Squeeze, and Genesis, but the majority of the music - instrumentals and lyric songs - was composed and performed by Roger Waters. As is the usual case with any post-Dark Side Of The Moon lyrics from Waters, the focus is on conflict and its genesis. In “Towers Of Faith,” Waters specifically focuses on the Middle East and the western world’s drive for oil and conquest. 21 years after its recording, the song is still relevant, even if some of the imagery (e.g. a Polish Pope, the World Trade Center in NYC) is dated. Additionally, at the time the film was produced (1985), Waters was undergoing an acrimonious split from Pink Floyd, who had decided to carry on as a duo. So while the lyrics of this song are primarily political in focus, he also gets a jab in at David Gilmour and Nick Mason by proclaming that “this band is my band.”
4. “Bring The Boys Back Home,” Pink Floyd (1982) - Read the lyrics
   This is the version from the movie of The Wall, featuring a full Welsh mens choir doing the honors, with a bigger symphony and much more “oomph.” Given that The Wall is as much an anti-war paean as a chronicle of a rock star’s dive into insanity, this song fits very well. Roger Waters is playing this song as an encore on his current tour, right before its Wall track-mate, “Comfortably Numb.”

Enjoy - and VOTE THIS NOVEMBER!

Download: “Bring ‘Em Home,” Bruce Springsteen & The Seeger Sessions Band (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “World Leader Pretend,” R.E.M. (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Towers Of Faith,” Roger Waters & The Bleeding Heart Band (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Bring The Boys Back Home,” Pink Floyd (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Okay so going into my mix this month, I knew I wanted to try something a bit different. The first few things to come to mind were bits of comedy routines about different places, so I thought maybe I’d string those together. Upon completion of this, and realization that they totaled about 6 minutes, I knew I’d have to expand my parameters. And then I remembered that, a few months back when the assignment was “The Road”, I initially put together some of my favorite techno / trance songs as “music to travel to.” I was feeling like a huge section of my CD collection was not being properly represented. But in the end, I decided to go with more traditional rock songs about “ramblin’ on.” Not so this month - I have not chickened out nor backed down. I will not techno for an answer! There’s always been a bit of the “over the hill and far away” dreamy aspect to techno, which has led to many artists naming songs after far-off exotic places. The scene itself has elevated places like Ibiza, Glastonbury and Webster Hall into acidhousehold names. I’ve included some of my favorite tracks that are all about the great big “not here”, songs that have accompanied me in my travels all over the globe. But just in case you’re one of those that feels like techno is only music to dance to in a club and who in the world would ever want to listen to it at home, I have broken the mix up with little bits of geographic humor. It’s a bit of a rollercoaster of a playlist, but I hope you find something to enjoy.

