"Another Bag of Bones" is a song by

Kevin Devine Kevin Devine (born December 19, 1979) is an American songwriter and musician from Staten Island, New York City, who is known for his introspective and political themes. He is a contemporary member of the underground indie rock and indie folk m ...

released on August 19, 2008, as a digital EP and a 7" vinyl record, with catalog number AFS.006 on the label Academy Fight Song. It includes the song "Another Bag of Bones", and a lyrically revised cover of

Phil Ochs Philip David Ochs (; December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was an American songwriter and protest singer (or, as he preferred, a topical singer). Ochs was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, political activism, often alliterative lyrics, and ...

' "

Love Me, I'm a Liberal "Love Me, I'm a Liberal" is a satirical song by Phil Ochs, an American singer-songwriter. Originally released on his 1966 live album, '' Phil Ochs in Concert'', "Love Me, I'm a Liberal" was soon one of Ochs's most popular concert staples. Introd ...

", inspired in part by the 2008 US presidential election. Brian Shultz of Punknews.org praised the release, describing the two tracks as a "creative renaissance" for Devine. Both tracks were produced by

Rob Schnapf Rob Schnapf is an American record producer and musician. He was the co-producer (along with Tom Rothrock) of Elliott Smith's albums ''Either/Or'', '' XO'' (on which he also played guitar on the song " Baby Britain"), '' Figure 8'' and ''From a ...

. The title track, "Another Bag of Bones", is a political song, giving voice to personal feelings and metaphors on themes of war, environmental injustices and religion. The lyrics' potent imagery, the crisp and confident vocals, and the subtle layers and swells of instrumentation caught the notice of reviewers. The artist related to

SPIN Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

that it is not "a song about politics in any traditional sense". The magazine lauded the absence of heavy-handed rhetoric and political sloganeering, combined with Devine's vocal performance and "tension-building arrangements", as distinguishing the track from a plethora of political songs. Devine's reworking of the 1966 protest song "Love Me, I'm a Liberal" has updated lyrics touching on contemporary issues such as Barack Obama's candidacy and Hurricane Katrina. It satirizes the hypocrisy and insincerity of liberals' support for war in Afghanistan, systemic racism, corporate hegemony and Obama's mixed messages of "change", "with crocodile tears now being shed for the New York and Iraqi dead while 'Afghanistan got what was coming'". Part of a contemporary current of anti-war and social justice protest from artists such as

Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter and author who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album '' Horses''. Called the "punk poe ...

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe p ...

and

David Rovics David Stefan Rovics (born April 10, 1967) is an American indie singer/songwriter. His music concerns topical subjects such as the 2003 Iraq war, anti-globalization, anarchism, and social justice issues. Rovics has been an outspoken critic of ...

, Devine's call-out follows the ironic original in a humorous but scathing recrimination of those who selectively profess liberal ideals - as long as their own self-interest is not threatened. Critical reception of the reimagined counterculture classic was less glowing, but it was still considered a well done and solid effort, with both tracks commanding the listener's attention more strongly than some of Devine's previous efforts. The vinyl version was available in either transparent blue or red from Academy Fight Song's website, and a black tour edition was also available at shows. "Another Bag of Bones" was later reworked and appears on Devine's fifth album, ''

Brother's Blood ''Brother's Blood'' is the fifth studio album by American indie rock musician Kevin Devine, his first album since 2006 and first release on the Favorite Gentlemen record label. Background Throughout the course of 2008, Devine premiered a numbe ...

''. The version on this single is more stripped down than on ''Brother's Blood''. A remix of the title track by Trevor Dowdy (of I Married My Highschool Sweetheart, a Favorite Gentlemen labelmate) appears on the '' She Stayed As Steam'' EP.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Another Bag Of Bones American rock songs 2008 songs

See also

References