Let them play

Confrontational and empowering, “Sounds like a Revolution,” award winner of the 2010 NXNE, Woodstock, Windsor International, Festivale des Liberties and Rain Dance Film Festivals, documents the magic behind music which will “enrage, enlighten and inspire.” The film follows underground artists such as Michael Franti and Paris, while also concentrating on the more well known Anti-Flag, NOFX, Rage Against the Machine and the Dixie Chicks, among others. Struggling in the corporate world, the artists share their perils with capitalism and how they tiptoed around the big bad record label’s censoring fangs to protest for change. From old Irish ballads of injustice to new-age YouTube protest prodigies, “Sounds like a Revolution” shows the history behind the alteration of music and the transformation of censorship.

The anonymous director’s masterpiece subtly mixes raw concert footage with historical background and anecdotes of individual artist experiences. Each scene of the film is beautiful and purposeful, awkward narrator notwithstanding. The documentary itself flows somewhat like a mixtape, with its ability to instill a surge of energy through its progression, yet does jump from one topic to the next in somewhat of a mad frenzy that can be distracting.

Still, chillingly captivating, the footage provokes a sense of spirituality in the notion of group mentality. The unnerving scene of Rage Against the Machine’s inexplicable coercion off stage by armed police while the roaring crowd chants “Let them play” sends angry, proactive energy down the spine. The gut striking camera pan of 40,000 people with hands held high, saluting the art that brings them together, quickens the heart.

The artist contribution was plentiful and well received, well articulated, and irrefutably natural. Yet, with much of the concentration of the movie revolving around history, both of past events such as the Kent State shootings, and current events such as the 9/11 twin tower attack and the reign of the Bush Administration, historian commentary would have been an educational addition. Furthermore, although briefly touched on, a heavier focus on new technologies such as YouTube and Facebook and their role in broadening musical domains and unveiling censored art would have enriched the film.

Still, “Sounds like a Revolution” successfully provokes the question: Does our binge drinking, casual sex-embracing mainstream musical culture reflect a devolution of humankind, or is such mediocrity the result of selective radio tuning by those who seek to silence the masses into a pleasant party of oblivion? Music is an eternal message for all people, working both the right- and left-brain hemispheres, it is easily memorized, readily stored, and subliminally regurgitated in listener behavior. The film is a social commentary on the malleable state of norms and values, calling for the attention and action of viewers.

“Sounds Like a Revolution” makes no mistake in illuminating that every genre, from hip hop to folk acoustic, is capable and successful in its ability to send out a message for change. The film asks viewers to realize that music can grow into a culture. A rewarding film for musicians, music lovers, and also the first step for awakening the party-music drone, “Sounds Like a Revolution” exceeds its intention by not only effectively raising awareness to censorships’ effects on society, but also reinforcing the power of music. ?