Roger Waters is back with his first solo album since 1992, ‘Is This the Life We Really Want?’ and it is extremely political.
Not that it comes as a surprise. The Pink Floyd’s mastermind has been doing some dark work with social and political issues with his music since the ‘70s. Take for example the legendary ‘The Wall,’ or the equally epic ‘Animals.’
Waters remained away from the studio for a quarter of a century, but like a superhero, he returned when we needed him the most. He saw that the world was turning into chaos once again and took a paper and a pen to throw thoughts about terrorism, the refugee crisis, drone warfare, but most of all, about wall-loving President Trump. Especially and how he is determined to do as he pleases with the power he has, helping no one but himself and his allies.
Waters has been taking on Trump from the very beginning
Although Waters is not an American citizen, he assumed a while ago the duty of warning his American fans of the dangers of voting Trump as President of the United States. He made his opinion pretty clear last fall at the Desert Trip Festival when he dedicated sharp version of “Pigs” and “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)” to the then-Presidential candidate.
He performed while a giant inflatable pig floated above the crowd with Trump’s face and words like “ignorant,” “racist” and “sexist.” While displaying visuals of a distorted Trump with the word “charade.”
He’s expected to maintain the same visual approach throughout his ‘Us + Them’ tour, which kicked off on May 26.
In an interview last week with Billboard, the Pink Floyd co-founder talked about what drew him inspiration for his new album – naturally, Mr. Donald Trump. “The people who believed all his sh*t about making America great, getting their jobs back, are going to realize sooner or later it was all a confidence trick and he doesn’t give a f*ck about them. He doesn’t care about anybody but himself — it’s his shtick,” he said.
While he also has previously compared Trump to former Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, he told Billboard that he will not retire his attacks.Now, the 73-year-old rebel unveiled his latest album ‘Is This The Life We Really Want?’ on Friday, and he’s obviously not holding anything back.
Waters new album is anything but forgiving
The new album could be considered a follow-up of ‘Amused to Death,’ released 25 years ago. That record focused on how politicians are the same people proliferating war. And how the press and the media would remain indifferent to that. ‘Is This the Life We Really Want?’ on the other side, touches hard political subjects, but asks listeners for a reaction, instead of remaining numb.
Even with the title track Waters shows no mercy. The song begins with a snippet of Trump discussing CNN’s truly partial coverage of his presidency during a February press conference. “I mean it’s story after story after story is bad. I won. I won. And the other thing, chaos. There is zero chaos. We are running. This is a fine-tuned machine,” the president said at the time, and Waters is exploiting it in his song.
“Is this the life we really want? It surely must be so. ‘Cause this is a democracy, and what we all say goes,” he sings right before listing a series of atrocities we have allowed happening with our indifference and selfishness: “Every time a young girl’s life is casually spent and every time a nincompoop becomes the president…” and it goes on, to the point of comparing people to ants. Ants can’t relate to other ants pain, so they just take them off the road and continue their duties. “So, like the ants, are we just dumb?” Waters asks.
The album sounds a lot like Pink Floyd iconic works, mostly like “Money.” It is essentially an add-up to Pink Floyd’s concept, as much in lyrics as it is in sound: an ethereal, symphonic, with some electronic ornaments rock record. The most accessible one from Waters to date.