Janelle Monae

song of the century??

http://www.slamxhype.com/images/posts/400Janelle-Monae--Many-Moon.gif

Great song, fantastic cover!!

I'm an alien from outer spaaaaaaace...

yeah, she's pretty much the goods- yet folks are rightfully worried about this whole Bad Boy/Diddy signing... can he make it GO without doing too much diddy-dabbling?

in the meanwhile, i'ma buy her every/all up 'til now.

rightfully worried

^^^silliness

yeah I was a bit worried when I heard about the bad boy signing, but it seems like he's not really going to meddle too much and he really believes in her so he won't shelve her album for 7 years (see: cheri denis).

not really deej, diddy has a bad track record...

I love her purp/idewild stuff and the metropolis suite is grrrrreat and nuts; she's totally somebody to watch.

not really deej, diddy has a bad track record...

-- The Brainwasher, Sunday, May 18, 2008 10:13 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Link

im not even the danity kane fan and i dont believe this

I think Diddy has a pretty spotty track record for artist development. But he's also the guy whose biggest regret as a label owner is that he didn't get to sign Missy Elliott, so I could see him wanting to promote Janelle Monae exactly the way she is now. That said, this chick is fucking annoying.

in my experience calling a girl annoying is guy for "im gonna try and fuck that chick". its an instant break up in my book.

-- sunny successor, Wednesday, March 5, 2008 1:47 PM (31 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

^^ I will not deny that I at least partially mean that in this way, though

it's true though... why do you think basically everyone left bad boy? he doesn't promote his artists properly. Danity Kane didn't make anything off of their first album.

well it depends if we're evaluating his A&R game from the standpoint of making good records, making popular records, or making the artist money? but yeah it seems like everyone who's ever been on BB has gotten financially screwed, especially the people who sign away their rights in order to audition on a TV show.

success... failure... diddy does what diddy does, which is inject diddyness into everydiddything he touches. though jodeci and mary j reflected diddy style, he didn't permeate their output in the same way he did with rappers. but that 'last night' song he did with Keyshia Cole? i don't want him doing new wave-y songs with JMonae in a supporting role...

Off-topic a bit, but I never made through to the end of "Damaged" until now. As obnoxious and chintzy as most of the song is, the last minute is great, probably because it sounds like something from Press Play.

we should get yung joc to post here

meet me at the borad, it's goin dowwwn

i love her.

"Lettin' Go" = all-time jam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOP98zdmanY&feature=related

anyone heard this seeming grab-bag of pre-spacey songs that's about? (includes 'lettin go', 'time will reveal' and so on.) on wiki it is masquerading as a 2003 album called the audition but i dunno, the whole thing is a bit fishy to me

anyways historical suspicious aside it is quite impressive (on levels i havent thought about too hard yet)! raving about the song 'cindi' would only go and show up my weakness for musicals a bit overfar so check my other jam 'my favourite nothing' instead - it sounds like some passable 'hey ya' shit at first but pay attention to the lyrics cos i don't wanna spoil it

(sort of the lol/waaah audio version of that cat w/ no face blog if it's any incentive)

"Many Moons" video is absolutely amazing:

Full Length Album is coming out January 20th.

I must say Diddy is doing a pretty good job promoting her... and obviously he's putting a lot into her project because the "Many Moons" video looks like it had a pretty big budget..

man i've seriously never heard one bad thing about her but i kind of think she's really corny

she is laying it on thick in that video

it's really too much

Really? What don't you like about her?

I think she is soooo fly... the voice, the music, the lyrics, the style, and if you watch interviews with her she's really intelligent and thoughtful. She's just such a breathe of fresh air, and I love this whole sort of Afro-Futurist aesthetic/movement that she's kind of a part of (along with J*Davey, Sa-Ra, etc.).

well i actually like the futuristic american bandstand vibe, but i just think she could deal to lay off a bit. it's like when wayne plays the guitar and you just wanna scream WE GET IT BRO. i feel bad hating cuz it's so singular and vibrant and she is obviously having the time of her life hamming it up, it's just gets to a point where it's too much for me

i mean the song is okay but i don't get excited about it the way i don't get excited about solange. it's a nice piece of retro-pop and i'd probably be way more receptive to it if i just heard an mp3 or whatever

Muthafuckas act like they forgot about Imani Copolla.

So I'm listening to Metropolis right now and it's making me smile a LOT

i <3 JM despite her overplaying the space alien angle at times (esp when the music is not always as imaginative and more conventionally rock). but all i have is the EP. theres must be more out there.

I like this girl's voice and ideas, but the songs don't quite live up to them yet.

titch, sk out "The Audition", her unreleased demo or album or something from 03-ish

I take back my earlier comment, 'Sincerely, Jane' is absolutely terrific, and the other tracks on the ep have grown on me as well. Really looking forward to the full album now.

saw her live at bonnaroo, one of the best performers i've ever seen...painted a painting with her hands while singing a creepy ballad, handed it to someone in the audience still singing...climbed up on a bar stool to sing 'smile', had 1000+ sweaty white people in tears

she did a song there called 'atl' that people in the audience were yelling for that isn't on her album?

she's fucking mindblowing live. i'd never heard of her before i saw her open for an act i was seeing in april and i've been a huge fan since...she's such a fucking star. i will say that the jordans of the world who find her corny probably wouldnt have been swayed, it's quite over the top.

talking to a friend who works at a club in atlanta:

mce: babysitting janelle monae audition drummers omg kill me
somedude77: hahaha
somedude77: they can't be as annoying as janelle monae herself
mce: no but i have to listen to 20 drummers in a row play over her stupid music
somedude77: lol
somedude77: you have my sympathy dog
mce: its awful. 2 down and 18 to go
mce: oh great her heinous is here
mce: its so gay she made all her people like get dressed up
mce: what a cunt
mce: no wait she sent a clone!
mce: roffles
mce: she's a "representive of janelle monae"
somedude77: hahaha
somedude77: 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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxvEn9wNkBQ

rock lobster?

