I used to listen to the band Muse a lot in high school. I was one of those quiet but rebellious types, so their music really resonated with me. As I got older and started my corporate career, the political messaging in their music, especially in their most recent album, felt a little too strong.

I am ready for it now.

If you’re feeling rage right now, like many of us are, I highly recommend listening to the entire “Will of the People” album by Muse. Really listen to it. Put on your headphones like we used to back in the day and take it all in.

Music has become background noise for me in my 30s, but I think it’s time to bring it back into focus.

Got any songs or albums you’d recommend with similar themes?

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[–] 32 points 9 months ago

Rage against the machine, all of them, can't miss

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  • [–] 19 points 9 months ago (4 children)

    Nobody said System? Maybe I missed it. Toxicity the album. Individual tracks: Prison Song, Deer Dance, BYOB.

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  • [–] 6 points 9 months ago* (1 child)

    Solid rec. System is the band for this. Prison System and Deer Dance have been up there with my favorite songs since the first time I heard the album.

    All research and successful drug policies show that treatment should be increased, and law enforcement decreased, while abolishing mandatory minimum sentences.

    BYOB is off Mezmerize, though.

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  • [–] 16 points 9 months ago (2 children)

    Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero. Christofascism and the apocalypse. Still relevant almost 20 years later.

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  • [–] 14 points 9 months ago

    System of a Down is GOAT

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  • [–] 14 points 9 months ago

    Godspeed You! Black Emperor — F#A#∞

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  • [–] 12 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    I'm cruising through Rise Against constantly, because a ton of their songs resonate with my anger

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  • [–] 9 points 9 months ago*

    Not a whole album but I had found this little modern folk song specifically about the current state of the US a while back:

    https://open.spotify.com/track/5ff9fGBykcLIctsvauVTod

    Oh say can you see what I see The future ain’t what it used to be And I’m not proud of anything That I have seen tonight

    So tell me ‘bout that flag you wave And what your bumper stickers say And how you parse apart your faith Who's seated on the right?

    So dress up in your suit and tie And say your thank yous real polite And raise your arm out to the sky Your fuhrer is your friend

    And when that grifter steps in shit They lick his boots from heel to tip Or feel the wrath of all of it Praise Jesus Christ amen

    Cause now we’re great again

    Dissolve the law and federal courts Defund the peer reviewed reports Retract the hand that feeds the poor The hungry ones can’t speak

    So raise a glass to business whores The autocrats and saboteurs And text the world about your wars Let flow your whiskey leaks

    Berate the south, invade the north And conquer all impoverished shores Identify and then extort All those who lack defense

    Forget the Paine of Common Sense We reign with our incompetence And designate all immigrants As sick and evil men

    Cuz now… we’re great again

    Then Francis Key tries to explain That freedom’s not a first class train Your red hat cannot be exchanged As credit toward your rent

    The land of all the free’s a lie So where do all the brave reside The bombs are bursting through the sky That’s where your money went

    A modern Betsy Ross has made A flag that fascists celebrate Our motto now commemorates The sword above the pen

    No we are not inspired hosts Your huddled and your tired folks Are propaganda for our shows And we are not your friend

    But now… we’re great again

    Now weakness is admitting wrong So do your part and play along The showroom on the White House lawn Would make your grandad proud

    So tell me who needs enemies When you've got Fox and friends like these Who spend the daytime on their knees In service to the crown

    We bow down to the motorcades With banners and our boat parades The emperor we celebrate’s Not wearing anything

    That starry spangled banner waves Goodbye to golden yesterdays The ramparts now have all been raised To clearly represent

    That now... somehow... we are great again

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  • [–] 8 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    Obsolete by Fear Factory

    It's a concept album that involves fighting against a totalitarian police state that subjugates humans to the machines they created.

    It also has an awesome "Cars" cover for whenever you're feeling good.

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  • [–] 8 points 9 months ago*
    [–] 7 points 9 months ago

    Rage against the machine, Dropkick Murphys, NOFX

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  • [–] 7 points 9 months ago

    The first Rage Against The Machine album feels more relevant today then when it was released. Like this is the first time I've really, really felt like RATMs intended audience and not a 3rd person.

