Richardine Bartee
Before listening to the full album, title choice for the American High album stood out like a sore thumb. “Why does it look like a TOC or a heading from a book?” Next, the meaning of the title became important.
U.N. Article 14: We were all born with the right to seek and to be granted asylum in any country we choose. (Doesn’t count for regular crimes).
The text poses a question with relevancy.
If asylum is a right we each were born with, and if we were all created equal, why are we turning asylum seekers away at the southern border? Another example of the U.S. violating this God-given (or DNA given) right is the MS St Louis in 1939. 900 German Jews escaped the Nazis and headed for the US and liberty. But they were turned away. Canada too, as well as other nations. These 900 humans being returned to Germany because no one would grant them asylum. And most were murdered in concentration camps.
That’s what the wording reads in the band’s SoundCloud description for the project.
Aside from current radio rotation on BBC6 for ‘Cheye Calvo’, America High has also been praised by Skope Magazine, which is well-deserved. If you haven’t gone to Sacramento before, you can count on their work to be a sound introduction. Listen to the new album by the rockin’ Californians below. If you buy it, the band says that every dime goes to the SFBFS, an abbreviation for the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services.
For me, it’s more about what they’re about as a band than it is about the actual sound of their music. Is that a good thing? Well, it is necessary.
