Maybe it was Murphy's Law or perhaps a black-bag-style takedown that could only be pieced together by Oliver Stone, but just when Rage Against The Machine was needed to challenge the Bush administration and rally the post-9/11 diaspora of the left, the group had vanished from the scene. It was as if the members were whisked away on the first plane to Guantanamo Bay.The politically charged rap-rock outfit roused many a rabble during the relative safety of the Clinton years. The band trumpeted many a leftist "cause celeb" and inspired countless lesser groups. Rage was one of the few rock acts openly advocating a Marxist worldview -- as vehement as the Gang Of Four and as popular as the ClashBut, conspiracy theories aside, the Los Angeles-based quartet missed its historic opportunity when intra-band squabbling led to the group's dissolution just a couple of weeks before the 2000 election. And where did they go while the forces of American neo-conservatism demolished everything that they stood for and more? They too were caught in the rollback that occurred after Sept. 11, 2001. While vocalist Zack de la Rocha kept a low profile, forever recording an unreleased solo project, a majority of the band members retreated into the safe bosom of Audioslave, a purposefully apolitical, hard-rock supergroup with Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell.
Audioslave kept their names in print and allowed for some musical experimentation, but it was ultimately a doomed union that yielded one saccharine hit single and three mediocre records. A stylistic tug-of-war was often evident on the discs, but the lack of a theoretical underpinning to the music seemed to gnaw at guitarist Tom Morello over time. When he could no longer discuss Mumia Abu-Jamal without making the tank-top-wearing Cornell feel uncomfortable, Morello formed grassroots activist group, Axis of Justice, with Serj Tankian from System Of A Down. He took this a step further when he formulated the Nightwatchman persona to play occasional, one-man acoustic shows four years ago.Now, with Bush's poll numbers mired in the 30s and progressives feeling that the pendulum has swung in their direction, many political artists are emboldened. To top it off, Rage Against The Machine appears to be a functioning unit again and plans to make its return to the stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival later this week. Morello, meanwhile, is finally releasing his first solo album, "One Man Revolution." The record is the culmination of previously inconspicuous effort to speak out by getting his Billy Bragg on.Beyond simply a vehicle for political manifestos, "One Man Revolution" is an album of surprises, but none more curious than its musical tone. For a man that many consider one of few modern-day rock-guitar aces still showboating, Morello steers clear of guitar wizardry on "One Man Revolution." Instead, he is once again the deconstructing rebel, encouraging all would-be six-string deities to overthrow the hegemony of riffs, mixolydian scales and Eddie Van Halen flash to embrace proletarian folk music.With only producer Brendan O'Brien supplying some occasion backing keyboards or drums, the record is mostly Morello singing, playing acoustic guitar and a little harmonica. Dylan and Springsteen are contemporary role models for this type of folk music, but their lyrical messages are often nuanced. Morello prefers explicitness over artfulness and links himself with older, more strident protest singers like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Joe Hill. He sets himself up as a songwriting avenger as much as a spokesman for the down-trodden.Overlooking the Nightwatchman's earnest mission and self-imposed one-dimensional approach to music-making, the anthems on "One Man Revolution" are better than you'd expect and sometimes enjoyable. In part, this is undoubtedly because of the fact that we as listeners haven't heard this side of Morello before nor have we seen him as a solitary performer and singer-songwriter. Most shocking is his singing voice, which is deep and dark and faintly recalls Leonard Cohen or Tom Waits without the Captain Beefheart mugging. (During "Union Song," Morello's boastful vocal delivery even shows a young Johnny Cash influence.)
"Union Song" and the disc's other four or five choice cuts won't ever supplant the lyrical grace of "Blowin' In The Wind" and their tenor isn't as self-mocking in its editorializing as Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert, but they do aspire to be more than just tunes to liven up a rally."Let Freedom Ring" is brooding but has an expansive and inviting chord progression and features subtle accompaniment by an organ and steel guitar. By contrast, "The Road I Must Travel" is a vivacious Irish rebel song that begs to be a sing-along. Morello and O'Brien develop it into a rocking Pogues song, its Celtic flavor was achieved by tacking on a snare drum and a trilling second guitar that mimics a tin whistle. The title track is the album's most fully-produced number, adding piano and keyboards to Morello's insistent strum and booming vocals.
He openly courts controversy with some lyrics. "No One Left," which was previously released on the soundtrack for Michael Moore's election-year documentary, "Fahrenheit 9/11," zooms in on the losses on the individual level and draws parallels between the World Trade Center attack and the Iraq war. It's a contention that would likely incite an uprising among Bush's War Cabinet instead of the proletariat.Morello is a propagandist, not a poet. His plainspoken approach allows him to mask the handful of tricks up his sleeve as he takes his shots. "I support my troops/They wave black flags/They wear black masks," Morello intones on "Flesh Shapes The Day." During "Maximum Firepower," he is refreshingly candid and a little self-effacing as he outlines his compulsion to stand behind the mic. In "The Garden Of Gethsemane," he's sympathetic as he creeps into the mind of a paranoid soldier fighting an invisible enemy.Speaking of visibility, the record's release date -- not Morello's heavy-handed political moralizing -- is the greatest threat against "One Man Revolution." Like Rage's reunion, this album's appearance in stores seems to perfectly coincide with the left's resurgence. It's appearance will likely lend a sword to his detractors. Some might accuse Morello and Rage of cowardice for waiting until the current conditions to strike a blow.Perhaps by creating the Nightwatchman, Morello is establishing a permanent outlet so that he'll never fall silent again. For More Info:
