talking to a friend who works at a club in atlanta:
mce: babysitting janelle monae audition drummers omg kill mesomedude77: hahahasomedude77: they can't be as annoying as janelle monae herselfmce: no but i have to listen to 20 drummers in a row play over her stupid musicsomedude77: lolsomedude77: you have my sympathy dogmce: its awful. 2 down and 18 to gomce: oh great her heinous is heremce: its so gay she made all her people like get dressed upmce: what a cuntmce: no wait she sent a clone!mce: rofflesmce: she's a "representive of janelle monae"somedude77: hahahasomedude77: and the representative is dressed up like her?mce: yes she is wearing what id imagine janelle monae would wear on a saturday morning.mce: and i do think its her and she lied.
― some dude, Saturday, 29 August 2009 15:30 (fourteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxvEn9wNkBQ
rock lobster?
― The Brainwasher, Sunday, 25 October 2009 21:59 (fourteen years ago) link
Such a great voice.
― His skin is eroding. His suckers have divots. (chap), Monday, 26 October 2009 02:11 (fourteen years ago) link
After a series of sci-fi-soul EPs, funk futurist Janelle Monáe is finally ready to drop her debut album, The ArchAndroid, which is due out May 18 courtesy of Wondaland Arts Society/Bad Boy. According to a press release, the LP is not merely another collection of songs but an "EMOTION PICTURE"
http://i40.tinypic.com/vpds2p.jpg
― nagl wayne (J0rdan S.), Monday, 15 February 2010 23:29 (fourteen years ago) link
She sounds like Liza Minnelli to me. I don't get the appeal.
― neither good nor bad, just a kid like you (unperson), Tuesday, 16 February 2010 00:22 (fourteen years ago) link
still love 'many moons' but i can see this chick grating like nellie mckay quick fast
― average gangsta rap from average gangstas (deej), Tuesday, 16 February 2010 01:09 (fourteen years ago) link
She's coming to DC shortly (with the presumed winner of the drummer audition mentioned above)
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 16 February 2010 18:22 (fourteen years ago) link
I would rather listen to lady gaga than this bullshit
― the-fream (Curt1s Stephens), Tuesday, 16 February 2010 18:30 (fourteen years ago) link
i like what i've heard of janelle a lot.
i hear a lot of her sound in Beyonce's Radio
― you have to forgive me (surm), Tuesday, 16 February 2010 18:43 (fourteen years ago) link
realizing that r&b'ers will be forced to listen to of montreal if they listen to this record ^_^
― vag gangsta (k3vin k.), Tuesday, 16 February 2010 18:44 (fourteen years ago) link
What was the "song of the century" at the top of this thread? The Youtube link's broken and I'd like to hear it!
― Chris, Tuesday, 16 February 2010 18:46 (fourteen years ago) link
I love this woman so fucking much.
― Turangalila, Wednesday, 24 February 2010 20:08 (fourteen years ago) link
i think this new song is kind of missing a chorus -- and comparing it to "1 thing" is pretty much blasphemy in my eyes
― suge knight btw (J0rdan S.), Wednesday, 24 February 2010 20:09 (fourteen years ago) link
it sounds mostly like raphael saadiq throwback soul way more than it sounds like rich harrison
― average dump from average gangsters (deej), Thursday, 25 February 2010 00:42 (fourteen years ago) link
it's definitely not missing a chorus but idg the "1 thing" comparison either
― idgi, mon (k3vin k.), Thursday, 25 February 2010 00:49 (fourteen years ago) link
sounds like james brown schtick with neo-retro production. more than anything it reminds me of that one christina aguilera record, or cupid '369'
― rinse the lemonade (Jordan), Thursday, 25 February 2010 01:08 (fourteen years ago) link
james brown schtick with neo-retro production
That pretty much describes the two tracks I heard from the forthcoming album. She seems to have so much potential, but it's almost like she's trying to be as unoriginal as possible on these two songs. If it weren't so retro maybe I would like it less, but is it really necessary to clobber us over the heads with the retro references?
