| Perfectly titled--conveying both its maker's mordant humour, and his underlying pessimism--Waters' third solo album allowed a faint but perceptible return to the sound of his estranged former band, Pink Floyd: there are moments here ("What God Wants", "Three Wishes") which recall nothing so much as the densely textured sound of Animals and The Wall. And like those works, this is a concept album--the concept (as ever with Waters) being how staggeringly and comprehesively crap modern life is. Fair enough, but as usual, his satire is blunt, and the targets of his scorn crashingly obvious. (So, war is bad, eh? And television saps the mind? And fast food is less than exactly nutritious? Well, blow me down.) Former Eagle Don Henley duets on "Watching TV", while Jeff Beck contributes taut, lyrical solos to a number of tracks, notably "It's A Miracle". Waters' voice, however, remains the same: a weary whisper, positively dripping with contempt. --Andrew McGuire |
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