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  • [–] 7 points 9 months ago (1 child)
  • [–] 7 points 9 months ago (2 children)

    Atari Teenage Riot has been my go to. Digital Punk anarchist.

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  • If and when I want to feel political listening to music, it's mostly RATM or some down to earth 90's black rap, such as Wu-Tang Clan (I'm white though). Occasionally I drink a few and sing Bella Ciao until my voice gives out.

    Otherwise, nowadays, I'm mostly depressed (clinically) and I often just flee into some darksynth like Perturbator.

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  • [–] 6 points 9 months ago

    Check out the !music@slrpnk.net community, it's usually pretty political, and has some diverse genres.

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  • [–] 6 points 9 months ago (2 children)

    Panopticon's album Kentucky. Still hoping to see the level of solidarity and mutual aid those Appalachian coal miners embodied.

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  • [–] 6 points 9 months ago*

    I dunno, my daily mix is my daily mix.

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  • [–] 6 points 9 months ago (3 children)
  • [–] 5 points 9 months ago

    Incubus - A Crow Left of the Murder

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  • [–] 5 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    From King Crimson's first album:

    • 21st Century Schizoid Man
    • Epitaph
    • The Court of the Crimson King
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  • [–] 5 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 child)

    Anything by Reagan Youth is gonna scratch that itch

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  • [–] 4 points 9 months ago

    Post what you're listening to on !eternalplaylist@crazypeople.online IMO.

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  • [–] 4 points 9 months ago

    Wheres the revolution by depeche mode is pretty good :)

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  • [–] 4 points 9 months ago

    Public Enemy - Say It Like It Really Is - especially the video.

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  • [–] 4 points 9 months ago (2 children)

    Grandson.

    Check out their newish single BRAINROT to start. That album Inertia is packed with great music.

    Yeah, watch the world fall off its axis Watch the bombs go off, paid for by your taxes Watch the Met Ball, watch the brainrot Watch the Go-Pro footage of the headshot

    Too relevant.

    Also check out Blood // Water.

    Great shit that really speaks.

    What you gon' do when there's blood in the water? The price of your greed is your son and your daughter What you gon' do when there's blood in the water?

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  • [–] 3 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    Fucking live Grandson. I tried to find more artists like him. Lmk of any

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  • [–] 4 points 9 months ago

    Ironically, R.E.M.- It's the End of the World As We Know. It
    Unironically, Rage Against The Machine, Public Enemy
    Also this: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-protest-songs-1235154848/

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  • [–] 4 points 9 months ago

    Refused

    Cro-Mags

    Napalm Death

    Power Trip

    Iron Reagan

    Exodus

    Non-metal suggestions:

    Thievery Corporation

    Skinny Puppy

    Massive Attack

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  • [–] 4 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    Deafheaven - Revelator, Black Brick

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  • [–] 3 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    Bluegrass and independent country artists are getting really good with their messaging lately.

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  • [–] 3 points 9 months ago

    "Father's Advice" from the album Songs for Parents Who Like Drugs by Hamil on Trial

    the entire album The Great Depression by Defiance, OH

    "SST" by Strike Anywhere

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  • [–] 3 points 9 months ago

    Muse

    If you can get hold of it, there’s a live set from a Big Day Out in Sydney getting around if you can find it.

    I saw the Brisbane set. That was two days before the Sydney one, which incidentally was this date (26th), 2004 IIRC. It was one of the best live sets I’ve ever seen.

    Amazing band. Live and on record.

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  • [–] 3 points 9 months ago

    Dieselboy - The Dungeonmaster's Guide

    https://tidal.com/browse/album/14620847?u

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  • [–] 3 points 9 months ago

    Perhaps you will recall Knights of Cydonia from back then.

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  • [–] 3 points 9 months ago
    [–] 3 points 9 months ago*

    I love muse

    Check out here's solo work.

    And flogging molly

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  • [–] 3 points 9 months ago

    Chumbawamba

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  • [–] 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

    Will of the people is great but in my personal opinion they've never topped the greatness of Uprising.

