Thanks to their frightening work ethic, genre busters Bob Vylan have become an integral part of the UK’s rich musical tapestry. You can draw a clear lineage from Public Image Limited through Akala to Bugzy Malone, yet this duo have definitely veered off on their own tangent and are not so much rewriting the rulebook, more ripping it up. Their fusion of punk, grime and hip hop sounds truly revolutionary, and their latest album Humble As The Sun suggests they’ll be manning the barricades many years hence.
Those lucky enough to witness Bob Vylan live (if not, where the hell have you been?) will know that their shows often get off to a sedate start, usually with a spot of stretching and meditation, and Humble As The Sun follows a similar pattern. With ice cold, glacial synths and vocalist Bobby chanting “yeah, yeah, yeah” like a lounge crooner, you could be forgiven for thinking that you’ve entered the wrong room and found yourself at a wine and cheese evening. However, the band soon make their presence felt with drummer Bobbie delivering a rock steady beat and Bobby rapping some righteous truths. As a mission statement it perfectly sets out the band’s stall and makes a dangerous precedent for the rest of the record; like a modern day folk tale they leave a tantalising trail of beats for the listener to follow, but be warned: once inside you ain’t getting out.
Bob Vylan’s refusal to be shackled to any one musical style has given them a lot of freedom, and they put it to good use. Subsequently, hip hop nestles next to punk and rubs shoulders with reggae, betwixt rock and grime. It’s a pretty potent brew and the duo prove themselves master alchemists and roll their unique sound into a finely honed beam of aggression. Likewise, vocalist Bobby channels all his influences to become the sum of all those parts; the lyrics are delivered in a style that’s as varied as the music, and they’re words sure to polarise as many as they please, but then doesn’t any artist of note?
Such are the weighty topics Bob Vylan explore on cuts like ‘Hunger Games’ and ‘Ring The Alarm’ (and, indeed, most of the record) that you might feel a tad uncomfortable enjoying the infectious grooves the band deliver. How can songs about police brutality and homelessness be enjoyable? It takes a real poet to find beauty in desolation; Morrissey, Benjamin Zephaniah, and Linton Kwesi Johnson could all capture it, and so can Bob Vylan. The constant musical and lyrical flux ensures that Humble As The Sun never becomes staid and remains and engaging listen from start to finish.
Viva la revolución!
- Humble As The Sun is released via Ghost Theatre on 5th April 2024.
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Track List:
1. Humble As The Sun (ft. Jerub)
2. Reign
3. GYAG (Get Yourself A Gun)
4. Dream Big
5. Hunger Games
6. Right Here
7. Makes Me Violent
8. He’s A Man
9. Ring The Alarm
10. I’m Still Here