1. Banco de Gaia, “Last Train To Lhasa”
   In the early 90s, Toby Marks helped kick off a type of electronic music I’ve often classified as World Ambient Trance. Inspired by Michael Cretu and his groundbreaking (if now a bit cringe-worthy) work as Enigma, various electronic artists started sampling traditional and tribal vocal performances from all over the world (thankfully NOT just gregorian chants) and setting them to electronic beats and synthesizers. Marks, recording as Banco de Gaia, produced a consistent stream of great stuff in this genre, sampling stuff as diverse as African pygmies and Tibetan monks, and has kept this level of quality up into today. He just released a new album last month, on which is a great track consisting of nothing but random vocal bits recorded from representative singers from all the countries involved in the G8 summit. The idea was to record each doing random improvisation in the same key, unknown to each other, and then combine it all to show what real harmony might sound like. The track included here is one of my favorites, from his “Last Train To Lhasa” double-disc, which highlights his very eclectic style.
2. Bert & I, “Which Way To Millinocket”
   I grew up listening to my Dad’s vinyl of Marshall Dodge’s comedy routines about “Down East” Maine. The punchline to this one is probably Dodge’s most colorful contribution to the vernacular.
3. Art Of Trance, “Madagascar (Push Remix)”
   Art Of Trance are the most prolific and consistent artists recording for the Platipus label, which currently produces some of my favorite progressive trance. Everyone on this label (Terra Firma, Union Jack, Humate, Albion) understands that oft-uttered criticism of techno, that it’s “cool to dance to in a club, but who really wants to listen to it at home?” I think I’ve personally leveled this boom of doom on genres like death metal or miami bass - I guess to each his own. I know I’ve had people come over and see my extensive collection of techno and crinkle their foreheads and ask, “So you DJ or something?” Their quite respectable opinion is that nobody would ever want to listen to techno without being in a club on ecstasy. “I mean it’s just the same thing over and over and over!” Well, people have said the same thing about reggae with its rigid basslines, and it’s true that with most hip-hop once you’ve heard the first 30 seconds of music, that’s all you’re going to get. But maybe that’s just how it looks to a non-fan, from outside the genre. Good progressive trance artists (Oliver Lieb / Spicelab / LSG, for prime example) understand that the key is to always be adding or subtracting. Build and release, build and release (which of course makes techno sound like one big kegel). There’s always something new - keyboard line, bass pattern, percussion or vocal, coming in or leaving every two, four or eight bars. That keeps things interesting to the ear. If you have the ear for it. If you don’t, just skip ahead to the next laugh track.
4. Emo Phillips, “Most States”
   I quote this joke to people all the time. Emo’s one of my favorite comedians, but apparently all he ever had in him was twice what Steven Wright had, for he’s only ever released two albums. But they’ve left a lasting impression on me and I thank him for it. I did think it was a shame that both his and Wright’s appearances in the film “The Aristocrats” were so ineffective. Just not the right style of delivery I think.
5. The Future Sound Of London, “Papua New Guinea”
   Another techno track about an exotic faraway location. I wonder if these artists have ever actually been to these locations, or whether their motivation is that they are stuck in some cold rainy place (usually London or Berlin) and dream of sunny resort areas. For whatever reason, FSOL decided to string together some cool vocal samples, completely rip off the drum & bass arrangement from Meat Beat Manifesto’s “Radio Babylon” (properly credited, of course) and created a techno anthem. It’s funny that this sounds “old” to me, considering it’s only from 1992. But the emerging 90s techno scene moved and changed just as quickly as the 80s hip-hop scene did, where artists and songs came and went seemingly weekly, and it was a miracle if any song ever stuck around longer than that. FSOL have stuck around, even if they’ve meandered a bit through low-tech drum & bass and completely directionless ambient (as Amorphous Androgynous), before settling recently on stuff that bears more resemblance to Mercury Rev than anything techno. This song remains a lasting signpost of early 90s breakbeat techno, influencing stuff like Prodigy, Messiah, Goldie and the whole jungle movement.
6. Monty Python, “Finland”
   Funny story about this song - when Michael Palin actually traveled through Finland for the first time (for his BBC travel show “Pole To Pole”) he was moved to start singing this song to himself while watching the country pass by his train window. One other thing: listen to this song, then listen to The Magnetic Fields’ “All My Little Words”. A great song for sure, but I think a little Finland got in there somewhere…
7. Salt Tank, “Sargasso Sea (Pacific Edit)”
   This is my favorite song from my favorite techno artist. Salt Tank manage to weave a certain emotional core into their songs, something that is sorely lacking in most cold hard dance tracks. It’s something I describe as Spiritual Techno, and Moby has it, The Drum Club, Spooky, Jam & Spoon, Paul van Dyk and BT all have it as well. (Orbital had it bigtime back in their Halcyon days, but recent efforts have unfortunately been beat-heavy and music-lite…) These people are creating songs, with an emotion, a purpose and a direction, and just because it happens to have a drum pattern left over from disco / house, most people just can’t relate. But it’s some of my favorite stuff in the world, and I’m glad I finally get to mix some of it up here for you.
8. Animaniacs, “Yakko’s World”
   I know this, by its very nature, violates the “no duplication” stipulation, but I just couldn’t resist. It’s the first thing that came to mind when geography was put forth as the new subject matter. I just regret that I can’t include the video for this as well, where you see Yakko dancing in place like a complete loon, while the key and tempo keep getting ramped up. A classic bit from a now-classic show. Enjoy!

