Hopefully you dug out V For Vendetta last night. ("Remember, remember the 5th of November") But now we're here on American local election day, and that can mean a lot of things. It means you get to vote in "the only poll that matters," as they say. It also means the end of all those wretched signs that dirty up the beautiful fall scenery this time of year. But here at the Scene & Heard office, it means we're digging up our favorite breaking-the-system records and wailing away all day long to rusty guitars and out of key singers, singing along to songs about letting freedom ring and stickin it to the man. Dig it! It's top 5 Tuesday! These records are the ones you NEED to get fired up at the man when the man steps on your toes.

5. Nine Inch Nails / Year Zero - This album paints a haunting picture of a future where everyone is under complete control and censorship from a government out of a control, with a leader who "signs his name with a capital G."...
4. Against Me / New Wave - The sound of fire on a record, one of the sharpest releases this year.
3. Dead Kennedys / Give Me Convenience Or Give Me Death - The one and only classic. The song "Police Truck" has the ability to round up armies.
2. Rage Against The Machine / Rage Against The Machine - When this album came along in the 90s it re-tightened the fists of an aimless generation that had gone somber thanks to grungey Nirvana rock. The only reason this record doesn't make the number one is because it directly led to crap like Limp Bizkit who employed the same energy, but had nothing to say. Rage, however, had a lot to say.
1. The Clash / The Clash - The late Joe Strummer was arguably one of the most important songwriters of the 20th century. The Clash's songs weren't as anti-political as they were pro-use your voice, change the world, make it a better place...which is what the HEART of punk is, as opposed to the image. This album is where punk began to take that shape.

Not that we should be surprised, but Stephen Colbert won't be on the ballot next November when we all go to vote for our next president. He announced this last week on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report when he said he had been turned down by Republicans and the Democrats.

During that episode, he interviewed a guy who lectures on multitasking who said Colbert failed to secure a spot with a political party because he's trying to do too much and isn't focusing on getting elected. If he would campaign heavily and play the whole game, then he'd actually have a shot, despite the immense popularity garnered among young potential voters.

Colbert's response was something along the lines of "think about what that says about our government, that you gotta play the game."

Think about that if you're going out voting today.

Me? I'm gonna hang around and listen to The Clash all day.