Such a great voice.

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

She sounds like Liza Minnelli to me. I don't get the appeal.

still love 'many moons' but i can see this chick grating like nellie mckay quick fast

She's coming to DC shortly (with the presumed winner of the drummer audition mentioned above)

I would rather listen to lady gaga than this bullshit

i like what i've heard of janelle a lot.

i hear a lot of her sound in Beyonce's Radio

realizing that r&b'ers will be forced to listen to of montreal if they listen to this record ^_^

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!

I love this woman so fucking much.

i think this new song is kind of missing a chorus -- and comparing it to "1 thing" is pretty much blasphemy in my eyes

it sounds mostly like raphael saadiq throwback soul way more than it sounds like rich harrison

it's definitely not missing a chorus but idg the "1 thing" comparison either

sounds like james brown schtick with neo-retro production. more than anything it reminds me of that one christina aguilera record, or cupid '369'

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?

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.

Plus, even if Tightrope isn't your cup of tea, "Cold War" is straight fire.

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.

I TIP ON ALLIGATORS
AND LITTLE RATTLESNAKERS

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

BUT I'M ANOTHER FLAVOR SOMETHING LIKE A TERMINATOR

monae got heat

I'm ridiculously excited to see her next week

Same here in two weeks -- though for her EMP talk rather than a performance!

I watched this video before bed and had dreams about it. Been in my head since...

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 ^^^

yep, so pumped for this.

I love that video. Cool dancing!

http://buzzworthy.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/archandroid_cover.jpg

YES!

wow. that's some awesome art.

ha, outbaduing badu

okay let's not get crazy

more like outbaduing xtina

just the visuals, just the visuals

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.

http://images.encyclopediadramatica.com/images/4/4c/Itisamystery.gif

is it sort of like the heavy-metal umlaut?

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.

i mean, i get it, it's just played at this point.

ha, the r&b acute is totally like the metal umlaut

ágrééd

Meshell Ndegeocello
Janelle Monae
Esmee Denters
Beyonce
who else?

Mýa

Mýa

Zhané

not sure why the double post

teairra marí

deserves a thread imo

T-Páin

R. Kellée

Forksclovétofu

see ü and raise ü

But what about Jaÿ-Z?

ha, what is the deal w/ jigga's discarded umlaut?

http://www.amazon.com/The-ArchAndroid/dp/B003L0V758/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1273342495&sr=301-1

sounding good if not earth shattering

some obv standouts though

mainly the slow songs

her rockers are very generic

It's out and about. Two tracks in and I'm signed up for wherever this takes me. This is better than I'd hoped.

Hoped/dreamed/take yr pick.

:D

http://www.mediabistro.com/agencyspy/original/rubot2.jpg

Not to jump the gun or anything but four and a half tracks in and I think this is going to be really good. Very psyched.

I found it mostly underwhelming on first listen. There's nothing as arresting as Sincerely, Jane. However, I do really like her personality and vision, so I will give it a few more tries.

Excellent singing as well, of course.

Mmm. Suite II >> Suite III and there's no 'Sincerely, Jane', but hopefully it'll be a grower - there's plenty here to like, but it's a lot to process at once.

Has she blown up yet? In Atlanta it's felt like she was about to blow up for about 5 or 6 years...

i don' think she's blown up yet, but i'm hoping this album will help.

it's a weird album though. not sure what to think yet!

"oh maker" is a real standout track for me ATM

Not feeling this album. :(

This is long enough that I still haven't really gotten a full of view of it as a piece, but I'm pretty sure I like portions of it. Part of "Locked Inside" reminds me of "Golden Lady." I'm not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing, but I've never heard anything else that remind me of that Stevie Wonder song. I think I like when she does the 60s soundtrack thing (e.g., "Sir Greendown")

Agree that "Oh Maker" is a stand-out, but the beginning sounds like it could be exactly like some other song, but I have no idea what song, so maybe it's just the style. (Again, not really sure if this is a good thing or bad thing, but I could see pastiche being seen as a weakness or strength, or both, on this album. And what was the song that sounded like it was co-written with David Bowie?)

(Oh, that's the Of Montreal one.)

I like "Wondaland" a lot.

at first i was convinced i only liked the first half, but after every listen i'm starting to like more and more beyond the halfway mark.

Yep, definitely feeling it more second time round. Like how II is all rocky and III is all weird. The production could be beefier, though.

Dammit, shouldn't have used ILX on Jabba Hands' computer!

album is a bit long but wow. i want to marry this woman.

I am really hearing a "Clair de Lune" quote at the end of "Say You'll Go," right? But those rising choral voices, aren't they something out of a 1940s Hollywood soundtrack?