Download: UNKLE Matt’s “Rollercoaster Of Love (and Laughter)”
(Click here for download instructions)

The scene: Onkel Rudi calls up his local travel agent to book a trip. He’s overdue for some time off, so he kicks back in his chair, pops open a Cheerwine, dials the number, kicks up his feet and grabs a notepad to jot down facts and figures.

“Hello, Anachronist Holiday Adventures? Yes, I’d like you to plan a trip for me - something that’ll take me around the U.S. and possibly over the pond to Europe. I want an adventure, y’know - like your company name promises.”

…..

“Yes, I have an idea of how I’d like it arranged. Let’s travel from west to east, shall we?”

…..

“No, I don’t mind big hops…. mountains are cool - love ‘em…. beach is fine, too….”

…..

“Cities? Sure! But I like a bit of the rural pleasure, too - so don’t make it too ‘package tour,’ city-to-city - I don’t want any kind of ‘Monty Python’ riff.”

…..

“What do you mean ‘do I listen to music?’ Of course I listen to music - what a daft question!”

…..

“Sorry - didn’t mean to ruffle your feathers. And yes, that is a good idea - show me what you’ve got!”

1. “California Girls,” The Beach Boys
   “Sure, I like California. Granted, the governor is a yutz, and SoCal can be a bit of a freakshow, but hey - I’m game. Maybe I’ll run into Brian Wilson while I’m out there…”
2. “Salt Lake City,” The Dwarves
   “What?!? I grew up there - why send me there on holiday? What’s the adventure in that? Are you deaf? Didn’t you listen to the lyrics: ‘I’m not going to Salt Lake City.’ C’mon…”
3. “Rocky Mountain High,” John Denver
   “Okay, this is better - and it’s the mountains, the Rockies… I like it…”
4. “Waist Deep In The Big Muddy,” Richard Shindell
   “So I’m where - Missouri? In the middle of a f—ing river? Am I at least on a raft? No? And there’s a forest fire trapping me in place? And I’m going to pay you for this ‘luxury?’ Oy…”
5. “Bleecker Street,” Jonatha Brooke
   “Ah, I see where you’re going with this - hitting on the heartstrings. Gotta love Greenwich Village: music, coffee, food, Washington Square Park, the Bottom Line…. What?!? Bottom Line is gone? Damn you, NYU!”
6. “London Still,” The Waifs
   “Now we’re talking! London is the best city - wow! And hey, look - it’s Uncle Sam! Okay, you’re close to redeeming yourself on this one, Agent Orange…. oops, sorry about that, Agent Tange.”
7. “San Tropez,” Pink Floyd
   “Ooooh - the Riviera! Niiiiiiice…..”
8. “Una Notte A Napoli,” Pink Martini
   “Naples, eh? Italy? Wine? Gelato? Mmmm…. okay, definitely worth the pain of Utah and a muddy f—ing river.”

Download: Onkel Rudi’s “Geolocation”
(Click here for download instructions)

It’s funny: when I picked out this month’s theme dozens of songs sprang to mind, but when I finally got down to assembling the final tracklisting I noticed that a bunch of the songs I selected were not exactly “uppers” - instead of a pleasant travelogue, I’m giving you riots, revolution, and ruin. Odd, innit?

