Next up is the second record by London-based
duo Bob Vylan. Incorporating a wide range of genres – hip-hop, punk,
grime, rave, and reggae (basically, you name it) – this is accomplished stuff.
Whichever genres are being deployed at any particular point, though, The
Price of Life is always thematically coherent. The music might shift all
over the map, but the lyrics are laser focused on the evils of financial
inequality, racism, and ingrained privilege in modern Britain. It’s a call to
arms and no quarter is given. The lyrical content here is both incendiary and
poignant, and the quality of the writing in that regard never dips. Highlights
include the reggae laced ode to healthy eating, ‘Health is Wealth’, anti-data
mining protest song ‘Phone Tap’ and, best of all, the tone-perfect jab at
liberal media that is ‘GDP’ (‘The BBC are talkin’ about the GDP / That means
f*ck all to me / I gotta eat’). Come for the wicked breakbeat/riff mix; stay
for the social commentary.