Part of "Locked Inside" reminds me of "Golden Lady."

Yes! I was listening to this while washing the dishes in the other room, so only half paying attention, but I was like, "Is that...?"

The last two tracks are my favorites at this point.

Also, since I'm still very new to her, I find myself repeatedly struck by how good her singing is. I like this: Janelle Monae (or perhaps android alter-ego Cindi Mayweather) has received many accolades for her unique personal style and stage show, but not enough acclaim for the strength and versatility of her singing voice.http://www.allhiphop.com/stories/alternatives/archive/2010/05/18/22225030.aspx

(I'm a little surprised this thread is not busier. Maybe others are smart enough to wait until they've had more time to sort through the album.)

still need to really crack the album

Tunes that I've grown to like quite a bit:

Dance or Die
Faster
Tightrope
Oh, Maker
Come Alive
Make the Bus
Wondaland
Say You'll Go

I think it was a bit of a mistake to give the first three songs proper the same pace and make them run into each other - more of a mid-album trick. At the start it lulls you into nodding off a bit.

ha, the r&b acute is totally like the metal umlaut

<3 this post

Her choice of electric guitar sounds tends to be a bit banal, but what I'm finding is that most of the time there's enough redundancy built into the music that I can look over the parts I don't like. (Most skip-able songs for me: probably Come Alive and Take the Bus.)

Make the Bus. (Make the bus, take the bus, whatever.)

the occasional orchestral swoons and production idiosyncracies remind me somehow of st. vincent.

I don't think the album is very good at all.

I think it was a bit of a mistake to give the first three songs proper the same pace and make them run into each other - more of a mid-album trick. At the start it lulls you into nodding off a bit.

i found a problem with that too, but more as an issue of pacing. it didn't make me nod off, but it made me think that the album was going to be a lot more funky than it is.

if those three were placed in the middle like you suggested, then they'd work more like a well-needed burst of energy.

I'm voting yes so far.

that letterman performance was awesome.

Enjoy everything I've heard from this album so far. Gonna pick up the CD today.

that cramps psychobilly raveup in the middle was sorta 0_0 for me.

I like the way the similarly paced tracks flowing into one another kick off the beginning of the album. I think it works just fine.

i thought the performance was pretty great considering the lack of big boi. i was wondering how much his involvement effected my enjoyment, and its safe to say that i like it just as much without him. that rave up part was cool, and the nod to james brown (which one?!) was also great. there was lots of energy in the room, and it sounded great. i'm a bit surprised dave didn't ask her to play again, like he did with these folks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds3yl7YjVyM

wow i said great a lot

its been interesting listening to this alongside FanMail (due to the listening club). for all the android next level future stuff, monae's album has a kinda of retroism to it. like right now im listening to 'locked inside' and that guitar line sounds like it could have been pulled off something from 35 years ago. whereas its the tlc album that obv has that real metalic sound that youd expect to hear on album about androids or whatever

i gave up on the idea that i might like this album when i read this

Monáe describes The ArchAndroid as an "emotion picture,"

also

Its most recent antecedent is André 3000's The Love Below

only listened to it once so far but not really being moved to listen again. so busy and hyperactive, but in a kinda annoying attention-seeking way.

Here comes the flood:

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14271-the-archandroid/

somebody was just telling me last night that Matt loved this album; makes sense given his taste. I really need to give it a serious go.

the occasional orchestral swoons and production idiosyncracies remind me somehow of st. vincent.

― establishment man cloggin up ur spills (Hunt3r), Tuesday, May 18, 2010 11:32 PM (2 days ago)

I was just listening to this album for the first time when Sir Greendown came on it made me think of St. Vincent so much, no bad thing at all.

Yeah I am really loving this album on first listen. I was totally smitten after the Letterman performance.

ya i was curious what its pitchfork score would be...i have a few hipsterish friends who normally dont touch pop/r&b who have been all over this

which is cool of course except when they tell me that janelle monae isn't pop/r&b

basically the last opinion i'd ever look to read about this album would be coming from a fiery furnaces stan, so thanks 4 making that happen pitchfork.

Its most recent antecedent is André 3000's The Love Below

Oh good lord no. I listened to the first two tracks and thought it kind of overwrought but promised to go back. I still will, but I find that whole approach massively offputting.

"Monáe's sci-fi mythology is an inspired addition to the rich canon of Afrofuturist art"

!!!!!!

i have a few hipsterish friends who normally dont touch pop/r&b who have been all over this

no 1 DING DING DING warning bell in my book - as a litmus test it's never wrong

Its most recent antecedent is André 3000's The Love Below

My first thought too. It's failed eclecticism.

Oh no. Oh no, I'm not gonna read a Pitchfork review which is gonna make me hate on something I would otherwise normally be all over.

Is this out? Or rather, is this out in the UK? HMV only had Metropolis when I went to look for it last night.

xp i feel like for the next 25 years any time a black artist makes an ambitious, genre-crossing album its going to be compared with the The Love Below. perhaps not incorrectly in this case, but its a comparison thats not necessarily indicative of quality

the comparisons are more due to monae's attention-seeking consciously kooky image, surely? black artists make "ambitious, genre-crossing" albums quite a lot - i don't even feel like sonically this album IS that ambitious or genre-crossing, as noted above it's really retro in a pretty straightforward way (general concept apart)

i have a few hipsterish friends who normally dont touch pop/r&b who have been all over this

Always a bad sign.

