Dean Wareham on Writing Music in a World on Fire
Best known as lead vocalist of Galaxie 500, Dean Wareham has a new solo album. He spoke to Jacobin about what it means for music to be political in times when it’s hard to watch the news.
9 Articles by: Christopher J. Lee
Christopher J. Lee currently teaches in the Bard Prison Initiative. He has published eight books and is lead editor of the journal Safundi.
The Bandung Conference Was a Symbol of Global Liberation
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Bandung Conference that brought together delegates from African and Asian countries as they were breaking free from colonial rule. Bandung became a touchstone for solidarity across the Global South.
Pavement Made Music About Selling Out Without Selling Out
Pavement, one of the most celebrated indie rock bands of the 1990s, grappled with the challenge of making a living from music without slotting into the corporate machine. A new documentary recreates the group’s spirit for a very different cultural age.
Can There Be a Guernica for Gaza?
The album NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD by Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a statement on political art in wartime. Its aim is to speak to our collective horror when faced with a genocide streamed in real time.
Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore on Making a People’s Music
Thurston Moore was a founding member of Sonic Youth and is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. He spoke to Jacobin about his life in the industry and the power of music to express ideas.
Steve Albini Engineered the Indie Rock Revolution
Indie rock legend Steve Albini, who died on Tuesday, knew his industry as a musician, critic, and recording engineer. His rebellion against corporate labels was rooted in a deeply held philosophy: that every musician is a worker.
Kurt Cobain, Working-Class Hero
Class rage informs the anger found across Nirvana’s studio albums. Thirty years after Kurt Cobain’s death, we should remember his critique of the corporate mainstream — a political stance shaped by his working-class background.
Lætitia Sadier Talks to Jacobin About Revolutionary Love
Since her days as a founding member of avant-pop band Stereolab, Lætitia Sadier’s music has engaged with everything from world-systems analysis to the surrealists. In an interview with Jacobin, she explains why she’s a radical but not a savior.
Billy Bragg: “On the Class War, I Knew Where I Stood”
For four decades, Billy Bragg’s music has been a soundtrack to the British workers’ movement, enriching its long tradition of political songwriting. In an interview with Jacobin, he explains why his songs about socialism are also love songs.