Richard BodinAfter a busy year spent touring and fighting for her convictions, Carsie Blanton returns with the second volume of The Red Album. This new effort, self-produced and crowd-funded and available for free on her website, is a natural follow-up to Volume 1, released in autumn 2024. If the first instalment sounded witty and sharp, leaning on humour and buoyant rhythms to deliver its protest songs, Volume 2 reaches much deeper emotionally.
An Opening That Sets the Tone
The album opens with the already viral “Little Flame.” The song draws its inspiration from historical revolutionary figures, from Bobby Seale to Bobby Sands, from James Connolly to Joe Hill, and so many others. Rooted in global struggles for justice. It celebrates rebellion, collective memory, and the responsibility to keep the flame of hope alive through darker times. “Little Flame” spread virally through covers and acts of solidarity after Blanton joined the Sumud Flotilla towards Gaza last summer. It stands as a perfect example of how a protest song can become a catalyst for unity and resistance.
The album continues with a jazzy cover of “I Don’t Mind Failing” by Malvina Reynolds. A very fitting choice for Blanton, who stands firmly by her convictions. As Reynolds’ lyrics remind us, “Somebody else’s definition / Isn’t going to measure my soul’s condition.” You may be a failure by society’s standards, but if you stay true to yourself, does it really matter?
Humour as a Political Weapon
After such an intense opening, the album shifts into a wittier register with “FBI MASTER.” The bouncy track recounts how undercover FBI agents infiltrate unions and activist organisations to “fight the reds on behalf of the bourgeoisie.” The focus then moves to a fast-paced, biting ode to Elon Musk, portrayed as “a husk of a man” who “is not an inventor, he’s an investor.”
Musically, the album then takes a surprising turn with a playful tango. “Tango Luigi” tells the story of two folk anti-heroes pushed beyond their limits. Luigi Mangione shot the CEO of one of America’s largest healthcare companies. The country is famous for its insanely expensive healthcare system, with insurance providers desperate to avoid paying claims. The song also references Violet Gibson, the Anglo-Irish woman who shot Benito Mussolini in 1926, grazing his nose shortly before he consolidated power. Blanton closes with a warning: “You can fool us every minute / till the minute that we snap.”
When the Songs Turn Inward
“Hello Comrade” was a late addition to the album, written after Blanton’s release from Ktzi’ot prison in Israel, where she was detained for weeks alongside her Sumud Flotilla comrades. Addressing a fellow activist, she invites them into her home and reflects on their shared experience and its impact on a conflicted world. Stripped back to guitar and a discreet rhythmic section, the ballad is a poignant testimony to a life-changing moment.
On “Another War,” Blanton turns her gaze towards the warmongering tendencies of her own country, reflecting on the devastation inflicted on nations selected to receive American-made “freedom” and “democracy.” She sings: “Promises of sweet democracy raining down like bullets and debris.” Later, she adds with bitter irony: “After this one there won’t be any more / ’Cause finally the whole world will be free / Just like you and me / Free to shop at any company store.” In light of recent actions in Venezuela, the song rings truer than ever.
A Protest Album for the Present Moment
Protest songs have always existed to confront political and social injustice. Naming these realities is a necessary step towards addressing them. Against the backdrop of today’s political climate in the United States, The Red Album Vol. 2 feels less like a statement and more like a necessity.
When releasing the first volume, Blanton said: “I don’t want to sing about some fantasy world; I want to sing about the real world—the one that’s rapidly heating, ruled by grifters, and divided by profiteers. Can we find hope and humanity there?”
In the closing track, “The Future,” she offers an answer: we can. “I believe in the future, honey / ’Cause the future is you and me (…) And we know what to do / But we don’t know when it will be.” Until then, we desperately need to keep the little flame alive.
