And obviously, listening to London Calling a lot, because y'know, it just has to be done.

the game's over

Music and yer mood: it's a funny relationship. Sometimes you just want something that reinforces your mood, sometimes you want something that expresses the exact opposite of the mood you're in.

A week and a half ago I bought the Freeform Five album, Strangest Things, and whilst it's not a classic, it has four or five songs on it that might be, and I was honestly perfectly satisfied with my spur-of-the-moment impulse purchase. I guess if I had one major criticism of the album it would be that if you're going to do breezy electronic pop like this and avoid it seeming just too lightweight and vapid, it helps to have some sass, some sauce, some tang. 'Electromagnetic' and 'Losing My Control' have those qualities in spades (durr, they're about sex), and so does the title track, and some of the album is concerned with doing something different (eg, the ballads, which when they work sound like St Etienne and when they don't sound like Faithless). But too much of Strangest Things lacks any real bite... it just sort of drifts pass pleasantly and you think "yeah, fair enough, but... zzzz". It sounds a little too inconsequential for stretches.

And, perhaps predictably, inconsequential is not we are about right now. So even though I wasn't sure I should, I went out and bought The New Danger by Mos Def.

Now this fits my mood just right.

what are we gonna do now??!?

taking off his turban, they said "is this man a jew?"
cuz they're working for the clampdown
they put up a poster saying "we earn more than you!"
working for the clampdown
we will teach our twisted speech
to the young believers
we will train our blue-eyed men
to be young believers

the judge said five to ten but I say double that again
I'm not working for the clampdown
no man born with a living soul
can be working for the clampdown
kick over the wall, cause governments to fall
how can you refuse it?
let fury have the hour, anger can be power
don't you know that you can use it?

the voices in your head are calling
stop wasting your time, there's nothing coming
only a fool would think someone could save you
the men at the factory are old and cunning
you don't owe nothing, so boy get runnin'
it's the best years of your life they want to steal

you grow up and you calm down
you're working for the clampdown
and you start wearing the blue and brown
you're working for the clampdown
so you got someone to boss around
and make you feel big now
you drift until you brutalize
you made your first kill now

in these days of evil presidentes
working for the clampdown
but lately one or two has fully paid their due
for working for the clampdown