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ROGER WATERS Is This The Life We Really Want?
( Columbia)
Is This the Life We Really Want? rockets to the upper reaches of Waters’ most powerful writing, band or solo – but there’ s another hook designed to draw listeners. Despite absence of David Gilmour’ s critical guitar and vocal, this collaboration with Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich is even more connected to Waters’ legacy with Pink Floyd than solo debut The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking. It ' s the spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down, as it turns out. The record sounds distinctly modern and sonically rich, but nonetheless contains touchstones to classics like“ Welcome to the Machine,”“ One of These Days,”“ Mother,” " Wish You Were Here " and more. Don’ t expect a bona fide Pink Floyd album, but there’ s plenty for a Floyd fan to love.
Plenty to love, that is, unless you’ re a Floyd fan at odds with Waters’ politics. The artist pulls not a single punch. In fact, he swings harder than ever, pouring his derision upon everything done by the far right globally, and the current administration domestically, to undo social progress in favor of corporate interests. Waters ' first rock album since 1992, Is This the Life had been in progress since 2010. He retooled songs including“ Picture That” to reflect his reservations with the Trump campaign and ensuing administration.“ Picture a leader with no fucking brains,” sings Waters, bluntly. In case you think he might be describing someone else, the liner notes include a partially-redacted photo of the president with the lyric superimposed. Trump isn’ t the only authority figure who receives a jab from Waters, though.“ If I had been given the nod, I believe I could have done a better job,” sings Waters during the lushly orchestrated“ Déjà Vu.” He’ s referring to
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the Almighty Himself. Waters then proceeds to imagine himself as a drone on a deadly mission, afraid of what he’ ll find at his target site – perhaps a poor woman at a stove. Meanwhile,“ the bankers get fat.” Waters reserves some spite for moderates, too.“ You lean to the left, but you vote to the right,” he sings. The president’ s own voice introduces the title track. The unspoken adjunct to the question in the title is the notion that while fear-mongering, refugee crises, terrorism and rampant greed probably do not represent the life that we really want, everyone is culpable. It doesn’ t matter whether you’ re one of the beautiful people, a veritable saint, or counted among the deplorables.“ Every time the curtain falls on some forgotten life, it is because we stood by silent and indifferent,” Waters concludes. The box for environmental calamity also gets checked. So much for scoring the feelgood hit of the summer. Waters is on a mission to communicate hard truth, with a frayed thread of hope that it isn’ t already too late. The grim funk of " Smell the Roses” recalls " Have a Cigar." " Come on honey, it ' s real money," sings Waters. Instead of the shallow dreams of record label wheeler-dealers, though, the antagonists here profit from war. It ' s a bigger show with better pyrotechnics. Waters turns briefly to matters of the heart during " The Last Refugee " and " Wait for Her." The latter is a lesson in gentle patience based upon " Lesson from the Kama Sutra( Wait for Her)" by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. In " Part of Me Died," Waters lists the sins that populate the rest of the album, revealing that they were powerless to thrive within his own heart when confronted by true love. Thus, a life worth really wanting is revealed. Hallmarks of Waters’ most strident and provocative writing dominate the album, however. He still carries righteous anger against fascism that fueled The Wall, in addition to imperialism and greed, but he now speaks into a culture where his demons seem to be more brazen than ever. It has been predicted that a shift in global leadership to the right would be a boon for fans and practitioners of punk rock and protest music. Consider this the first classic of the era. Appearing 7 / 23 United Center, Chicago
– Jeff Elbel
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ROYAL BLOOD How Did It Get So Dark?