Eclecticism need not mean ambition.

So, this album isn't as immediately involving as I thought it would be, but I do feel like a lot of the naysaying is premature. It's okay if this isn't the best album in the world; it's still pretty enjoyable and Janelle is like massively, scarily talented.

Is this out? Or rather, is this out in the UK? HMV only had Metropolis when I went to look for it last night.

― The Curve Of Blinding Energy (Masonic Boom), Thursday, May 20, 2010 1:15 PM (12 minutes ago)

Play has this listed as coming out on July 12th. I'm already searching for the cheapest way to import it.

Genre-bouncing antecedents released after The Love Below: albums by Jazmine Sullivan, VV Brown, Van Hunt, PlantLife, YahZarah, Me'Shell Ndegéocello, (maybe) the Rebel Yell, etc., etc., etc.

ambition wasn't the right word (although i do think this album is ambitious). but this type of NEXT LEVEL r&b/hip-hop music is going to be compared to TLB whether its good or bad

b.o.b's album being an example of the latter

ya my point is that this album is way closer to jazmine sullivan than andre 3k, but how many reviews are gonna mention the former and how many the latter

whoa, this is a disco musical. Erykah on Glee.
TONS of interpolations/ripoffs/homages throughout; this feels really personal
still can't tell if I'm enjoying it, but it's such a jittery puppy of an album in a lookatmeLOOKATME! way. I love tightrope tho' so willing to give this more than just one full listen to get me.

, PlantLife, YahZarah, Me'Shell Ndegéocello

My thoughts too.

I was totally smitten after the Letterman performance.

For those who haven't seen... Dan's assessment of "massively, scarily talented" is on full display here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys4GpR6v0TQ

She is gonna be HUGE. And the album's fantastic -- her debut was promising and this album delivers in all the right ways. Really pleased that the production isn't a detriment to the songs, it all sounds great. And for those considering it too *whatever* for a start-to-finish listen (read: 2010 music fans have ADHD), then why not start at track 7, then move to tracks 6-8, then 5-9 and just keep branching out? Start with what you know, then piece the rest together as you move outward in each direction.

For those on the fence, pay no attention to those saying her crossover fanbase is a warning sign. Music critics choosing to judge an artist by his/her/its fanbase is pretty much lowest-common-denominator music crit. Lex, Alfred, I respect both you guys' stuff more than most music crit I've read recently -- seriously, you're better than that.

i have a few hipsterish friends who normally dont touch pop/r&b who have been all over this

no 1 DING DING DING warning bell in my book - as a litmus test it's never wrong

― لوووووووووووووووووووول (lex pretend), Thursday, 20 May 2010 14:13 (29 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

must have been so terrible 4 u being strongarmed into gushing reviews of solange/amerie/cecile/etc over the years, i had no idea

not to mention solange - but it's definitely something like jazmine sullivan's album that i'm thinking of. stylistically so diverse, much much more so than janelle monae, yet i don't think any of the buzz about it was for its "ambitious, genre-crossing" qualities - it was more about her wonderful soul voice,

cecile?!

why don't p4k reviews have comments

She reminds me a LOT of Raphael Saadiq.

things i immediately don't like here: broadway smile, jazz hands, you like me you really really like me!, heavily derivative to the point of occasional eyerolling, trippydippyhippy futurism
things i immediately do like: solid orchestration, taking a lot of chances, catchy tunes that run the genreblind gamut, janelle still sounds great

xp to lex: http://www.fluxblog.org/2004/05/587

was fluxblog really the first mp3 blog?

Then there's the Kevin Barnes collaboration.

The #1 thing I like is that her singing voice sounds EXACTLY like she sounds on the record. That girl is a force of nature; like she is approaching Celine-levels of technical excellence in the way that she sings.

coz: depends on your definition of an "mp3 blog" but by almost any estimation, fluxblog wasn't the first mp3 blog. He was certainly one of the earliest to get a lot of attention and grind out interesting regular material on a week by week basis though.

in a perfect world, tightrope would be the song of summer 2010

I must say, the more I play it the more I like it.

Yeah, in retrospect I underrated that one. "Cold War" is also terrific.

It's okay if this isn't the best album in the world; it's still pretty enjoyable and Janelle is like massively, scarily talented.

― Have a slice of wine! (HI DERE)

OTM though I still think this is more pomp and guest stars than it should be.

this:

http://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2010/05/the-joyful-noise-of-janelle-monae/56897/

might make u mad at this album.

It made me mad at the dude who wrote it, although I did lol at the last two lines.

The Killer of Sheep reference is kinda ummm?

Opening line: "I must confess that before I listened to one song off Janelle Monáe's new album, I had already decided that she was the most important pop artist out right now."

although I did lol at the last two lines.

HAHAHAHAHA just read these and yes, dear heavens, so lol worthy.

artists referenced in 6 paragraphs:

lady gaga, beyonce, kanye, jay-z, justin timberlake, lil wayne, toni morrison, janet jackson, prince, charles burnett, julie dash, parliament-funkadelic, samuel delaney, octavia butler, kid cudi, kanye again, lady gaga again, Arrested Development, Joi, TLC, Outkast, the Dungeon Family, Goodie MOB, Gnarls Barkley, Ursher, Lil' Jon, Ludacris, Young Jeezy, Gucci Mane, T.I., dionne farris, joi, badu, andre 3k, cee-lo, left eye, jermain dupri, fiona apple, ani difranco, lauryn hill, santigold, mia, j*davey, mars volt, and the entire genres of crunk, trap, sissybounce, and juke

"Ursher"

dionne farris!!