― _Rudipherous_, Thursday, 25 February 2010 01:27 (fourteen years ago) link
the poster upthread was closer with the liza minelli reference - 'tightrope' et al is twee retro, obviously, but theatrically framed in way that i think is different to its soundalikes. i do agree with the general criticisms here though in terms of it being of tiresomely little use as a single per se, but since nearly everything she's done so far has been album-orientated i'm not taking it as such just yet.
plus the production's pretty admirable for this kinda thing, especially for the second half.
i dunno, monae and her fans can & do often lean toward being pretty annoying, but all things considered there's many worse cases of those same annoyances flourishing in other popular artists that i'd much sooner rather stfu. for the moment, anyway.
― r|t|c, Thursday, 25 February 2010 01:57 (fourteen years ago) link
Plus, even if Tightrope isn't your cup of tea, "Cold War" is straight fire.
― Alex in Montreal, Thursday, 25 February 2010 02:06 (fourteen years ago) link
And ends with a fade out that could lead into Boulevard of Broken Dreams, oddly enough.
no, that one actually is dire whatever context you put it in.
― r|t|c, Thursday, 25 February 2010 02:12 (fourteen years ago) link
I TIP ON ALLIGATORSAND LITTLE RATTLESNAKERS
― wakaflockapitusberry (The Reverend), Thursday, 1 April 2010 15:20 (thirteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwnefUaKCbc
BUT I'M ANOTHER FLAVOR SOMETHING LIKE A TERMINATOR
― wakaflockapitusberry (The Reverend), Thursday, 1 April 2010 15:21 (thirteen years ago) link
monae got heat
I'm ridiculously excited to see her next week
― The Brainwasher, Thursday, 1 April 2010 15:22 (thirteen years ago) link
Same here in two weeks -- though for her EMP talk rather than a performance!
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 1 April 2010 15:39 (thirteen years ago) link
I watched this video before bed and had dreams about it. Been in my head since...
― kate78, Thursday, 1 April 2010 17:12 (thirteen years ago) link
Yeah, Tightrope is awesome (and I maintain that Cold War is too, even if it's a little messier structurally).
Digging the video and hoping that this means that Monae isn't just hanging out with Big Boi and Diddy and of Montreal and Solange (and by extension Grizzly Bear and Dirty Projectors and Beyonce) but also with Yeasayer, since they've both put out videos this year with the creepy mirror-face dudes.
Like, WKIW ^^^
― Alex in Montreal, Thursday, 1 April 2010 18:30 (thirteen years ago) link
yep, so pumped for this.
― borntohula, Thursday, 1 April 2010 20:48 (thirteen years ago) link
I love that video. Cool dancing!
― Adam Bruneau, Thursday, 1 April 2010 21:55 (thirteen years ago) link
http://buzzworthy.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/archandroid_cover.jpg
YES!
― The Brainwasher, Tuesday, 20 April 2010 05:00 (thirteen years ago) link
wow. that's some awesome art.
― borntohula, Sunday, 25 April 2010 15:31 (thirteen years ago) link
ha, outbaduing badu
― forksclovetofu, Monday, 26 April 2010 19:45 (thirteen years ago) link
okay let's not get crazy
― Marriage, that's where I'm a Viking! (HI DERE), Monday, 26 April 2010 19:46 (thirteen years ago) link
more like outbaduing xtina
― nabisco infiltrator (J0rdan S.), Monday, 26 April 2010 19:47 (thirteen years ago) link
just the visuals, just the visuals
― forksclovetofu, Monday, 26 April 2010 19:48 (thirteen years ago) link
wait
she spells it monáe
how on earth is that supposed to be pronounced? there's no á in french, and i'm not aware of another reference point.
if it's pronounced MOE-NAH-EE, it should perhaps be spelled monàe. if it's pronounced MOE-NAY, then monée would be more appropriate. if it's MOE-NAH-AY, then monaée is possible (but awkward).
explique-moi.