( Warner Bros)
On their self-titled debut, Royal Blood churned up a tidal wave sized ruckus. When listeners realized that said cacophony was being created by a DUO, tongues collectively wagged. The sophomore effort How Did It Get So Dark? never strays too terribly far from its predecessor in tone or approach. Drummer Ben Thatcher thunders away on his drum kit, evoking Bonham-esque runs that seem almost malicious in tone. On top of that tribal tempest, Mike Kerr splashes fuzzed out bass runs that headline like a lead instrument, but are so fantastically scuzzy, they
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resemble a radio dial stuck between stations. The danger here is that with limited instrumentation, the material best be high grade because there’ s no room anywhere in the grooves for the suck to hide. Not a problem.“ Lights Out” and the title track emerge rock radio ready with beefy choruses and devil horn worthy angst. If fact, the same can be said for most of the material here( cowbell alert:“ I Only Lie When I Love You” more than exceeds its SNL skit required quota). Of course, it’ s only a matter of time before the naysayers once again proclaim that“ Rock is dead!” Let them; How Did We Get So Dark? is all evidence to the contrary. If anything, it’ s a biblicalsized resurrection. Appearing 8 / 4 Lincoln Hall, Chicago; 8 / 5 Lollapalooza, Chicago
– Curt Baran
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THE AFGHAN WHIGS In Spades
( Sub Pop)
Desire, betrayal, heartbreak, regret... The Afghan Whigs’ frontman Greg Dulli has been fixated on these themes for nearly 30 years, and he’ s no doubt perfected the subject matter. In“ Demon In Profile” before the guitars and drums kick in, Dulli sings:“ All over your body--this electricity / It was all that I wanted / Now it’ s killing me.” It’ s the most rocking track on the introspective album, the eighth from the band that currently only employs original members Dulli and bassist John Curley. Dulli is similarly pessimistic about the ways of love( would Whigs’ fans want it any other way?) on“ Arabian Heights” when he sings as if in physical pain:“ Breathe--my desire / Make no sound / And we’ ll escape in each other” only to have the song end with:” Love is a lie / Like a hole in the sky / Then you die.” A few tracks incorporate cello and violin string orchestration, including“ Birdland,” a slightly off-putting ballad opener that thankfully and quickly fades into“ Arabian Heights,” and“ Oriole” and“ The Spell,” which better balance the strings with more uptempo rock grooves. Curley’ s thudding bass lines drive“ Copernicus” and“ Light As A Feather,” the other pure rockers on
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the album.“ Into The Floor” starts with piano, strings and Dulli’ s wails and builds to wall-of-sound guitar and this final( ironic?) lyrical image:“ And suddenly / A summer breeze.”
Appearing 9 / 22, 9 / 23 Metro, Chicago- Jason Scales
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MATTHEW SWEET Tomorrow Forever
( Sub Pop)
It’ s been six years since Sweet’ s Modern Art, and he makes up for lost time with a double album that was backed by Kickstarter supporters in July 2014. Depending upon the donation, fans got an additional set of 12 songs called Tomorrow’ s Daughter beyond the 17 included here. A batch of nine further songs went by the wayside. If Sweet encountered any obstacles during the three years spent making this collection, writers block wasn’ t among them. The cream of this bumper crop is assembled on this record.
Tomorrow Forever is a heartfelt outpouring, ruminating upon changes in life and whether the appearance of permanence can be trusted. Catalysts include the passing of Sweet’ s mother, reflected in“ You Knew Me.” The song reveals the distance that can grow between people who nonetheless love each other, and the regret that remains when one of them is gone. Other introspective songs including“ End is Near” are balanced against the rowdy, Move-influenced pop-rock of“ Trick.” The song questions of perceptions in everyday life, and whether a rugged reflection in the mirror is just a trick of the light. The album builds upon the promise of Modern Art.“ Pretty Please” recalls the loping glamrock pleasures of Mott the Hoople. The lovelorn“ Circle” is the type of perfect, straightforward power-pop that populated older albums like 100 % Fun, with a tip of the hat to the Raspberries. The optimistic“ Finally” finds a couple who have weathered storms( whether together or separately), and are joyfully embarking upon new adventures together. The summery shimmer of“ Carol,” however, celebrates a partnership that has stood the test of time. Sweet’ s core band members include guitarist Paul Chastain and drummer Ric Menck, both veterans of Velvet Crush. Bangles drummer Debbi Peterson joins Zombies keyboardist Rod Argent for“ Haunted,” a song tethered to the memory of an“ old old, old love.” Both guests appear elsewhere. John Moremen of the Orange Peels plays lead guitar throughout the album, occasionally spelled by Gary
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32 illinoisentertainer. com july 2017 |