Honestly surprised there's only been one Nellie McKay comparison so far on this thread. (The difference for me being I don't like McKay much.)

don't know anything about her.

but damn that letterman clip....that band is fucking amazingly tight and awesome...like almost on some nu-school JBs type shit. damn.

listening to some on lala

this is good! i'm glad i clicked this thread!

"oh, maker" is a really nice paul simon type song in the verses, maybe a little morrissey in the la-da-da-da-da

yeah the band is nuts. i really want to see her live, but she doesn't seem to be coming to toronto any time soon.

i'm a bit confused by how many people are saying that musically, she's way too "attention-seeking."

yeah R&B vocalists should not seek attention, poor form IMO

One would think that seeking attention would be a positive attribute in a performer.

i think ppl mean in terms of the production tho rite?

I respect this album more than I like it. I tend to like albums that do one thing for forty minutes or so - I'm old-school like that. So under the broad umbrella of "soul"/"R&B"/"black women singers," my keepers this year are the Kelis album (which is 40-plus minutes of straight Euro dance) and the Sharon Jones album. Monáe is talented but I don't enjoy the record the way I enjoy those other two, more traditional/circumspect/choose-your-thinly-disguised-pejorative discs.

I keep meaning to pick up that Sharon Jones disc, she was straight fire on The Colbert Report

i have a couple sharon jones. they are those type of records you like but then i never find myself actually listening to that much.

live she is an absolute joy.

yeah the band is nuts. i really want to see her live, but she doesn't seem to be coming to toronto any time soon.

i'm a bit confused by how many people are saying that musically, she's way too "attention-seeking."

― borntohula, Thursday, May 20, 2010 9:20 AM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

yeah R&B vocalists should not seek attention, poor form IMO

― you better check that sausage before you put it in the rofl (M@tt He1ges0n), Thursday, May 20, 2010 9:21 AM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark

Same thing crossed my mind. I also wonder how often this is a negative for Lex.

I respect this album more than I like it. I tend to like albums that do one thing for forty minutes or so - I'm old-school like that. So under the broad umbrella of "soul"/"R&B"/"black women singers," my keepers this year are the Kelis album (which is 40-plus minutes of straight Euro dance) and the Sharon Jones album. Monáe is talented but I don't enjoy the record the way I enjoy those other two, more traditional/circumspect/choose-your-thinly-disguised-pejorative discs.

I think this is a very traditional approach, it just harks back more to a late 60s/70s model of some sort.

This album is great. Flawed, but definitely not failed.

album is great, but overlong and not sequenced that well. it doesnt start off with the bang it should do. shes def not attn seeking as a singer though - if anything shes very unlike yr trad Rnb singer as shes all about putting the song first, despite having 1 of the most capable voices of anyone out there...

Most trad R&B singers DO put the song first.

and god bless em for it

cuz if i could sing like that i would be all like "Yo song step the fuk bak i'mma do my thing right now"

*whole tone scat solo*

curious about this.

Letterman clip is okay - she's obviously got a good voice but it's basically a 100% straight JB homage/tribute act

I do kinda have a weakness for any and all afrofuturism tho

That one song is a total JB homage but the album zips all over the place.

Geir to thread?

The reaction from a couple of rockcrit buddies is: "I expected space/disco/future pop/eclecticism, not boilerplate R&B." I totally disagree the assumptions behind this statement (what's`boilerplate R&B' and what's wrong with it?)

r&b's been kinda boring for the last 5 years or so?

altho their definition of boilerplate may refer to a different era

Not according to my ears. Until a couple of years I thought so too, but I was being lazy, not testing my assumptions.

xpost

I mean, I think The Chase Suite EP in three full length tracks had a lot of diversity but hewed to one sonic template and the album has a lot more down tempo stuff, a lot more "Broadway" at times, etc. None of this is necessarily bad even if I don't love it as much as Violet Stars Happy Hunting! or whatever.

But The ArchAndroid is a really strange beast of an album, both more progressive and more traditional than a lot of the criticism is giving it credit for. I'm still not sure whether I LOVE it but it deserves to be given some time to open itself up (at least for me). And I mean, whether I end up loving it or getting bored with it, the fact that Monae has gotten some attention from alternative/indie sources is completely irrelevant re: the album's actual worth.

The reaction from a couple of rockcrit buddies is: "I expected space/disco/future pop/eclecticism, not boilerplate R&B." I totally disagree the assumptions behind this statement (what's`boilerplate R&B' and what's wrong with it?)

is what I was referring to when talking about The Chase Suite. It's not necessarily that future pop eclecticism is by nature better than boilerplate R&B (whatever that IS), but for three years or so we only had four songs in Janelle's catalogue to listen to and two of them were pretty structurally interesting left-field R&B, plus 'Sincerely, Jane' which is just stunning front to back. A full length album has let her display the full breadth of her influences and not ALL of those influences are to the taste of people who dug the EP. I think that's maybe what their objections are. Of course, they're wrong.

personally by "Attention getting" I mean very very ego based and mannered; shit sounds like a broadway musical to me. This is not a style i'm inherently into, luckily it's not the only thing she's doing.

shit sounds like a broadway musical to me.