    It's been around for a while now but in case anyone hasn't heard it: https://youtu.be/w8KQmps-Sog

    Or for something a little more raw and underground, these folks came out and gave a great performance at a local rally in my city: https://youtu.be/VNH1ytlS5-g

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  • [–] 3 points 9 months ago

    I switched from almost all jazz, electroswing mostly, the summer of 2024 and added in what little dark hard rock I knew, or whatever you call it, like tool and rage against the machine, a perfect circle, old stuff. I knew we were fucked in july 2024. For sure fucked I knew before, I actually called kamala getting the nomination after biden back in like 2019.

    Want some more kind of dark or hard stuff to listen to, but there was a lot more good rage against the machine stuff than I was aware, they weren't as popular as tool where I grew up.

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  • [–] 2 points 9 months ago
    [–] 2 points 9 months ago

    Here are a few:

    Fen - Monuments to Absence (post-black metal)

    GY!BE - NO TITLE (post-rock)

    Ashenspire - Hostile Architecture (avant-garde black metal)

    A Silver Mt Zion - this is our punk rock... (Post-rock)

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  • [–] 2 points 9 months ago

    Expedition 33 soundtrack. I don't wanna know nothing about reality half of the time.

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  • [–] 2 points 9 months ago

    Check out the album titled The Holy Bible by The Manic Street Preachers.

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  • [–] 2 points 9 months ago

    There's a handful of Audioslave tracks that could work. Going to listen to them shortly, I'll mention some specific tracks. Definitely my favorite rock band of all time. RIP Chris.

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  • [–] 2 points 9 months ago

    Enter Shikari - A Flash Flood of Colour

    How are we gonna get through this alive?
    It's not too late
    It's not too late

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  • [–] 2 points 9 months ago

    As far as I can tell Muse has only one good song (Take a bow). And even that is a bit cheesy.

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago
    [–] 1 point 9 months ago

    Kill Memory Crash - Crash v8.

    The entire album channels rage.

    https://youtu.be/hrkRU1fHl6U

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago

    Super old school folk/country western or other older clasic rock. Its got its stigmas and opinions but if you control your Playlist library then id recommend adding the generic artists like Kat Steven, Willie Nelson, Dylan or stretch out to other mega-artists from that gen like the Beatles. Everyone knows their name and knows their billboard br3akers but theyr library is sooo deep with artists like that, there will absolutely be songs you never heard that sound better than their chary toppers.

    My last recommendation: go down the limit Hendricks live recordings, rabbit hole.

    If you are like me you might write off most rge artist ive named as being too... idk... legendary. But what ive found empirically, is that even the worst songs from great artists are better than any great song by an average to good artist.

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago

    Nothingface is good angry music.

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago

    Start a playlist with Voidnet. You'll feel like you're in a terminator movie fast.

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

    Glow by aviators

    https://youtu.be/ppG_fCn2IIg

    Red water Dreams by aviators

    Eye of the storm by aviators

    Writing on the walls by aviators

    Wartorn by aviators

    Raise your flag by hidden citizens

    The times they are a changing.

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago

    Came here to mention king gizzard and the lizard wizard who is carrying all of the genres into the future.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4CSCjCSCjJM&list=OLAK5uy_m1ABaNjc7jZhb8FNXn4j9VtYZcH1zNN18&pp=ygUZS2dsdyBpbmZlc3QgdGhlIHJhdHMgbmVzdA%3D%3D

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago

    Looking for justice? Seek out a Headhunter.

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago

    youtube.com/watch?v=MClg7zpm6V…

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago

    I remember once reading that in bleak times, like the Great Depression, people historically favored upbeat movies; they wanted escapism. And then in boom times, people tend to favor grittier movies.

    There might be something to that. That is, if you're not happy, you might be better off consuming happier media.

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago

    Germany has many great punk bands. Fahnenflucht, Slime, Pascow, Terrorgruppe, WIZO, Fucking Angry, Feine Sahne Fischfilet, HASS.... so many great bands. I could go on. lol

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago

    Bullet by Hollywood undead

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago

    Edge of a Revolution by Nickelback

    Change by Taylor Swift

    No Place Like Home from Wicked: For Good

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  • [–] 0 points 9 months ago*