THE HOMELESS GOSPEL CHOIR - THIS LAND IS YOUR LANDFILL
Rosie shares her thoughts on the newest The Homeless Gospel Choir release, This Land Is Your Landfill, marking a reinvention for Zanetti.
Derek Zanetti blesses us all with a new full-length album, This Land Is Your Landfill, to uplift us during these challenging times. Zanetti completely reinvents himself by leaving behind his original way of working and finally gathering various punk scene collaborators to create the cacophonous, full-band album he has always dreamed of. Packed with a whirlwind of distortion, layered cheery harmonies condescended with cynical lyrics, This Land Is Your Landfill is the perfect tribute to and celebration of 90’s rock hooks and political punk energy.
Global warming starts off with a crunchy riff and explicit lyrics spat out with backing harmonies and echoes in the verses before an infectious “bada, bada,badaaa” sung in unison. It acts as an anthem, discussing the frustration of America’s president to global issues that need immediate attention, “Donald Trump thinks global warming is made up by the Chinese” Heavily political, full of anger and fury, Global Warming is headbanging masterpiece needed to kickstart the album.
Art Punk, the third single, is a song for creative people who have a strong voice and want to change things to create a better life for themselves and other people, while at the same time are crippled by their own internal battles. Pop-punk riffs and a harmonised, chanted chorus. “...it shouldn't have to be so hard to get back to who you are…”, turns around and says well, this is me and I hate it but, why am I putting this much pressure on myself? And as Zanetti puts it, ‘Art Punk is about the allure of being a recluse and the torture that goes along with it... a sing‐alone/sing-along pop song about the anxiety that artists, punks, and fuck ups often feel.’
Following this track is a drastic turn, ‘You Never Know’ starts with an accordion melody before going into a cheesy sounding, campfire song. Until the lyrics come in, about social media, the impact of seeing constant negative media shown in the news on mental health and data stealing “...gave out private information to see how your ex looks now, you never know who’s spying on you anymore…”. It really screams a lot about what’s wrong with our society right now but we are either so addicted and oblivious to it or frightened to challenge it, that we will just carry on as normal and let it consume us.
This Land Is Your Landfill balances lyrical themes of toxic social media, ageing grief and socio-political issues with conflicting chirpy melodies to express what we are all thinking but too afraid to ever say and to shed light on the hypocrisy of it all. A truly powerful and well-written album that takes a stand and makes you think about your own life and how you consume the world around you, whether you follow everything blindly or filter out all of the crap and keep your head above the water in trying times.
The Homeless Gospel Choir has had a complete makeover, a full-band sound has lifted it off its feet and is a force to be reckoned with.
Rosie Chalk
★★★★☆