You could say this about anything, though, going back all the way to Jacques Brel and Scott Walker, and forward to, uh... Green Day?

Got halfway through this now and it's much less irritating than the reviews make it sound. I don't even hear THAT much self-conscious eclecticism. Certainly not compared to The Love Below or I Am/Sasha Fierce, which lest we forget had a POST-ROCK track on it. It feels more like classic soul that's been musical theatred up a bit.

Not sure how much I like it yet, but she has an exceptional voice - works much better on the ballads.

Has anyone told her there's no fighting in a cold war?

I think maybe there's just a certain type of critic who automatically jizzes themselves whenever they hear live instrumentation in a commercial rnb record.

So, whenever they hear anything that reminds them of white males playing guitars, basically.

critics!

Certainly not compared to The Love Below or I Am/Sasha Fierce, which lest we forget had a POST-ROCK track on it.

You mean the Tsunami rip-off?

Has anyone told her there's no fighting in a cold war?

Not to defend all her lyrics, but: wrong.

(Does it make a lot of sense to me the way she's using the phrase? Not really. But still, the point is wrong.)

Certainly not compared to The Love Below or I Am/Sasha Fierce, which lest we forget had a POST-ROCK track on it.

You don't say? (What's the track?)

"Love Theme To Bundy K. Brown" iirc

yeah do not remember any tortoise wibble on that

but tbh i was INCENSED that it's like 11 tracks spread over 2 cds and never listened to it much

"You could say this about anything, though, going back all the way to Jacques Brel and Scott Walker, and forward to, uh... Green Day?"

Oh, cmon. You know what I mean. It's a degree of dramatic showiness, theatrical presentation and general glossy sheen. It's the same issue I have with her live: the shows don't feel organic and every moment is heavily scripted. It's a bit staged and while I don't have anything against that inherently, it's a little chafing for music that's this personal. I hear the McKay thing to the extent that they both engage in that way and it's the element of McKay that I find least interesting as well. McKay's always had the benefit of potentially going batty or absurd; Monae seems more rigid to me.
That said, it's a nice album. Not totally killing me but I'm glad to be listening to it.

you could literally say that about ANYTHING...napalm death...merle haggard...bobby brown...eightball and mjg

would watch 8ball and mjg broadway show

would produce 8ball and mjg broadway show

if we raise enough money from the 8ball and mjg broadway show we can save our teen center from that evil developer that wants to tear it down and build a convenience store!!!

Comin' Out! (hard)

twyla tharp choreo; a lot of leaning from side to side

"Wondaland" is great!

re that atlantic article

reps a tuxedo every day

so she goes around all day shouting "SHOUT OUT TO TUXEDOS" or what?

she rolls up in the club with 50 penguins

fuck the tuxedo tbh

fuxedo

"she reps a tux on the flippy flop"

It's a bit staged and while I don't have anything against that inherently, it's a little chafing for music that's this personal.

This comment is confusing to me, because her songwriting is not personal, in the sense that it's not her singing about how this person left her in Chicago or something like that. The mask and the theatricality are a thread running straight through the work, so I'm not sure why it shouldn't be performed that way as well. (I would agree though that the music is personal in another sense and that she has a distinctive vision.) I can see simply not liking that approach, but I don't see how the staginess of the performance doesn't suit the material.

i guess i find the stageyness of the performance plus the concept a bit cloying and near disingenuous; if she could keep the concept and tone down the razzmatazz, I'd be more inclined to buy into the project rather than being dazzled by the glare. I've said this before, but I blame American Idol for so goddamn much.

And yes, that latter explanation of why i find her songwriting/performance "personal" is my meaning.

re that atlantic article

reps a tuxedo every day

so she goes around all day shouting "SHOUT OUT TO TUXEDOS" or what?

― jonathan blapelbon (J0rdan S.), Thursday, May 20, 2010 5:18 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

haha totally.

that just does not belong in the atlantic. like hearing your parents try out hip hop slang

So the one track no one's really mentioned yet is the one with all the numbers for a title that sounds like Simon & Garfunkel. Does Janelle even sing on it? It's quite a nice track, but I'm not entirely sure what it's doing there.

i'm trying to figure out why i think this album is just intensely, intensely annoying

because ur a hater

for one i think the songwriting is very unexceptional -- and i feel like her voice isn't out in front of the mix? like, for as "full" as this album wants to sound, it feels very 2-D to me, if that makes sense. i feel like i'm listening to the television.

well yeah that too

alright, reading perp's review

Much like fellow sci-fi magpie David Bowie, Monáe sings with the confidence of a star, but is essentially a vocal chameleon who places the needs of her songs ahead of her ego. Her performances can be jaw-dropping-- check out the transition from gentle folk phrasing to showstopping vocal runs on "Oh, Maker" for one example-- but she never gets in the way of her songs, which rely as much on her star power as the remarkable versatility of her band.

this is pretty much what i hate about this album. like, i feel like if vocals are gonna not be in the forefront of your music, then you better have songs that balance 'adventurousness' & hookiness the way that the electirk red album does or you need to be able to carve out an actual, unique niche like ciara ballads ("promise" and post-) or cassie (for better or worse)

