By Keith Walsh
The emotion of anger has fueled punk rock songs in their various forms since the seventies (or sixties, depending on how you count it.) Far from being a mere “energy” as proclaimed by John Lydon of PiL,(“Rise,” 1987), anger can be a constructive motivating force, particularly when channeled into musical creation.
This is especially true when songs are overtly political in nature. The powerful new EP by Kill, The Icon!, titled Your Anger Is Rational demonstrates the use of righteous anger as a constructive force in four songs, with sociological lyrics that combat the ugliness of racism and the shallowness of consumerism. As an M.D. working in the healthcare system in Britain, singer/songwriter Dr. Nishant Joshi has the smarts and the stats to back up his claims about social injustice. His band Kill, The Icon! is a trio that’s quickly gaining traction. (For my new interview with Dr. Joshi, please visit PopularCultureBeat.com.)
Starting off with “Heavy Heart,” Joshi rails against those who resist social progress by continuing the long tradition of mistreating immigrants and people of color. The production is top notch, and I really like the warmly distorted bass as a primary instrument. Dr. Joshi tells me: “I’ve tried a dozen different combinations of pedals, and it drove me mad. Then I tried just using the Boss Bass Distortion Pedal by itself, and that’s plenty big and fuzzy enough for now.” Also amazing are keyboards by Ian Flynn and drumming by Florin Constantin Pascu.
Joshi’s voice is charismatic throughout. As he chronicles the history of racism in the U.S.A., in the second song “Deathwish,” the tune’s narrator is the stereotypical racist resisting progress, and bemoaning the ingress of minorities into a once “purebred” neighborhood. “No Blacks, No Dogs, No Irish,” as the chorus goes, is a factual message found on signs at businesses around the United States as recently as the 20th century.
“Danny Is A Hate Preacher” tells the story of how a young person “born into a world of hate” became an adult who uses hate to mask his own self-despising. The drum beats here are somewhat hip hop in a nature, while Joshi’s bass playing is funky at times. The final song on the mainstream release of Your Anger Is Rational, “Protect The Brand” explores the links between corporate power, public perception, and the drudgery of daily work.
There’s two additional tracks on the Bandcamp version of the album, and the darky funk punk jam “Bourdain” laments the tragedies cultivated by the greed of those who put profits over people. The shocking epiphany of “Bourdain” uses quasi-religious language to strike fear into those who use others meanly. The EP’s final song, “All The Ugly Things” criticizes the aesthetics of urban and suburban environments through an immigrant’s eyes, as they long for the beauty of the environment back home.
There’s remnants of OG punk performances here, from Iggy Pop, back to the originators of The Sex Pistols. Yet Joshi’s message is relevant beyond anything presented by most punk. Joshi wants us to remember that racism never went away, it’s as pervasive as ever, only in continually more subtle, hidden forms. Anger, when channeled creatively, is a rational, useful energy and a positive response to hate and discrimination.
Kill, The Icon! dot com
Kill, The Icon! on Facebook
Kill, The Icon! On Bandcamp
New Interview With Dr. Nishant Joshi At Popular Culture Beat dot com.
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