Is This the Life We Really Want?
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Is This the Life We Really Want?'' is the fourth solo album by the English
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
musician
Roger Waters George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. In 1965, he co-founded the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. Waters initially served as the bassist, but following the departure of singer-so ...
, released on 2 June 2017 by
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
. It was produced by
Nigel Godrich Nigel Timothy Godrich (born 28 February 1971) is an English record producer, recording engineer and musician. He is known for his work with the English rock band Radiohead, having produced all their studio albums since '' OK Computer'' (1997). H ...
, who urged Waters to make a more concise, less theatrical album. It was Waters' first solo album since ''
Amused to Death ''Amused to Death'' is the third studio album by English musician Roger Waters, released 7 September 1992 on Columbia. Produced by Waters and Patrick Leonard, it is mixed in QSound to enhance its spatial feel. The album features Jeff Beck o ...
'' (1992), and his first studio work since the opera ''
Ça Ira "" (; French: "it'll be fine") is an emblematic song of the French Revolution, first heard in May 1790. It underwent several changes in wording, all of which used the title words as part of the refrain. Original version The author of the orig ...
'' (2005).'' '' The album peaked at number 3 in the United Kingdom and number 11 in the United States. It produced four singles: " Smell the Roses", "
DĂ©jĂ  Vu ''DĂ©jĂ  vu'' ( , ; "already seen") is a French loanword for the phenomenon of feeling as though one has lived through the present situation before.Schnider, Armin. (2008). ''The Confabulating Mind: How the Brain Creates Reality''. Oxford Univer ...
", "The Last Refugee", and "Wait for Her".


Recording

''Is This the Life We Really Want?'' was recorded in Los Angeles and London. It was produced by
Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...
producer
Nigel Godrich Nigel Timothy Godrich (born 28 February 1971) is an English record producer, recording engineer and musician. He is known for his work with the English rock band Radiohead, having produced all their studio albums since '' OK Computer'' (1997). H ...
, who met Waters when he produced the 2015 live album '' Roger Waters: The Wall.'' Though Waters had not heard Godrich's work with Radiohead, they got on well and discussed working together. Godrich, a fan of Waters' work with
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
, was frank with Waters, telling him he found some of his solo work "unlistenable". However, he was reassured that Waters "really still had it" after hearing his demo of "
DĂ©jĂ  Vu ''DĂ©jĂ  vu'' ( , ; "already seen") is a French loanword for the phenomenon of feeling as though one has lived through the present situation before.Schnider, Armin. (2008). ''The Confabulating Mind: How the Brain Creates Reality''. Oxford Univer ...
". Godrich wanted to create a pared-back album to showcase Waters "the poet". He felt Waters' creativity had been invigorated by the ''Wall'' ''Live'' tour, and that his role as producer was "to push him a little bit". He encouraged Waters to make a concise record, reminding him that Pink Floyd's 1973 album ''
The Dark Side of the Moon ''The Dark Side of the Moon'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 1 March 1973 by Harvest Records. The album was primarily developed during live performances, and the band premiered an early version of ...
'' is only 43 minutes long. Unlike most of Waters' work, Waters did not co-produce the record; he said: " odrichdid a brilliant job ... I sat on my hands with lips zipped. You've rented this dog, let it work." Godrich used
tape loop In music, tape loops are loops of magnetic tape used to create repetitive, rhythmic musical patterns or dense layers of sound when played on a tape recorder. Originating in the 1940s with the work of Pierre Schaeffer, they were used among cont ...
s and found sounds extensively to make the album's
segue A segue (; ) is a smooth transition from one topic or section to the next. The term is derived from Italian ''segue'', which literally means "follows". In music In music, ''segue'' is a direction to the performer. It means ''continue (the next ...
s. He is also credited for arrangement, sound collages, keyboards, guitar, and mixing.


Themes

Waters initially planned to record a
concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
; he conceived a
radio play Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...
about a man and his granddaughter investigating why children are being killed in other parts of the world. He described the play as "part magic carpet ride, part political rant, part anguish", and said it featured about a dozen songs. Godrich persuaded Waters to abandon the theatrical elements and create a "less linear" work. Waters said he planned to produce the original idea in the future. Waters said of the album's themes: Waters also said the album had been influenced by having fallen in love: The album also contains lyrics criticizing then-US President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
and his administration, as well as samples of Trump speaking. Matilda Berke of ''
Atwood Magazine Atwood Magazine is a digital music magazine that focuses on emerging and established artists from around the world. The magazine was founded in 2012 and is currently run by editor-in-chief Mitch Mosk. History Atwood Magazine was founded in 20 ...
'' noted that, "Upon closer inspection, however, it becomes clear that Waters has larger targets than a single orange-haired demagogue. ..Apathy, it seems, is Roger Waters' primary foe."


