Rock and roll might have an image, slightly unfairly, of being a bit basic, direct, perhaps slightly inarticulate. It is excellent at the down-and-dirty, party-starting entertainment but less associated with having something important to say. That said, every now and again, an artist and a song comes along that defies those stereotypes. Harry Kappen is just such an artist, “Break These Chains” is just such a song.
Musically, things don’t sound too far out of rock and roll’s comfort zone; it grooves and does so hard; its growling, low-slung riffs and pounding back beats are built on everything that made the genre so poignant in the first place. However, he does introduce some clever little breakdowns and harmonized vocals to add just enough sweetness and light to stand the song slightly apart from the pack.
But lyrically, this is something different happening here. The chains that he wishes to see broken relate to the fake news, lies, and misinformation that seem to have become the norm and the currency of the contemporary world. Who knows what to believe anymore? How do we separate truth from lies? We need to start fighting back, holding media outlets – from blogs to social media platforms to presidential press secretaries and everything in between – to account. It’s easier said than done, but at least now this fightback has a soundtrack!
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