1. The Clash, “London Calling”
   Probably the best song the Clash ever recorded - Joe Strummer and Mick Jones serve up a double-barreled piledriver of a riff, and the rhythm section barrels along at a steady, unfaltering, marching pace. The lyrics call for revolution in the face of a world fraught with problems - Strummer howls as he catalogues nuclear fears, environmental disasters, and global chaos. Pretty heady stuff, sure, but also completely unforgettable.
2. David Bowie, “Panic in Detroit”
   This Bowie classic first appeared on his 1973 Aladdin Sane album, a glammy, paranoid rocker based on Iggy Pop’s first-hand experiences at the 1967 12th Street riots in Detroit. This particular version is an alternate take from a 1979 recording session that finally surfaced on the bonus disc to Bowie’s 2002 album Heathen, and I prefer it to the original: the urgency of the music and violence of the imagery are ratcheted up as it’s played faster and with more power and focus on the drums and rhythm section.
3. Jim White, “Handcuffed to a Fence in Mississippi”
   White’s brand of country music owes as much to Beck as it does Waylon Jennings, and this song is the most fun example of it. Backed by a sample-heavy beat, R&B electric piano, and some funky banjo pluckin’, White takes us on a tour through the clichéd South. Best line: “My Trans Am is missing/I guess no more kissing/The girl who loved my car.”
4. Fountains of Wayne, “Hackensack”
   The Fountains of Wayne will forever be known as a bit of a one-hit wonder thanks to “Stacy’s Mom,” but the album that was home to that song, “Welcome Interstate Managers,” was fantastic from top to bottom, and included this pretty, plaintive love song. It’s a fantastic ode to small-town suburbia, and it gets beacoup points for rhyming “talkin’” and “Christopher Walken.”
5. Cowboy Junkies, “Ooh Las Vegas”
   Gram Parsons’ original ode to being strung out in Sin City was, oddly, a perky country shuffle, but the Cowboy Junkies slowed it down, stretched it out, and let Margo Timmins’ smoky, sultry vocals shine. This version of the song appears on the fantastic Return Of The Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons.
6. The Raveonettes, “Ode to L.A.”
   This is a real favorite of mine - it was part of my year-end compilation of songs from 2005, and it fits in perfectly here, too. The Raveonettes are a black-leather-clad Swedish duo whose muse is stuck in the late 50’s & early 60’s, and that makes for some fantastic retro-rock. This tribute to the city of angels has a perfect feel thanks to the recreation of Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound” for this track, and Phil’s ex, the super Ronnie Spector, joins them on vocals.
7. Billy Joel, “Allentown”
   Joel’s portrait of the disappearing blue-collar american factory worker is powerful and deceiving. The song has a light, bouncy melody and industrial sound effects pepper the choruses making it sound like you’re on a factory floor, but the words paint a very dark picture of life in suburban America when major industry closes up shop. This neat live version of the song comes from 12 Gardens Live, a document of his 12-night stand at NYC’s Madison Square Garden.
8. Manic Street Preachers, “Australia”
   The Manic Street Preachers’ history is a storied one, in the British music press at least. The quartet was already a hit in their native UK when they released their classic album The Holy Bible, a thoughtful, aggressive, and anthemic punk record that was loaded with gigantic hooks and even bigger radical leftist political statements. Shortly after the album’s release, their highly unstable and self-destructive guitarist & principal lyricist Richey Edwards simply disappeared - he checked out of his hotel one morning in London and has never been seen again (the case remains open & unsolved by British police). What does this story have to do with the song “Australia?” The Manics (now a trio) followed up The Holy Bible with Everything Must Go, a very personal record that dealt with the loss of their friend, and this single was a metaphor for running from that pain - Australia being the farthest possible place in the world they could hide and feel relief (”I want to fly and run till it hurts/Sleep for a while and speak no words/In Australia”). Powerful stuff.
9. Sheila Broflovski, Sharon Marsh, Liane Cartman, and Ms. McCormick, “Blame Canada”
   This is, quite simply and without exaggeration, the best song to ever receive an Oscar nomination.

Download: Uncle Sam’s “Wanderlust”
(Click here for download instructions)

We’re here to help, folks - that’s our job. Sure, just like every month, we want to help you fill your iPods with great songs by artists you may not be familiar with, but this month, September, we want to help you learn something, too. It is back to school time, after all. Sam Cooke and the National Center for Education Statistics agree: American’s don’t know much ’bout geography, so that’s why this month our playlists are all ’bout just that.

All of the songs in our playlists have to namecheck a neighborhood, town, city, state, or country. No location duplication is allowed - we live in a big world, after all, so there’s no need to have 10 songs about New York City on there (more of a mental note to myself than to the Onkel & UNKLE). Aside from that, we let our headphones run wild around the globe - enjoy!

Johnny Cash will set the table for us:

Download: Johnny Cash, “I’ve Been Everywhere” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Enjoy this month’s playlists:

• Uncle Sam’s “Wanderlust”
• Onkel Rudi’s “Geolocation”
• UNKLE Matt’s “Rollercoaster Of Love (and Laughter)”