https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92yBuISxUPg
Black Midi isn't usually protesting any sort of political or social issue but this song is explicitly mentioning the Flint water crisis. The lyrics and the harsh pumping rhythms evoke images of people struggling to find clean water and safety. It gives me goosebumps every time I listen.
Wow this song felt like I was being pressed down by tons and tons of weight. The way it builds and unleashes in incredibly powerful. The emotion of the vocals was palpable, and I feel that same way. I don't understand how the Flint water crisis was ignored and pushed aside for so long and continues to be.
ReplyDeleteI find it endlessly fascinating when other countries take notice of the Flint water crisis (which is improving, but still ongoing). I would say that this is very much about a social issue because of the whole reason why Flint is in crisis (political corruption at the expense of a largely black community). I think it could be really interesting to engage Flint in one of our pieces for this class.
ReplyDeleteI love the intense progression and decline of energy in the song- it communicated the process of experiencing chaotic anxiety mixed with subtle inspirations of hope, which is how people searching for water probably experience. Flint still needs help and some people still fail to even understand the issue?
ReplyDeleteThis track does a great job of creating an emotional trajectory which carries the listener along with the band. It really allows me to share in the weight of the discontent of the community, and conveys the near futility of the situation.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Joey. This isn't a band I know (I admit, I was hoping for https://youtu.be/I906a5msynw ). I appreciate how this piece is so intricately constructed, and yet has such raw, visceral emotion toward the end. It's a great example of a work that makes a concise, focused statement of anger on a specific issue.
ReplyDeleteBlack midi rips. This song is always the highlight when they play it live, I think. The way the sheets of dissonance wash over you while the bassist yells "there's lead in the water" before giving way to that huge skank beat and chaos. Yeah -that's it.
ReplyDeleteI love black midi! I like how they accurately portray the actual chaos that is the Flint Water Crisis, which still has no closure even though it has been going on for years. The song is begging people to pay attention to a crisis that is still being ignored even though the stakes are painfully high.
ReplyDeleteI love this track especially since it is super concise, and directly addresses the Flint water crisis. Reminds me of the various waves of punk movements. Not to put any genre in a box, but it seems the most effective way to make noise music is that it's generally inspired by anti-government sentiment.
ReplyDeleteI found it really effective when the intensity and power of the noise dropped out. Wasn't expecting that! It made me more onboard for the buildup to happen again. I think this is a great example of a piece of protest music that makes an impact because it shares a desperation that seems to be woven into the physicality of playing this piece.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! I love how they stick to a focused point of view and there is minimal lyrics because of this. It's not about telling a story or needing to make something more elaborate to capture attention , perhaps more the focus on the crisis helps the audience hone in even more than being tangental on the subject.
ReplyDeleteAmong other lyrics, I think I caught "I'm in the water, you're in the water". It is simple, yet for me it highlights how the crisis was a shared problem (or should be). If we are to be a united community or nation, then anyone's suffering is our suffering.
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