Rocking Dubya

HIGH NOTES

Socially and politically conscious popular music as a form of protest has persistently accompanied George W Bush since his ascension into high office in 2000.

Concerts, theme albums, and compilations that rant against the Bush administration and other unjust governments have dotted the musical landscape over the last six years. Everyone from punk rockers Greenday to country band the Dixie Chicks have aired their views on the Bush administration and its gross errors.

Not since the war in Vietnam has mainstream international music taken such a radical approach towards countering world politics. WMD, war and oil have often been the themes ruminated on in the last six years.

In 2003 Radiohead released their Grammy-winning album, Hail To The Thief, whose title became a popular reference to George W Bush and his "stolen" electoral win against Al Gore.

Among the most vocal bands on the war in Iraq have been the politically conscious Asian Dub Foundation. Their brand of potent musical activism traces back to their earliest days about a decade ago when they campaigned against racial prejudice and human rights issues in the UK.

Their latest release is aptly titled Tank, referring quite blatantly to the weapon of war itself and with lyrics like "Children of the CIA/ We want somewhere new to play/ Better get out of the way/ We want your oil", their stand is made particularly clear. But then again, the Asian Dub Foundation has never been a band to shy away from speaking their most candid views.

Even cartoon band Gorillaz could not resist the urge. The video for their latest single "Dirty Harry", taken from their new album Demon Days, has been widely interpreted as a commentary on the war in Iraq. It features a group of children stranded in a dessrt who are convinced by 2D (of the Gorillaz) to join the war effort. Interpretations can be debated but who could argue with the context and coincidence of the video?

However, no one could predict the sudden onslaught of Greenday. On its cover, their seventh album American Idiot has a hand holding a heart-shaped grenade, obviously to drive the point home as quick as possible.

A video for the title song features the band in the backdrop of the American flag saying things like, "Can you hear the sounds of hysteria/ the subliminal mind f*** America... sing along to the age of Paranoia." The video for another song, "Wake me up when September comes", finds a young mid-town American man sent off to fight a war and being killed in it, leaving behind a grieving young woman.

Over the last few years, musicians have been actively spreading the "No war" message. But they have also been responsible for informing their audience about a range of other issues.

Tom Morello (formerly of the raucous rock act Rage Against the Machine who were the most popular socio-political band in the world, and now with the band Audioslave) has, along with nu-metal System Of a Down band member Serj Tankian, started a website called axisofjustice.org.

Armed with a loyal database, they also host radio shows where they play rebel music and the song list may include anything from Bob Dylan to hip-hop act Public Enemy to punk legends The Clash. They also interview people like Noam Chomsky and Michael Moore among others, who talk on a range of issues affecting everyday people.

To think that this is just the tip of the iceberg and only the most popular of all the musical protests that are actually taking place today. Be it Bono from U2, Coldplay, Kanye West, Nitin Sawhney or even our very own Indian Ocean, worldwide audiences are being informed and helped in shaping ideas and notions about the people that govern us, the decisions that they make and, most importantly, how these affect us.

Revolution through music. Isn't that ideal?