Do you think there's no good protest music these days? So did I, until I started looking for it. The truth is, it's always been out there, but it's sometimes a bit difficult to find. Every month, I search it out, listen to it all, then round up the best of it that relates to that month's political news. Here's the round-up for October 2022.
1. LASSO - AMUO听
On October 2, leftist presidential candidate Luiz Inacio 鈥淟ula鈥 Da Silva failed to win in the first round of Brazil's elections. The stronger-than-expected showing for far-right, sparked despair among the South American left. Summing up the anguish at the his climate-wrecking policies is the latest . On its opening song "N锚mesis" they say: "Dead nature, growing fear, the hand that begs. The chest goes crazy with grief, eye that cries, broken road, body that risks, in the curves of the plague. Smell of scorched earth." Discussing the EP, they said: ", which makes Lasso the perfect soundtrack for 2022." Also hitting back are their fellow Brazilian punks was named on October 17.
2. BRIAN ENO - FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE听
The environmental destruction in October was not limited to Brazil, of course. On October 1, Cuba was dealing with the devastation of Hurricane Ian. On October 7, , with three months of the year still to go. On October 17, Australian media reported there was "" due to climate change. By October 18, in a decade had killed more than 600 people and displaced 1.3 million. Hitting back, climate activists threw soup and at famous paintings and with cake. Less controversial was the new, from ambient music pioneer Brian Eno, on which he "". It was released on October 14, a week after Eno's fellow British over fracking. 听
3. ANGELINE MORRISON - THE SORROW SONGS (FOLK SONGS OF THE BLACK BRITISH EXPERIENCE)听
Also on October 14, the played "blame the Black guy" by sacking her finance minister, Kwasi Karteng, sparking in the African media. Western media commentators pointed out that women and non-white people usually get a chance to lead . That certainly seemed to be the case when, six weeks after replacing the scandal-hit Boris Johnson as Prime Minister, the embattled Truss was replaced by Rishi Sunak, Britain's first non-white PM, albeit one who is "richer than King Charles". Highlighting the country's is the new album by Jamaican-British musician Angeline Morrison, released on October 7 and subtitled "Folk songs of the Black British experience". Discussing it, she said: 鈥淲hile people of the African diaspora have been present in these islands since Roman times, ."
4. BECKAH AMANI - APRIL听
In the former British colony of Australia on October 21, released her new RnB album, which tackles her experiences with racism. Growing up in rural Western Australia, she "looked different and sounded different, acted different, and trying to relate to people was hard", she said. ", and one way that I did try and make sense to other people was to change my personality.鈥 Eight days before the album's release, West Australian Aboriginal schoolboy Cassius Turvey was chased and bashed with a metal pole in an allegedly racist murder. On October 21, a new compilation album was also released, telling the harrowing tales of Amani's fellow African immigrants. recounts how freed African slaves travelled to Oakland, California, to eventually set up the Black Panther Party and inspire today's local hip-hop artists. 听
5. STAR FEMININE BAND - IN PARIS听
Back in Africa, on October 7. On it, the staunch group of teenagers from Benin shake up the patriarchy with hip-shaking songs such as "Le Mariage Forc茅" - which protests against arranged marriages for children - and "L鈥檈xcision", which slams female genital mutilation. Recorded in Paris after , it also contains the English language songs "We Are Star Feminine Band" and "Women Stand Up". The album was released as women continued to battle lethal sexism in the "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests in Iran. Their rallies, hailed as "the beginning of a revolution", inspired protest anthem 鈥淏araye鈥, whose lyrics were taken from a Twitter trend backing the protests. Since its release, the song has become "", said protest music website Shouts. Even .听听
6. VIKRAM SAMPATH - WOMEN OF THE RECORDS听
On October 16, an Economist article slamming such sexism went viral. Headlined "", it pointed out that "oppressing women not only hurts women, it also hurts men" - a big reason why Iranian men are backing the women's revolution. Among the worst-rating countries in the article was India. But fighting back is a new book and accompanying album that celebrates the . "Across India women, mostly from the courtesan community, were the stellar pioneers of recording technology in the early twentieth-century," said the book's author, historian Vikram Sampath. "Yet their stories have been completely lost in the sands of time. This book revisits their lives and features the indefatigable saga of 25 inspiring Indian women musicians from across the country, from 1902 to 1947.鈥
7. ALI SAFFUDIN - WOLIVO听
On October 23, India's right-wing Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, celebrated Diwali by being built in time for the country's national elections in 2024. Modi helped organise a nationwide push in 1990 to build a Hindu temple to replace a Muslim mosque on the site in Adhoya. The mosque鈥檚 destruction by a Hindu mob two years later sparked riots that killed 2000 people, mostly Muslims. Two days before Modi's latest visit to the site, Muslim musician Ali Suffadin, who hails from the Muslim-majority region of Kashmir that Modi has turned into an "open prison", released his new protest album. Talking about the work, he said: "If someone like Neil Young or Bob Marley were born in Kashmir, who do you think they would have supported? The oppressed. These are my inspirations ... . To sing in Kashmiri is even more political.鈥
8. M.I.A. - MATA听
On October 14, Tamil rapper M.I.A., whose people have long been oppressed in India's neighbour, Sri Lanka, released . She fled the country as a war refugee when she was nine because her father was a member of the Tamil Tigers, who she references on the album's song "": "There鈥檚 levels to the rebels, and I'm good with a little trouble. But I鈥檓 done with you throwing the pebbles. Better run with the tiger, and you better be a rider." However, a day before the album's release, by likening US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who had just been sued by victims of the Sandy Hook massacre, to "". Such "celebrities" would include veteran English protest singer released to streaming services on October 14 contains the pro-vaccine song "Vaccinate! Vaccinate!" 听
9. DARREN HAYES - HOMOSEXUAL听
M.I.A.'s album also , the WikiLeaks publisher who was still facing extradition to the US as her record dropped. As homophobia raged in Assange's home country of Australia over the performance of a , former Savage Garden singer Darren Hayes released his new album, Homosexual, on October 7. The title comes from his long struggle to be accepted, and accept himself, as queer amid such homophobia. It was a battle that almost drove him to suicide. 鈥淲hen I made the video for 鈥業nsatiable鈥, my first solo single, the president of the label saw the rushes for the video and he said, 鈥極h he looks obvious. It鈥檚 obvious that he鈥檚 gay鈥,鈥 Hayes said of his past in the music industry. 鈥." The new album came as his at the upcoming soccer World Cup in Qatar. 听 听 听听
10. DROPKICK MURPHYS - THIS MACHINE STILL KILLS FASCISTS听
One country that won't be competing at the World Cup is the contest's four-time winner Italy, whose team failed to even qualify this time. On October 22, fascist Giorgia Meloni was sworn in to become the country's first female prime minister, heading . Denouncing her politics is , the new album from Italian hardcore punks Caged. "Fascism is a cancer and must be extirpated," they seethe on the track "Not One Step Back". Days earlier, acclaimed US Celtic punks Dropkick Murphys released their new album, This Machine Still Kills Fascists.听Its lyrics were written by the late protest singer Woody Guthrie, whose daughter suggested the idea to the band. Guthrie first placed the slogan "this machine kills fascists" on his guitar in 1943. On October 30, fascism was dealt a blow in Brazil as Lula became president.听听
Video:听STAR FEMININE BAND - Le Mariage Force (OFFICIAL).听.
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