Album title: Is This the Life We Really Want?
Artist: Roger Waters
Genre: Progressive Rock/Art Rock
Nationality: English
Release date: June 2
Position in Discography: Fifth
Estimated Rating:
Have I heard of this artist? Yes
Have I heard anything by this artist? Yes
Average RYM Score: 3.34
Love him or loathe him (and I know for many of you it's the latter), you can't be unaware of the existence of Roger Waters. The man who co-founded Pink Floyd, who was responsible for the masterpiece or ego-fest, depending on your opinion, known as
The Wall, and without whom, to many, Floyd struggled to retain their identity as a band. His solo material has been a mixed bag, as far as I'm concerned:
Radio Kaos and
Amused to Death were superb,
Ca Ira was pure ****e and
The Pros and Cons of Hitch-hiking was just, well, there. So this could go either way. Nevertheless, it's his first album in over ten years and I'm looking forward to it with hope and a sense of expectation.
The first thing I notice, before even pressing play, is that the cover of the album closely resembles that of 1987's
Radio Kaos. Whether that's a good or a bad omen I don't know, but as it begins there are muttered and distant voices, which grow louder as the track begins, and again remind me of that album. “Deja Vu” recalls very distinctly “Pigs on the Wing” from Pink Floyd's classic
Animals album. Is this a good sign? I don't know again, but there's some really nice orchestration, which always helps, and as per usual Waters' voice ranges from the murmured to the manic howl, and he uses the old Floyd tricks, such as sound effects – glass breaking, gunshots, taped voices, radio broadcasts, the usual thing. Perhaps it's a little predictable, perhaps a lot, but so far I love it.
You get his often annoying socio-political commentary all through the album, and sometimes it gets a little wearing, like being preached to by some old man in a pub who's too tired to do anything about the world but advises you to. But that's Waters, and he'll never change. The music certainly makes up for any annoyance at finding yourself trapped in the Church of Waters for almost an hour, and makes the time fly by. It is though VERY Floyd, with lots of
Animals and
Dark Side in there – much more so than his previous albums, which makes me wonder either a) is it a deliberate nod back to the past or b) is he running out of ideas? I also hear much that could have been on
The Final Cut, and there's a lot of gentle acoustic guitar pieces, though the title track brings out angry Roger, with a snide little dig at Trump, among others, and a very ominous melody. I would venture to say that “Bird in a Gale” relies way too much on the sound effects though. Dogs barking have been overused by the Floyd machine at this point too. We get it: dogs of war, dogs of Wall Street. Stop. Just, you know, stop. Dog-gone it. Sorry. I'm dogged by bad puns. I'll stop now. Heel, boy! Heel. No, I'll really stop now. Bitch. Sorry, sorry. My bark is worse than my – ow! Okay, okay! I get the message!
I think I would have to admit that this album is almost a snapshot of Waters' entire career, with influences taken from the albums mentioned as well as his previous
Radio KAOS and
Amused to Death. Seen that way, perhaps it might be viewed as a rip-off
a la Floyd's swansong album, but I don't think so. There's a lot to enjoy here, but let's face it, if you're not a Waters fan, this is not an album that's going to change your mind. If you are, then you'll be glad to see him back in the game. Most likely, you won't care. More likely, I don't care that you don't care. I've been waiting for this album for almost a quarter of a century, and it's been more than worth it. Go listen to your hippity-hop.
Check out more from this artist? Always, though by the time he releases another album I may be dead.
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Always and forever
Actual Rating:
