Pussy Riot: “I Can't Breathe”

Gotta Love Pussy Riot. Whether you're Vladimir Putin or a rogue NYPD officer, Pussy Riot will cut you no slack.  Their newest song — and video — is titled “I Can't Breathe.”  The track features Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova of Pussy Riot, plus Richard Hell, Andrew Wyatt and Nick Zinner (of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs).  The creators of the video said:

“It's for Eric and for all those from Russia to America and around the globe who suffer from state terror — killed, choked, perished because of war and state-sponsored violence of all kinds — for political prisoners and those on the streets fighting for change.”

In an interview with Pitchfork, Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova said:

“In December 2014, we were recording an anti-war song cycle in studios in New York, and when the protests started there demanding a trial for the police officer who strangled Eric Garner, it didn’t take us too much time to decide to join in.  We have to demand responsibility from our governments and we can never stop reminding government bureaucrats that they exist for our sake, and not the other way around. We gave those protests our support, even though we live in Russia, because police violence and death have no nationality.”