1 post tagged “the battle of los angeles”
Rage Against The Machine - "War Within A Breath" - The Battle Of Los Angeles
If your speakers are not dangerously close to blowing, your eyes not dangerously close to tears, your ire not close to full, you need to re-evaluate how you listen to this song.
Every official that come in
Cripples us, leaves us maimed
Silent and tamed
And with our flesh and bones
He builds his homes
Ostensibly, this song is about the struggle for immigrant rights in the area surrounding Los Angeles. Zach De La Rocha is inciting those who are oppressed by the policy levied against them to rise up and take back a city that is built upon their efforts. Cripes, it's the final track on an album titled The Battle Of Los Angeles. You thought it was going to be chocolate chip cookies and handjobs?
Speaking as though from a podium in front of a rally at the Lincoln Memorial, De La Rocha is pissed. Like that's a big departure, but he seems especially angry here.
The distorted vocals that open the track from the left channel contrast with the heavily effect-laden guitar part in the right channel. The guitar is harsh and relentless, reminiscent of a Public Enemy beat, for this you can thank the folks at DigiTech for producing the Whammy pedal. Timmy C's wah-wah bass line smoothes out the song during the verses. Tom Morello's insane ability to structure riffs around simple progressions of thirds and fifths lends a heavy weight to the choruses.
Think of this more like a call to arms for everyone. I personally can't relate to the struggles of the average migrant in America. I can relate to the feeling of struggling for that which seems unattainable.
Everything can change on a new year's day.
Not the holiday, specifically, but tomorrow, or the next day. Whenever you strike out against a struggle, that's your new year's day. All it takes is a single breath to effect change.
Next time you're taken to task, will your next breath be the catalyst of change?
Love,
Hoffie
PS - Server issues have prevented me from posting the past two days, so I'm making up for it. This was to be Monday's song.
If your speakers are not dangerously close to blowing, your eyes not dangerously close to tears, your ire not close to full, you need to re-evaluate how you listen to this song.
Every official that come in
Cripples us, leaves us maimed
Silent and tamed
And with our flesh and bones
He builds his homes
Ostensibly, this song is about the struggle for immigrant rights in the area surrounding Los Angeles. Zach De La Rocha is inciting those who are oppressed by the policy levied against them to rise up and take back a city that is built upon their efforts. Cripes, it's the final track on an album titled The Battle Of Los Angeles. You thought it was going to be chocolate chip cookies and handjobs?
Speaking as though from a podium in front of a rally at the Lincoln Memorial, De La Rocha is pissed. Like that's a big departure, but he seems especially angry here.
The distorted vocals that open the track from the left channel contrast with the heavily effect-laden guitar part in the right channel. The guitar is harsh and relentless, reminiscent of a Public Enemy beat, for this you can thank the folks at DigiTech for producing the Whammy pedal. Timmy C's wah-wah bass line smoothes out the song during the verses. Tom Morello's insane ability to structure riffs around simple progressions of thirds and fifths lends a heavy weight to the choruses.
Think of this more like a call to arms for everyone. I personally can't relate to the struggles of the average migrant in America. I can relate to the feeling of struggling for that which seems unattainable.
Everything can change on a new year's day.
Not the holiday, specifically, but tomorrow, or the next day. Whenever you strike out against a struggle, that's your new year's day. All it takes is a single breath to effect change.
Next time you're taken to task, will your next breath be the catalyst of change?
Love,
Hoffie
PS - Server issues have prevented me from posting the past two days, so I'm making up for it. This was to be Monday's song.