Release

''Is This the Life We Really Want?'' was released on 2 June 2017 by
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
. It was Waters' first solo album since ''
Amused to Death ''Amused to Death'' is the third studio album by English musician Roger Waters, released 7 September 1992 on Columbia. Produced by Waters and Patrick Leonard, it is mixed in QSound to enhance its spatial feel. The album features Jeff Beck o ...
'' (1992). The album peaked at number 3 in the United Kingdom and number 11 in the United States before falling off the US charts in four weeks. It produced four singles: " Smell the Roses" released on 20 April, "
DĂ©jĂ  Vu ''DĂ©jĂ  vu'' ( , ; "already seen") is a French loanword for the phenomenon of feeling as though one has lived through the present situation before.Schnider, Armin. (2008). ''The Confabulating Mind: How the Brain Creates Reality''. Oxford Univer ...
" released on 8 May, "The Last Refugee" released on 19 May and "Wait for Her" released on 19 July in 2017. The album was blocked from release in Italy after the artist
Emilio Isgrò Emilio Isgrò (born October 1937, in Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, Sicily) is an Italian artist and writer, known for his use of the erasure technique in his art works. Biography Isgrò was born in Sicily but he moved to Milan when he was 19. He ...
alleged that the cover art plagiarised his work.


Critical reception

At
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 72, based on 16 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' said: "The music is quintessential post-''Dark Side Of The Moon'' Floyd, but channeled by offspring: producer Nigel Godrich brings
prog-rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
grandeur, multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Wilson microdose
psychedelia Psychedelia refers to the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic music and style of dress during that era. This was primarily generated by people who used psychedelic ...
,
Lucius Lucius ( el, Λούκιος ''Loukios''; ett, Luvcie) is a male given name derived from ''Lucius'' (abbreviated ''L.''), one of the small group of common Latin forenames (''praenomina'') found in the culture of ancient Rome. Lucius derives from L ...
alt-R&B backing vocals." ''
Drowned in Sound ''Drowned in Sound'', sometimes abbreviated to ''DiS'', is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums. History ''D ...
'' said the album is "a long, sprawling epic that stretches out for its slightly-padded running time, but one so full of ideas and intricacies that it's an easy album to get sucked into." ''
Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
'' said the album "is easily the most accessible of Waters' solo work—a distillation in many regards of the anti-fascist, anti-imperialist, anti-greed messages he's been broadcasting since Pink Floyd". ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
'' said the "myriad sonic references to his work with Pink Floyd suggest that Waters is comfortable with his past. The more you accept how much his past reflects in his present, the more receptive you'll be to this album's charms."


Track listing


Personnel

*
Roger Waters George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. In 1965, he co-founded the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. Waters initially served as the bassist, but following the departure of singer-so ...
– vocals, acoustic guitar, bass * Gus Seyffert – guitar, keyboards, bass *
Nigel Godrich Nigel Timothy Godrich (born 28 February 1971) is an English record producer, recording engineer and musician. He is known for his work with the English rock band Radiohead, having produced all their studio albums since '' OK Computer'' (1997). H ...
– guitar, keyboards, sound collages, arrangements * Jonathan Wilson – guitar, keyboards *
Roger Joseph Manning Jr. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (born May 27, 1966) is an American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the bands Jellyfish, the Moog Cookbook, and Imperial Drag. He has also spent several years as a member of Beck's backing band, contri ...
– keyboards * Lee Pardini – keyboards *
Joey Waronker Jon Joseph Waronker (born May 20, 1969) is an American drummer and music producer. He is best known as a regular drummer of both Beck and R.E.M., and as member of the experimental rock bands Atoms for Peace and UltraĂ­sta. Background Waronker w ...
– drums * Jessica Wolfe – vocals *
Holly Laessig Lucius is an American four-piece indie pop band. The group was founded by lead vocalists Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, joined by drummer Dan Molad, guitarist Peter Lalish, and, formerly, multi-instrumentalist Andrew Burri. Originating in Brooklyn, ...
– vocals * David Campbell – string arrangements


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


References


External links

* * * * {{Authority control 2017 albums Concept albums Political music albums by English artists Roger Waters albums Albums produced by Nigel Godrich Columbia Records albums