tUnE-yArDs - “My Country”
Since it’s the first track on w h o k i l l, “My Country” acts as a declaration of fearlessness (though fearlessness is the primary attribute of all of her music), conflating Merrill Garbus’ performance with the social imbalance she decries. Her voice gains intensity as she navigates the verses, slipping into a near-screech on lines like “My country, bleeding me, I will not say in your arms!” and then dropping to an earnest coo when asking “If nothing of this is ours, how will I ever know when something’s mine?” It’s gripping just to hear her put her greatest instrument through such a thorough workout, but “My Country” becomes unforgettable when she uses it to body her deep insecurities about American privilege. A simple question like “When they have nothing, why do you have something?” can stop you dead in your tracks, struggling to think of a good answer precisely because there is no good answer to be had. Her fearlessness here, then, is one of refusing to turn away or sweep difficult questions under the rug, especially when she herself is implicated. Liberty and status, “My Country” suggests, are lies that we live, and the worst part of it all is wondering when we’ll be found out.
runner-up: “Bizness”
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