Fresh of the presses, the new long player from the band that keeps punk relevant into the 21st Century and beyond picks up the baton passed on from We Live Here and runs full tilt with it, leaving those punks stuck in a rut around 1982 wallowing in their own self pity.
The seamless handover is evident in the coherence between the two albums, with The Price of Life allowing Bobby & Bobbie to continue to vent their legitimate anger at lying politicians, meathead racists, right wing gammons, lefty liberals and beyond… hitting each of them square on target with every knockout verbal punch aimed, no-one escaping in a full on aural assault on the current post-Brexit dystopian climate across this clusterfuck of nations, which in many ways has regressed further since the release of their hard hitting debut.
The album opens with Walter Speaks, an excerpt from a speech by Guyanese political activist and historian Walter Rodney, the title referencing Walter Rodney Speaks: The Making of an African Intellectual. The speech references economic crisis, and despite Rodney having died in 1980, the words are as relevant as ever in 2022… the theme of economic crisis picked up on the following song Wicked and Bad, highlighting the desperate situations people are driven to where the real thieves are the Tory government … nothing has changed since ’79 “lets go dig up Maggie’s grave and ask her where that milk went”. The cohesion and links between We Live Here and this new album that appear throughout start here too, the lyrics referencing England’s ending.
Big Man kicks in with meaty riffs, lyrics spat out with venom as it reaches its angry crescendo, the targets of the ire continue into Take That a searingly critical commentary on broken Britain, introducing the theme of the following song Health is Wealth, highlighting the very real plight of the poor surviving on minimal incomes on horrendously unhealthy diets. The title of the song is all too real, while the music proves that punk rock isn’t defined by a sound but by an attitude with nary a guitar on show on this reggae tinged hip hop masterpiece.
“Take a look at this place, its a fuckin’ mess” sings Bobby in the impassioned chorus of the heart-rendingly delivered He Sold Guns, before the imploring declarations in Must Be More. I wouldn’t say this is a concept punk album, but the whole album tenaciously picks up on all that is wrong in 21st Century Britain and creates a stream of consciousness that follows a clear story, lyrical bridges and song themes following each other seamlessly.
Take the next brace, Pretty Songs bemoaning those who would have you sing “pretty little songs” all day long with nothing to say segueing smoothly into Turn off the Radio, demonstrating an utter exasperation at the inane pop songs and sanitised playlists brainwashing its listeners while the world crashes down around their ears. Streaming comes in for a kicking too – Vylan seething at the only way they get on a punk playlist is by remixing ”two white boys”, with racism disguised in terms like ”its too urban”.
Its not just the radio that comes under fire, ”The BBC are talking about the GDP, that means fuck all to me” while families are struggling to make ends meet and eat, the myth is spread by governments and banks that we’re all in this together and that we’ll ALL suffer ”hard times ahead, before suggesting we “wage war against the state” on Bait the Bear, making references to the Sex Pistols borrowing the ”fascist regime” lyric.
The state controlling us is referenced in Phone Tap (Alexa) with the desperately repeated lyric ”they’re listening…. Alexa take me to prison”. underpinned by raging guitars. The distorted driving guitars increase in both speed and intensity on the penultimate track, the foot to the floor Drug War, before, with no let up, the album closes with Whatchugonnado? Bobby once again venting his spleen about the state of the nation and its residents being led into the abyss by a soulless Tory government bereft of any empathy for the human race and led by a vile liar. A perfect ending to an album leaving that question hanging. Well, what ARE you going to do?
People talk about difficult second albums. There is nothing difficult about The Price of Life, unless you’re listening as a right wing racist gammon. It is such a cohesive listen, if anything, the band have upped their game with this unyielding collection of songs telling the very real story of life in the UK in 2022 for far too many people.
Bring on the live dates.
Xlnt review of Bob Vylan, Mr Quiff! The urgency of your writing chimes perfectly with the subject matter.