& all of that is aside from all the valid criticisms of her tired ass steez

damn the song ft of montreal sounds exactly like an of montreal song

just makes me wanna listen to hissing fauna tho

yeah it is straight outta skeletal lamping

This album is light years ahead of anything Of Montreal has released.

i really hope this doesn't spiral into the pointless argument that it could, but i'll state for the record that you are crazy wrong

I don't quite understand some of the sneering that's going on over the album's crossover audience. This album seems much more intended for an audience that isn't particularly enthusiastic about the current R&B they hear, not to mention that it's not clear it should even be described as an R&B album. Given the list of artists Monae has the most praise for, and especially the inclusion of Lauryn Hill on that list, why would it be noteworthy that this doesn't appeal to someone who really likes Electrik Red or Cassie? This album has more in common with something like Kate Bush's Aerial or Tokyo Jihen's Adult (or Shiina Ringo's failed Sanmon Gossip) than with a lot of the R&B I see getting praised on ILM. (Not pretending to follow the genre, but I do sometimes lurk on threads I don't post to, check out what's being linked to, etc.) I don't feel like I am the crossover audience here.

Why wouldn't people like an album in a genre they don't normally like (especially in its contemporary form) if it does something along the lines of what they do like?

well i think it's fine for someone to be like "i don't dig modern r&b because of x, y and z and i dig this monae album because it's not that" but i don't think you can then turnaround and posit monae as some sort of transcendent pop/r&b figure who is more important or more adventurous than any artist of the past decade or whatever

Okay, that makes some sense. While I can relate to the level of enthusiasm some critics are expressing, even I find stuff like "Janelle Monae redefines music" just a little ridiculous.

"In view of the indubitable artistic brilliance & cultural relevance of 21st century musical luminaries such as Cassie, Ciara, & Electrik Red, Janelle Monáe falls short."

love when the backup singers murmur 'genocide' in 'locked inside'

ok, 2 songs in and I am in total bliss

would be interested in a rev defense of the album

btw this album is currently the 6th higest rated album in metacritic's history

Haha.

I don't quite understand some of the sneering that's going on over the album's crossover audience. This album seems much more intended for an audience that isn't particularly enthusiastic about the current R&B they hear, not to mention that it's not clear it should even be described as an R&B album.

because (a) people who don't like much modern r&b have bad taste in r&b and (b) it creates a dumb implied binary like "man if you're tired of all that shit on the radio, this is r&b done RIGHT!

xp looool

anyway i think "many moons" is an incredible song and she is pretty incredible live (though i thought she was kind of bad by her standards on letterman) - i've only heard "tightrope" and the of montreal song off this new album, the former of which i thought was kinda the inevitable endpoint of her difficult-to-take at times corny steez (i think she's hella talented but i'm not sure how much of it i can take at once) and the latter of which i'm pretty sure kevin barnes just sent her an outtake from his previous album

incredible incredible

because (a) people who don't like much modern r&b have bad taste in r&b and (b) it creates a dumb implied binary like "man if you're tired of all that shit on the radio, this is r&b done RIGHT!

I'm not trying to have good taste in R&B, or to meet someone else's standards of good taste in music in general.

(b) I'm sure there are critics talking that way. My attitude is pretty much "if you're tired of all that shit on the radio," but I wouldn't say the second part. (Though I might say "this is music done right," which I guess would be even worse. Except I don't think this is the only way for it to be done right. I probably wouldn't say the second part. Maybe just: "try this.")

There's a big big audience that's disaffected with mainstream pop music and this album is for them as much as it is for R&B fans of whatever stripe. No amount of cutting edge pop intelectualizing is going to change their minds. (In fact, most of them are never going to see any of it.)

i'm not sure if we're even talking about real people right now, but the last decade or so (even the last five or three years) has been a pretty remarkable time for mainstream r&b, and if you can't recognize that, or which songs/artists/albums have been great over that time period, i'm not going to listen when you say "now this is how you do r&b!!" because you are wrong and have had blinders on, if not just outright bad taste

^^^^

im not going to listen when they say 'this is how you do r&b' but that doesnt mean im not going to enjoy janelle monae's music

i'm certainly not saying that the two are inextricably tied -- altho if you're positing monae as some sort of transcendent figure, i'm probably gonna think that you're an asshole

& as andy sort of pointed out a few days ago, people who are shouting from the cliffs about her transcendence probably have no idea of the artists who have been putting out music in this vein in recent years, a lot of it better than this, without the pretension & distractions

well i'd call her transcendent in that for better or for worse she incorporates a lot of stuff thats usually outside r&b but obviously shes not transcendent because shes a shining beacon of light coming out of a dry genre, so i think we agree here

by prentension and distractions i assume youre talking about her style? i think this a little harsh and kind of backlash-y

"emotion picture" etc

arachnoid robot suite

it actually has little to do with her & more about people trumping up things that add nothing to the actual music

but she's so original!

