Roger Taylor confronts the beautiful broken world
When a legend like Roger Taylor steps away from the spotlight to create, the resulting work often carries the weight of a lifetime. His latest solo album, Violence Insane In a Beautiful World, is not just a collection of songs; it’s a deeply honest reflection on the duality of existence—the breathtaking beauty of the world contrasted sharply with the destructive forces humanity unleashes.
Taylor admits that these concerns came with age, leading him to contemplate the sheer absurdity of how much we tend to screw things up. From his perspective, viewing the world from space, we might appear as an infection on the planet. Yet, nestled within this sobering outlook is an undeniable awe for the profound beauty of life on Earth. He challenges us to pause and consider, “It’s a beautiful world but there’s all these wars, all the death, and the differences—be they political or religious or whatever. We’re in a bad place at the moment and we live in a beautiful place. Let’s not fuck it up.”
The album masterfully navigates this tension. It opens with the soaring, gentle sound of “A Beautiful World,” juxtaposing serenity with profound angst. This calm quickly gives way to the raw intensity of tracks like “Violence Insane,” where Taylor unleashes a heavy guitar riff, calling the feeling a sort of Hammer horror track, driven by the violence simmering within the mind. This shift highlights the volatile emotional landscape the album explores.
Adding an unexpected layer of global harmony, the opening track features the warm vocals of the Ndlovu Youth Choir from rural Limpopo, South Africa. Taylor found a unique joy in collaborating with them, discovering their powerful rendition of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and realizing the magic of shared musical expression, regardless of borders or language.
The album is rich with personal, often acerbic, commentary. On a track like “Chump,” Taylor delivers a stark indictment of current political realities, accompanied by mournful piano and lyrics that dissect a man devoid of morality. This was a voice he never had the freedom to fully explore within the band Queen, where music was generally apolitical. As a solo artist, he embraces the vitriol and anger, finding a space to be political in his expression.
Beyond the intensity, the album offers moments of quiet romance, too. Tracks like “I See You Now” and his emotional reading of John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy” demonstrate a softer side, using simple piano and cello arrangements to convey deep, relatable melancholy. He stripped down the Lennon classic, finding that simplicity was the most affecting way to convey the raw emotion.
Reflecting on his journey, Taylor credits the legacy of bands like the Beatles for teaching a generation of musicians the importance of writing material true to themselves. He recalls that the incredible longevity of Queen—where four original members all contributed hits—speaks to a shared chemistry that transcended mere musical success. Although there are no immediate plans for large-scale touring, Taylor and his collaborators continue to dream up extraordinary sounds, finding new ways to express themselves through music and technology.
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