1/5/07: Our Top Ten Ludicrous Leftist Music of 2006Still no new albums from Bob Newhart or Bill Dana, but there were plenty of great comedy records released in 2006. Let’s wrap up this lazy week with a tempestuous Top Ten culled from an embarrassment of Leftist riches:
Brett Dennen “The Holidays Are Here (And We’re Still At War)” (Dualtone)This promo CD single was sent out in November, and we were impressed by the honest sentiments of this couplet: “The Rabbi reads from the testament/The banker gazes at the year’s investments.” The only thing Dennen forgot was a reference to “Sugar Tits.”
Pearl Jam Pearl Jam (Sony)Not a bad album musically. Lyrically, low points include “Army Reserve,” in which the band feels sorry for a stupid girl who has to kid herself that her “father is risking his life for our freedoms.” They also complain that President Bush doesn’t show proper respect for dead American soldiers.
Dixie Chicks Taking The Long Way (Sony)Obvious, yes, but it can’t be ignored. This one replaces Pink Floyd’s
The Wall as popular music’s most staggering monument to self-pity.
Peaches Impeach My Bush (XL)The album isn’t that political; we’re mainly just offended that this overhyped dirty-mouthed tweenster act came up with an album title that was almost as outdated as “Weird Al” Yankovic’s
Straight Outta Lynwood.
Pink I’m Not Dead (LaFace)She only decided to speak out against empty consumerism after she bombed trying to be a mindless pop act. The proper politics quickly got Pink back into everyone’s good graces, even if “Dear Mr. President” couldn’t get any deeper than this: “What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away/And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay?” Pink also wonders if our President is lonely.
Neil Young Living With War (Reprise)2003’s
Greendale was a Leftist rock opera that came across as a swell indictment of aging hippies. Since subtlety didn’t work, Young hammered out this useless electric album where a song title like “Let’s Impeach the President” isn’t simplistic enough. The song also has to open with a trumpet playing “Taps.”
Bruce Springsteen We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (Sony)Probably as obvious as The Dixie Chicks, but it’s great to see Springsteen striking an anti-war pose by honoring one of the few living folkies who can claim to have been a supporter (or at least a sympathizer) of both Joseph Stalin and Adolph Hitler.
Todd Snider The Devil You Know (New Door)It’s the Republicans’ fault that things are hard all over—even if you hang out with cokeheads and car thieves. That kind of logic almost made this a proper comeback album for Snider. The problem was a smirky smugness that’s fatal in a guy who’s always fancied himself as a stand-up comic. Now we almost feel bad that Snider has to go out and play live shows for stupid Southerners who probably laugh during all the wrong places.
The Coup Pick A Bigger Weapon (Epitaph)“Baby Let’s Have a Baby Before Bush Do Something Crazy” was the most brilliant use of politics to get laid since
Sassy convinced idiot girls that there were still nukes over our heads long after the Cold War.
Sinead O’Connor “If You Had A Vineyard” (no label)The album won’t be out until later this year, but Sinead O’Connor was so proud of this song that she released it as a Christmas download. Her special holiday message is that Jews are evil.
Make it your own: None of the above is worth anything more than a few cheap laughs. We’ll get back to our normal routine of pitching stuff worth buying next week. Happy New Year!
