If you’re anything like me, you probably started the day by recognizing that the start of a new work week had indeed arrived and then immediately began shaking your fists at the sky in anger. Monday is rarely anyone’s favorite day, and from what I have seen firsthand it feels safe to say it’s the one day of the week some people outright hate. I guess to them the arrival of the work week symbolizes the end of their quote/unquote freedom, and as a result they head into the office/factory/restaurant/store with a negative outlook already on their mind. This leads to bad attitudes, which only makes the experience of being at work worse, and for some reason it also seems to make time slow to a crawl. We’re not about that life, and we hope this post can do the same you that the song contained within it did for us.
Music is a very subjective thing. Every album you love is hated by someone in the world, and every album you hate has throngs of fans in various cities and towns. The song that makes you happy may make others sad, or you may cry while everyone else starts to dance. Subjectivity is part of what makes any form of art great, and in the case of music it also makes most things very personal. The vast majority of musicians tries to connect with listeners by sharing their most emotional moments, and that is how it has been since the dawn of popular music. Far more rare are popular artists whose music exists to promote meaningful change, but if you look hard enough they can be found, and their message needs to be heard.
Enter Shikari are Rage Against The Machine for the kids born during, after, or just before the Zak De La Rocha lead band first burst onto the national music scene in 1992. They’re UK bred world travelers who see the planet as one global community and write songs promoting unity through compassion and hard work. They want to better the world, but understand real change starts within. Through a one of a kind take on punk they convey their battle cries to a fan base of thousands eagerly waiting for the next piece of perfectly balanced, yet undeniably anarchic rock based life advice to be released, all while pushing the genre boundaries to the absolute extreme. The band’s latest release, The Mindsweep: Hospitalised, is actually a remix record, and they’ve brought along some of the most promising names in electronic music to help alter their work.
Now there are two very important things happening here. First, Enter Shikari are furthering the potential reach of their message by attempting to appeal to a new set of music fans while giving current followers something new to enjoy. Second, and perhaps most admirable, they are bringing a number of hardworking musicians into the thriving community of passionate music supporters they have been nurturing since their inception. Enter Shikari are broadening the horizons for both their fans and professional friends, all while potentially furthering their career at the same time, it’s a win-win for everyone involved, and it comes at a time when the world desperately needs a band focused on something more than romance and heartache.
This may be a simple music industry blog, and Haulix may be a small company in the big scheme of things, but are better off than 90%, if not more, of the world’s population. We live in the richest nation, we never worry about having food or water, and we all have access to health care at a moment’s notice. On a more personal level, we know we are loved. We have the confidence to be who we are because we have family and friends who believe in us, and as cheesy as it may sound there is not a lot else you could really demand out of life. We have everything when most have barely anything, so it’s on us to be the force for positive change they need, and the same goes for you. If you’re reading this now you have more power than most of the world’s population and you have a responsibility, perhaps even a moral duty, to use it for good. To help your fellow man, woman, and child to live a life as good, if not better than your own.
Enter Shikari urge listeners to consider all of this, as well as what they want out of life for themselves, and then provide the soundtrack for your efforts to change. They’re there with you, rooting for you and reminding you that this global community is looking out for you as well, and we have to hope we get as good as we give. We have to believe that is we welcome are fellow humans with opens arms and minds that they will treat us the same. If not now, then in time, and while we wait we can strive to further better ourselves. Life is about the constant pursuit of happiness, and that means you are always in motion, always making the most out of life. To do that you have to be honest with yourself about who you are, how you could be better, and what you need to do to get there. Again, Enter Shikari exist to provide the soundtrack.
You may not consider yourself a fan of EDM, but that doesn’t mean the latest Enter Shikari release is not for you. On the contrary, I’ve found it’s often the albums that most challenge our comfort zone that most influence change. There is something about the way those records force the listener to engage with the music that helps further reinforce a song’s message, and in the case of Enter Shikari that means learning to see the world around you in a whole new way. As vocalist Rou Reynolds once wrote, “Countries are just lines drawn in the sand with a stick.” You are part of a global community, and whether you choose to believe it or not your well being is connected to every other individual on this rock we call home. You may be a citizen of whatever town you call home, but you are also a citizen of the world, and as such you should take an invested interest in what is happening to our shared home. Be the force for change you want to see in the world and you will influence others to do the same. Then, and only then, can we start to better existence for ourselves and our fellow man. Enter Shikari know this already, and with releases like The Mindsweep: Hospitalised they are trying their hardest to make sure that message is spread far and wide. Don’t miss out.
James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique Records. Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him on Twitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.
