This week, KEXP is featuring songs written in response to the climate crisis, as selected by DJs John Richards, Cheryl Waters, and Kevin Cole. Tune in this Friday, February 7th as KEXP celebrates International Clash Day; what began as a tribute to The Clash’s music and legacy has evolved into a banner celebration of the issues and message they stood for. The Clash were unapologetically confrontational and champions of the oppressed, always striving for the possibility of a better world. That’s why in 2020 we’re using the holiday to Clash For Climate. More information here.
More people die on the road than they do in the ocean
Maybe we should mull over culling cars instead of sharks
Or just lock them up in parks where we can go and view them
Courtney Barnett's homeland of Australia has been plagued by environmental hardships: climate change, persistent drought (and the resulting bushfires), land degradation, water security, are just a few of the issues the country faces. Barnett's concerns are reflected in the lyrics on her 2015 debut LP Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, from the destruction of the Great Barrier Reef in the track "Kim's Caravan" to matters of shark culling and consumerism in today's Song of the Day, "Dead Fox."
Last month, Barnett and fellow Melbourne band Camp Cope held two sold out benefit concerts, raising close to 90,000 AUD (approximately $62,000) for First Nations fire relief funds, wildlife rescue groups, and other organizations. In an interview with Rolling Stone, she reflected on the anger her country feels towards the government’s response to the crisis.
We’ve always had bushfires in this country. It’s not like it’s a brand new thing. I think people are angry because it’s about more than that. It’s about climate change denial, and it’s also a class war. There’s volunteer firefighters who the government refuses to help. The government have taken away funding from those people. And not to mention that our country, white Australia — we stole the land from indigenous people, and then we’ve ruined it over the last 200 years. And the government, our leadership, shows no empathy or care.
Finding good new music can be a full time job, so let KEXP help! In Our Headphones brings you five song recommendations every Monday, straight from KEXP’s DJs and Music Directors. Join hosts Janice Headley and Isabel Khalili on this never-ending journey of music discovery.
Host Emily Fox and KEXP’s editorial team talk with artists about the stories behind their songs and the experiences that inform their work. Through each conversation, we uncover the humanity behind the music, allowing us to hear it in a whole new way.
