The Album

Album artwork by Quintin Gell

I am very excited to be reviewing Transfiguration: A Wrock Comp for Trans Rights today. I had the pleasure to be a part of it (my song is the first track on the comp!) and I love what our community came together to do. Organized by CG Matovina, Sage Palmieri, and Jami Schafer, the compilation was released on October 11, 2020 in response to JK Rowling’s comments toward the transgender community.

From the Bandcamp page: “including both spoken word and music, this album is a reminder that trans rights are human rights and there are people in the Harry Potter fandom who believe that. Emphasizing trans artists and artists of color, the proceeds of this album will go to Camp Lilac and The Black Trans Advocacy Coalition.”

The Tracks

I’m up first as Totally Knuts with my song Consider. I was very upset at JKR and wanted to channel those feelings into a song (that eventually became a whole album). “Consider” is about how I wish others would be more open-minded and understanding to people who are not like them. Mostly directed at JKR and anyone who shares anti-trans views, the message is ultimately one of hope, and of working toward a world where I don’t have to explain my existence to someone else just because they don’t understand it.

The next piece is entitled Hero, which is a spoken word performed by Kai DellaVeechia. Directed toward JK Rowling, Kai speaks about how the famous author used to be a hero, but is no longer. This powerful piece really drives home how hurtful it is for someone to say “I’m not wrong” instead of staying quiet and listening to what others have to say.

Accidental Magic by Grace Kendall is a beautiful ukulele song. The message of this wonderfully layered song is that we can have magic inside of us all along, even though we might not know what it is at first. The harmonies adding up on top of each other grants Grace’s voice an angelic quality.

A parody of Dolly Parton’s Jolene, Joanne is about how the Potter community does not have to listen to or deal with her transphobia even though she wrote one of our favorite series. Hogwarts Therapist does an amazing job at conveying these ideas and emotions through music. The lower vocal range and lyrics ending with a spoken “Trans rights, y’all” makes me love this song more and more each time I hear it.

Next up is Tonks and the Aurors singing a song called Fandom Autonomous Zone. In her classic rock style, Tonks makes it clear that the fandom does not need the author anymore. “We can make the story all our own.” Upbeat and positive, this uplifting message raises my spirits and makes me want to go back to the good old days when I could wrock out and dance with my friends.

Hold onto your black hats for this next piece, Just Kidding (Mugglef*cker). Andri from Pagefire lets JKR have it with this intense metal song. I have never tried to sing metal, but I have a great appreciation for those who can. This song takes a lot of our rage and disappointment and turns it all toward JKR, throwing f-bombs left and right (so keep that in mind if you want to play this comp for an audience). I always appreciate songs like these, being a family-friendly wrock band myself (that comes with the territory of being a teacher).

I love the next song by homo qui vixit, All Your Faves. The chorus sums it up pretty well:

All your faves are trans
All your faves are queer
All your faves are ace
Every wizard here

My favorite part of this song is that it straight up points at individual characters and makes them queer. Ginny? Trans girl. Moody? Used to be a lesbian. Angelina? Intersex. And there’s nothing JKR can do about it.

The Lovegoods come in next with their song Invincible. The powerful vocals embolden us to remember that no one should underestimate us. Flying high above everyone else, we are not anyone’s little girl.

In need of a rally cry? The Non-Binaries have you covered! In this remix of chants, we remind the world that Black Trans Lives Matter. This song has a powerful forward-moving marching beat that makes me want to grab my protest gear and move out!

Harry’s Haikus is next with – yep, you guess it – haikus about JKR and the Potter community. Sage Palmieri recites these short poems with beautiful dictation and control. Their last two haikus are my favorite:

Many flashing lights
Wizard rock is playing loud
This is how joy feels

I love Snitchwitches
They remind me of my friends
Both are total snacks

Next up is Aguamenti, spitting some dope rhymes in their song Unspeakable. Infiltrating the Ministry, they use their new platform to rap about how queer the wizarding world really is. I continue to be amazed by how fluid and seamless their lyrics are, but then again I guess that’s why they’re called Aguamenti.

Jami Schafer is next with a poem entitled The Queen. This chilling piece encapsulates our thoughts, feelings, and disappointment over the years of the decisions that JKR has made. “Long live the queen” is the phrase that repeats throughout, only for us to discover that there is no queen. Not anymore. Not for us.

Carry On, October sings about what it is like to miss someone while struggling with mental health. Kinda Manic, But I Miss You is a bit of a faster song, bordering on – dare I say it? – a manic tempo. I really like the frantic but steady feel that this song has. It reminds me of when my mind is racing with a thousand thoughts per second, and I’m happy that Carry On, October managed to put that into music.

The Metamorphmagus Song has a wonderful message of change and a sense of belonging. Sung by Anna Dardick, we are reminded that we are never wrong for being who we are. A message not only to our community but also to JKR, my favorite line is “We’ll be who you should have been.”

Nearing the end of the album, CG Matovina performs a spoken word piece called Our Epilogue. They tell about how this community continues to create, exist, and be there for one another. We keep holding on to the lessons we learned from Harry, even if the author forgot.

Shauna Carrick finishes this compilation with a moving song, Where Do We Go From Here? A melancholy piano accompaniment compliments Shauna’s voice as the song’s title asks the question: where do we go from here? Now that the author has abandoned us, what should we do? The answer: we go on together. We go on. Together.

In Summary

This compilation has so much variety in it. One thing that ties it all together is the idea that the trans Potter community will remain strong, resilient, and together through anything that JKR and anyone else throws at us. You can buy the whole album for $7.77, and all proceeds from sales go to Camp Lilac and The Black Trans Advocacy Coalition. I highly recommend supporting this album, as well as continuing to support trans artists and artists of color! 16/16 amazing compilation.