Wu-Tang Clan, "A Better Tomorrow" (2014)

For better or worse, we need a place to talk about this record, which they say is coming out by the end of the year.

RZA is driving everything, with Meth fully on board, Rae/Ghost pouring on the side-eye and everyone else somewhere in between. They did an interview w/ Jon Stewart where Stewart actually called out the Chef for being a problem and everyone gave reasonable answers but it all came off very "we're saying the right things here."

Here's that interview and the new song:

http://pitchfork.com/news/56209-wu-tang-clan-perform-new-track-ron-oneal-chat-with-jon-stewart-on-the-daily-show/

Thoughts?

Mmm, might've been optimistic to put the year in the thread title like that with no official release date announced. Y'all feel free to remove it if you like.

Don't expect much. It's been 14 years since any of them released anything worthwhile.

Forgot about Bulletproof Wallets which was in 2001 so 13 years.

Pretty Toney!

That album signaled beginning of the end for ghost

stupid fool, you're forcing me to kill you!

FIshscale is Ghostface's best album.

It's been 14 years since any of them released anything worthwhile.

― Raccoon Tanuki, Wednesday, September 24, 2014 3:43 AM (Yesterday)

No Said Date
Cuban Linx 2
Pretty Tony
Fish Scale
Grandmasters
Czarface

thank you for citing No Said Date, I love that record

They're all mediocre, and don't bare repeating. I haven't had an urge to listen to any of them more than once, when they came out

Ghost's 00s run of albums is really strong, probably my favorite run of albums from an artist in that decade. Cuban Linx 2 also great

but yeah I am not really interested in this record. 8 Diagrams is almost offensive in its half-assedness and RZA has completely gone around the bend

Cuban Linx 2 is indeed awesome

They're all mediocre, and don't bare repeating. I haven't had an urge to listen to any of them more than once, when they came out

Just dug out Fishscale while on a Wu binge the other month, it's pretty strong. First half especially.

Second half is pretty good too though, with all the DOOM productions and "Be Easy"

So apparently this came out yesterday, anyone heard it yet? Is it any good? I still think 8 Diagrams was a decent album, even if it was weakened by too many guest singers and that overtly long and corny ODB tribute tune in the end.

can't believe raccoon tanuki doesn't like fishscale

it was critically well-liked (although pretty uncommercial) - would be off-brand for him to dig it

anyhoo, heard the first 4 tracks & the singles - thus far, the production is almost but not quite as on crack as 8 diagrams was. lyrically & musically, "ruckus in b minor" is the only real standout, and even that would prob be considered a " just decent" track on wu-tang forever or the W

xpost to myself and somehow dude rides for bulletproof wallets there's no way that's not a troll/sock pot-stirring hot take

not sure about the production on the album, though only heard it in the background. i dont really care for the rza's 'live band' sound. will always love wu-tang, no matter what they do, but they do sound a bit flabby on this.

no way this is listenable

kinda boring

I am apprehensive about listening to this

after a full listen........blah. my early optimism has been thoroughly deflated. i legit like "ruckus in B minor" and "ron o'neal", and "pioneer the frontier" has a great RZA-in-throwback-mode beat, but miracle is wack as hell, most tracks not previously named have corny production that overshadows decent verses. the use of trap-ish synths on "hold the heater" is awful.

just waiting on the sockooki "told ya so" moment, cuz iiiiiiit's comin.

Yeah. Hearing each new track for the first time, I tend to have one of two reactions: 1. nice beat, I wonder how RZA is going to corny it up with the chorus, or 2. oh no. this (horn/rock style chorus/extended obvious 70s soul) intro is going to recur again and again right?

We Will Fight, Keep Watch, Miracle, A Better Tomorrow, are some of the worst things he's done. I preferred him in introverted sonic-experiments-that-don't-really-work mode (Bob Digi 2, Birth of a Prince) than this extroverted garbage.

he hasn't cared about music in at least a decade. he wants to make movies.

aside from the three tracks i named & maybe necklace this just seems more and more misguided with each reconsideration

that said, the new ghostface killah is quite enjoyable

why hasnt rza made a movie with the clan yet? seems odd. like, forget another half hearted album, do a film together instead (i say this as i have heard the tarantino produced for him wasnt as bad as some thought). id watch a semi-jarmusch-ish weird indie artsy movie with the wu.

thats what he tried to do with man w/ the iron fists, minus having other dudes in the wu act in it. it's not half bad if you know the goofiness you're getting into.

man w/ the iron fists is a legitimately entertaining movie that I have watched at least 2x and would watch again

that said, the new ghostface killah is quite enjoyable

always love hearing Ghost and G-Rap together

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaCNG8lpZso

RZA was a lot better when he did more sample-based stuff.