Cass recasts the Manning narrative in song form with precision and empathy.
This is not a veiled, subtle tribute to Manning – McCombs addresses the story in plain terms. In fact, if you are unfamiliar with Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Bradley Manning‘s story, you could do worse than listening to this song for a summary of the events that led up to what may have been his pivotal contribution to Wikileaks.
Manning has been depicted as an antagonized, frustrated youth even before he became the subject of popular controversy, and this song runs with that image, giving it a folky quality. It is a protest song, sort of, but really just a good tune written bluntly about current events – something most musicians do not have the tenacity to accomplish.
Manning will stand trial in two weeks, on December 16th, “to prove bullying is better than a wild temper,” in McCombs’ words.
After being arrested in May 2010, Manning has yet to make a court appearance. Now, a year and a half later, during which time the documents he may or may not have contributed to Wikileaks made headline after headline, famously warranting a reputation for breaking more stories than any major news source, we are about to witness the beginning of what will be a paramount ruling.
Cass McCombs has two LPs out this year, most recently “Humor Risk,” which came out in November, and “Wit’s End,” which came out in April, both on Domino Records.
On January 31 the song “Bradley Manning” will come out as a single, also on Domino Records. Enjoy the audio and video below:
