Fold - Mr President, We're in Trouble (Song Choice)

Fold - Mr President, We're in Trouble

Lyrics:
Mr. President, we're in trouble.

It's clear that the true problems of our nation are much deeper...
deeper than gasoline lines or energy shortages -- deeper, even, than inflation or recession.

Too many of us now tend to worship self indulgence and consumption.
Human identity is no longer defined by what one does but by what one owns.

And we've discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning.
We've learned that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose.

Mr. President, we're in trouble.

What can we do?
First of all, we must face the truth and then we can change our course.
If you lead Mr. President, we will follow.


This track was found by the other member of my group on SoundCloud. The 4 piece are called Fold and are from Leeds. We had agreed that we didn't want an indie style band, therefore we were searching for a more electronic/trip hop sound. Fold fit this bill perfectly, operating in the experimental trip hop genre and claiming to get inspiration from DJ Shadow amongst others. One of the elements that Fold brings that is akin to DJ Shadow is the use of samples (for which DJ Shadow is renowned, his first album 'Endtroducing' was the first completely sampled album). Another example of DJ Shadows love for sampling is the music video for Midnight in a Perfect World, which features a lot of found footage to match the use of sampling in the track itself. One of the sounds that I picked up on in Mr. President, We're in Trouble was the sound of birds/animals calling out. I felt that this was significant because it delivers a subtle message; perhaps that man has wondered too far from nature which would link to the idea of consumerism or that the nature of mankind is destroying what really matters.


What makes Fold individual is the samples that are used in their tracks; political themes run high through much of their work and often aim to convey a message about society. Following on from these themes of equality, Fold are actually making an effort to see change in the world: Mr President, We're in Trouble is supporting The Equality Trust - an organisation devoted to campaigning for more equal societies across the globe backed by solid evidence. One of the reasons that the track appealed to us both is the sample of President Jimmy Carter because the speech contains so many links to themes, such as inequality, consumerism and corruption. With these strong themes we felt we could come up with some strong ideas based upon the issues raised in the song; I particularly felt that focusing in on the idea that 'consuming things doesn't fulfil the longing for meaning' would be a good starting point because it allows for emotion and something that a lot of people can relate to. We also wanted to make sure we could include political themes as it seems to be a strong part of the track. In terms of narrative, a linear structure would be straightforward and would work, but it definitely seems as though there is the possibility of a circular narrative as it would make sure that the message conveyed in the track and video would be much stronger and hit harder. Jimmy Carter himself could be incorporated into the music video, as some of his views on human rights and equality are interesting and apply directly to the themes of the track.

In terms of contacting the band, the other member of my group spoke to Fold to confirm that they are unsigned and that we would have permission to use the track and to make a music video for it. So far, they have been co-operative and offered to send a mastered version of the song along with a DVD of the sample.