Noam Chomsky/Chumbawamba: For A Free Humanity: For Anarchy

Politics makes strange bedfellows, and lefty politics are no exception. For A Free Humanity: For Anarchy pairs leftist linguist, writer, theorist, activist, and poster boy Noam Chomsky with British anarchist pop band Chumbawamba, giving them a disc apiece to let them have their say. Both recordings are live, left, and leveling, but that's all they have in common. Chomsky is strictly spoken-word, perhaps a bit dry at times, but anything but boring. On his disc, he dissects the problems of capital vs. labor to their core, clearly dissecting the evils of corporate America. His simplicity is the disc's strong point: Unlike like-minded publications such as The Nation, Chomsky keeps his examples simple and flowing, easily embraceable by everyone on the left. Chumbawamba also tries to keep it at a populist level, setting its sights on virtually every injustice imaginable, turning such topics as homophobia, resistance, and destroying the state into hummable three- to five-minute pop songs. It's catchy and fun, but it's debatable how effectively the politics translate into pop music. Priced only marginally higher than a single disc, this package is well worth it, if only to give pop sloganists something of substance to think about—and humorless leftists something to dance to.