― by another name (amateurist), Sunday, 9 May 2010 10:06 (thirteen years ago) link
http://images.encyclopediadramatica.com/images/4/4c/Itisamystery.gif
― jagger edge (The Reverend), Sunday, 9 May 2010 10:12 (thirteen years ago) link
is it sort of like the heavy-metal umlaut?
― by another name (amateurist), Sunday, 9 May 2010 10:13 (thirteen years ago) link
also i'm getting a bit tired of videos that have a rock band hanging around "playing" instruments that aren't to be heard in the arrangement.
― by another name (amateurist), Sunday, 9 May 2010 10:15 (thirteen years ago) link
i mean, i get it, it's just played at this point.
ha, the r&b acute is totally like the metal umlaut
― jagger edge (The Reverend), Sunday, 9 May 2010 10:26 (thirteen years ago) link
ágrééd
― by another name (amateurist), Sunday, 9 May 2010 10:32 (thirteen years ago) link
Meshell NdegeocelloJanelle MonaeEsmee DentersBeyoncewho else?
― Let’s all be friends and hang out often. (forksclovetofu), Sunday, 9 May 2010 15:25 (thirteen years ago) link
Mýa
― jagger edge (The Reverend), Sunday, 9 May 2010 15:29 (thirteen years ago) link
Zhané
― jagger edge (The Reverend), Sunday, 9 May 2010 15:51 (thirteen years ago) link
not sure why the double post
teairra marí
― لوووووووووووووووووووول (lex pretend), Sunday, 9 May 2010 15:52 (thirteen years ago) link
i'm with you, miss the Android stuff but she was bound to change styles/gimmicks at some point
― Nhex, Tuesday, 13 June 2023 18:36 (nine months ago) link
I like this more than the earlier stuff myself. The Android thing was never very convincing to me and actively detracted from my enjoyment of those albums. Maybe I am boring.
― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Tuesday, 13 June 2023 18:43 (nine months ago) link
I like this album, its low stakes-ness seems like part of the point? It is like a (more) poolside ready version of Meshell Ndgeocello’s Comfort Woman.
― Tim F, Friday, 16 June 2023 12:51 (nine months ago) link
yeah I've come around to it too. No great songs, but she masters a groove where make believing is the real thing.
― the dreaded dependent claus (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 16 June 2023 12:56 (nine months ago) link
I dug it ok, can't remember how any songs go though. but sounded good.monae just has theater kid vibes she can't ever completely shake is the thing.
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 16 June 2023 13:02 (nine months ago) link
low stakes albums are cool and all but it's kind of a weird choice at this point in her career. her last one was 5 years ago and it got a lot of hype, she's landed a starring role in a fairly big movie since and is starting to become sort of a household name, so now would be the time to drop a big magnum opus with a dozen guest spots and a bunch of singles. I mean I get it she probably just didn't have time for it but idk it feels like right now could have been her moment
― frogbs, Friday, 16 June 2023 14:29 (nine months ago) link
so now would be the time to drop a big magnum opus with a dozen guest spots and a bunch of singles
would this be preferable though?
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 16 June 2023 14:36 (nine months ago) link
the guest spots on here are largely wasted imo
― ludicrously capacious bag (voodoo chili), Friday, 16 June 2023 14:38 (nine months ago) link
amaarae sounds great, ckay okay, but grace and sister nancy seem to be here because monae admires them, not because she had any great ideas about how to collaborate with them
― ludicrously capacious bag (voodoo chili), Friday, 16 June 2023 14:39 (nine months ago) link
I think so. idk maybe that Off the Wall thread is making me think of how MJ absolutely seized the moment, because that's what superstars do. and I think Monae wants to be a superstar. so yeah putting out an album that's been mostly received as "it's nice but I don't remember any of the songs" seems kinda bad
― frogbs, Friday, 16 June 2023 20:28 (nine months ago) link