The Beautiful Dudes - Radio November

This was an album spotlight last semester. The music lends itself to classic garage-punk stylings while delivering the sort of political criticism and protest that originally made the genre distinctive. A few singles stood out to me. First, the song "Peace Train" has a name which in itself rings as sort of a dark joke in light of Trump's America. The song's mid-tempo and minor key moodiness capture the widespread feelings of pessimism and hopelessness into an anthem. The album’s first released single “The Shape I’m In” presents the same themes of rage and falling apart as byproducts of a greater unjust society.