Do you remember where you were a year ago? I was steadfastly ignoring the inauguration and mentally girding my loins for a long, tough year ahead. In some ways, it’s been worse than anyone imagined. Terra Naomi’s heartrending “Machine Age” responds to both the rage and intolerance in the outside world and her own: her husband’s family refused to recognize the couple’s marriage and, in so doing, rejected his identity as a trans man.
Recently I grumbled about songs that are “too long,” but you won’t feel the six minutes of this song. Naomi has an impressive control over the song, with a long buildup that is truly transcendent. The song begins with Naomi’s reckoning with her false sense of privilege and ends with a powerful catharsis of one of the most universal truths there is.
You can download the song for free, but if you pay for it the proceeds will go to some of the most important organizations leading the charge for our freedoms:
GLAAD
Girls Write Now
Planned Parenthood
Black Lives Matter
350.org
ACLU
Terra Naomi — Official, Facebook, Bandcamp, iTunes
Thanks for reading! Please help me help you find great music! Subscribe to my Patreon or drop a one-time tip in my Ko-fi cup!