Everything is Legal by Oreaganomics is an astral communiqué, an existential cipher wrapped in layers of lo-fi, ska-infused protest music. From its opening moments, the track situates itself in a liminal space between the ethereal and the terrestrial. It begins with whispered hums, spectral percussive elements that ripple like cosmic echoes, and a dreamlike sensibility that hints at both transcendence and revolution. This introduction is not just a prelude but a portal, a beckoning hand that leads us into a landscape of skanking rhythms, unflinching lyricism, and a musical ethos steeped in defiance.
Oreaganomics deftly melds genres, crafting a sonic collage that feels at once improvisational and deliberate. The lo-fi textures create an intimate, almost clandestine atmosphere, reinforcing the song’s subversive undertones. There is a distinct reggae adjacency, not in the sense of mimicry but in its spiritual essence – its ability to critique power structures while maintaining a hypnotic groove. One cannot help but be reminded of early Manu Chao, that same street-level urgency, the sense of a global troubadour channeling the frustrations of the unheard. Yet, Oreaganomics does this in English, embedding their message in an accessible yet poetically potent lexicon.
Thematically, Everything is Legal wrestles with the paradoxes of modernity – the illusion of boundless freedom amidst systemic oppression. The title itself is a sardonic refrain, a critique of the unchecked permissibility of corruption and exploitation. “Everything is legal, so we’ve got to find our way,” the hook reiterates, underscoring the bewilderment and resilience required to navigate an era where legality and morality have seemingly parted ways. The cyclical structure of the song, ending as it began with hummed ad-libs and cascading percussion, suggests an ouroboric struggle – the endless loop of history, rebellion, and resurgence.
The song’s origins add yet another layer of mystique. Recorded in an unfinished basement, the process itself bore a conspiratorial air, with the artists hinting at the need for secrecy. Their unwillingness, or inability, to discuss certain aspects of the production for fear of retribution speaks volumes. This is protest music at its rawest and most necessary, created not just in opposition but in survival.
Oreaganomics has constructed a work that is both a sonic experience and a philosophical exercise. Everything is Legal forces us to interrogate the world we inhabit: What does freedom mean when it is granted only to the powerful? What does legality signify when laws serve the few at the expense of the many? These are not rhetorical questions; they are demands for engagement, for awareness, for resistance.
In an age where representation is scarce and voices are stifled, Oreaganomics refuses to be silent. Their music does not pander, does not seek permission, it simply exists, unapologetic and essential. And in that defiance, in that refusal to be erased, Everything is Legal becomes a testament, a manifesto, a call to arms. It is the soundtrack of the ungoverned spirit, a beacon for those navigating the labyrinth of an increasingly absurd reality. To experience it live, one imagines, would not merely be a concert, it would be a communion, a gathering of the kindred and the conscious, an invocation of something ancient and untamed.
Naturally, we have added the opus to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of Oreaganomics, including the entirety of the project, And Introducing…..shane!!!, plus Stuck in the Middle of a Middle Class Life, and Very Vietnam.