Album Review - Public Image Ltd.: This Is PiL

Public Image Ltd.
This Is PiL
Rating: Grrrr

The first album of new material by Public Image Ltd. in 20 years shouldn't be this good. Indeed, when I heard John Lydon was coming back with a new album, I had little to no hope that it would anything but an utter embarrassment. It is a testament to Lydon's tenacity that he refuses to phone anything in. This Is PiL could have been a mere rehash of the past; instead, it is a album that looks to the past and is informed by it, but stamps on with its own stubborn trajectory. Unlike former members Jah Wobble and Keith Levene, who have gone out on tour doing a dub version of Public Image Ltd.'s classic album Metal Box, Lydon has no need to stay firmly in one place. This album is restless, antagonistic, frustrating, thrilling, exciting, and ultimately a compulsive listen.

The music on This Is PiL is still dub/post-punk-influenced, featuring menacing bass lines, stark guitars, slippery beats, and Lydon's trademark scream/howl/spoken word vocals. Many of the tracks here reflect on London and its influence on Lydon's life and music. First single "One Drop" features the opening line "I am John and I was born in London/I am no vulture/this is my culture," while the guitars and bass line snakes all over a driving beat, Lydon commenting on how "We are the ageless/we are teenagers/you cannot change us/and that's what makes us/we are the focused/out of the hopeless."



"Reggie Song" pulses along with a throbbing bass line and scraping guitars, focusing on a character called Reginald living in London who "doesn't see evil..../in the garden of Eden." Which obviously, to Lydon, smacks of being unaware of the world and its surroundings.

"The Room I Am In" is a gorgeous spoken word piece about the prison of council estates; droning guitars echoing the thoughts of the narrator.



But This Is PiL is not within a self-contained/limited view of the world. The album looks to deeper more darker truths. "Deeper Water" looks to the darkness and emptiness of a vast ocean and how terrifying it makes life seem. The guitars slam against the metronome beat, Lydon fearing the waves will "dash me to the shore/and crash me on the rocks."



"Terra-Gate" the relentless centerpiece of the record, whips itself into a fury of roaring guitars, smashing beats, and Lydon scream/shout/chanting the chorus. "Human" is a more loping track, bouncing on a funky beat and bass line, the guitars darting in and out of the mix. While "I Must Be Dreaming" exchanges the brittleness of prior tracks with crystal clear guitar notes contrasted with a funkier, almost disco-like guitar lines.



Lydon is not all serious. The weird, wonky track "Lollipop Opera" is just out right bizarre. Acoustic guitars, airy percussion, and odd burbling synth noises clash with some of Lydon's strangest lyrics: "I got a broom/you got a broom/I got a mushroom".



This Is PiL is a remarkably assured record, never coasting on the back of what previous incarnations have done. Lydon, agitator that he is, doesn't often get a lot of credit for being in control of his musical vision. This Is PiL pushes at their sound without sounding strained or forced, but also not sounding uninspired or generic. If only other bands allegedly past their prime would look to his records as inspiration, there would be a lot more stunning music out there.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.