Flavorwire

A couple of years back, the Guardian published an article called “The Lost Art of the Pop Manifesto,” bemoaning, well, the lost art of the pop manifesto. The article harked back to the golden age of punk, when bands published manifestos as often as they made records, and lamented that bands these days just don’t seem to do the same thing. We’re not so sure, though — so in honor of The Knife’s recently published manifesto, which did the rounds earlier this week, here’s a look at some of our favorite manifestos past and present, from pre-WWI futurism to post-millenial hippie utopianism, from stuckism to an erudite tract on black metal.

The Knife

So, let’s start with a latter-day band who do have a manifesto — of sorts, anyway. The pseudo press release that surfaced on the Internet last week set out an idiosyncratic vision for The Knife’s new record, and it’s as strangely beautiful as the band’s music. They’re pro ecosystems, sound systems and making their own instruments, and anti “Monsanto, fracking and ‘terminator seeds.’” You can read the whole thing here.