:-)

would be interested in a rev defense of the album

― mr. milquetoast (J0rdan S.), Saturday, May 22, 2010 12:10 PM Bookmark

most of it isn't really that theatrical or high-concept, though maybe the few songs that are + her image/marketing make it seem more so than it is. it certainly is less all those things than Metropolis (which I certainly do have reservations about), while being much musically richer. even when it is theatrical, she still pulls it off in better fashion than she did before, because the music is so vibrant. tbh, i really don't think she's dropped her pretences so much as gotten better at artifice, which always means hiding your cards in plain view, if that makes sense. hence, the bowie comparison upthread is apt.

fwiw kev, "Tightrope" and the Of Montreal joint are both pretty far at the wonkier end of the material here.

btw, curious to know who you're thinking of here:

the artists who have been putting out music in this vein in recent years, a lot of it better than this, without the pretension & distractions

i was referring to this post

Genre-bouncing antecedents released after The Love Below: albums by Jazmine Sullivan, VV Brown, Van Hunt, PlantLife, YahZarah, Me'Shell Ndegéocello, (maybe) the Rebel Yell, etc., etc., etc.

― Skank Bloc Polonia (Andy K), Thursday, May 20, 2010 8:32 AM (2 days ago) Bookmark

the last decade or so (even the last five or three years) has been a pretty remarkable time for mainstream r&b, and if you can't recognize that, or which songs/artists/albums have been great over that time period, i'm not going to listen when you say "now this is how you do r&b!!" because you are wrong and have had blinders on

J0rdan, I get what you're saying here -- but what about those of us who dig E.Red/Terius, Ciara, plenty of other mainstream "traditional" R&B, but also really dig the Monae album? Is there anything "blinders on"-esque about enjoying all of the above?

no

i'm talking about a specific set of critics here

I don't really see anyone on that list as doing what Monae does here (Jazmine and Yahzarah aren't far at all from The Audition-era Monae), although there are certainly commonalities.

Nothing is grabbing me from this album at all yet, as much as I like her.

I really like (and genuinely surprised by) the quasi-brazilian stuff that pops up on a couple tracks

i was referring to this post

Genre-bouncing antecedents released after The Love Below: albums by Jazmine Sullivan, VV Brown, Van Hunt, PlantLife, YahZarah, Me'Shell Ndegéocello, (maybe) the Rebel Yell, etc., etc., etc.

― Skank Bloc Polonia (Andy K), Thursday, May 20, 2010 8:32 AM (2 days ago) Bookmark

― mr. milquetoast (J0rdan S.), Saturday, May 22, 2010 3:28 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

do u even listen to this stuff. i mean im a big van hunt fan, but this is diff

nb ive only listened to 2 tracks

of the jm i mean, obv listened to way more van hunt

I haven't been able to read all the thread, so maybe I'm missing something -- but I wasn't implying that all those artists sound alike. "Genre-bouncing antecedents" = antecedents in that they are all genre-bouncing. Not sure how it could get turned into something else (if it did).

btw this album is currently the 6th higest rated album in metacritic's history

are you trying to say that this isn't the sixth best album in music history, because i just paid cash money for it and will be very disappointed if it isn't at least slightly better than

7 Madvillainy by Madvillain 2004 93

8 Live At Reading by Nirvana 2009 93

9 The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads [2004 Version] by Talking Heads 2004 93

10 Love And Theft by Bob Dylan 2001 93

11 Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards by Tom Waits 2006 92

never forget

@perpetua Wow, it would be great if Community never did another awful, awful, awful, awful episode like that ever again.

update: this is not the sixth best album in music history.

hater

eh, i'm no hater. just hasn't knocked me over on first -- casual -- listen. i'll listen again, more carefully. i mean, there's certainly nothing as immediately grabbing as, say, umbrella, but admittedly, that's a high bar to hurdle.

i do like the -- maybe brazilian? -- touches in at least one of the songs.

I wasn't implying that all those artists sound alike.

I realize that, j0rdan kind of was, though.

Only Brazilian-ish thing I can remember is "Locked Inside."

Part of "BabopbyeYa", too.

My favorite thing here is the least fussiest: "Say You'll Go."

I also hear some in the background vocals of "Dance or Die" xp

shit, I just realized a lot of this album reminds of Kid Creole & the Coconuts! <3 <3 <3

I mean, if "Faster" doesn't sound like Kid Creole, what does it sound like?

yeah, my girl made the Creole connection too.

"Neon Valley Street" v. much sounds like a Lauryn Hill song.

the Of Montreal joint is pretty easily the worst song here (sorry, kevin)

^^^^^^^

Yes, I was thinking this album is going to create a lot of Of Montreal haters overnight.

It probably wouldn't annoy me half as much as it does if it felt more like a collaboration than a cast-off from the last Of Montreal album.

otm

I can barely detect Janelle Monae on it

i spent the winter on the verge of a total breakdown while living in Norway
i felt the darkness of destroying a Janelle Monae song

I would like to point out the fact that an Of Montreal song has come out on Bad Boy Records.

I think there's a huge difference between this and The Love Below in that this is very full-sounding, maybe even a bit overstuffed at points, whereas a lot of stuff on Love Below sounded very half-sketched. Not that this sounds like The Love Below at all.

I would like to point out the fact that an Of Montreal song has come out on Bad Boy Records.

ma$e jpg pls, for old tymes sake

http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/21178103/Mase+M.jpg

"it's the young harlem nigga with the 'heimdalsgate like a promethean curse' sound"

harve pierre, are you the destroyer?

LOL @ all the contrary/reactionary-ness in this thread.

this album is ten times better than the love below. not nearly as try hard. and while its cool to hate anyone who gets the indie rock/hipster vote, it just feels dumb in this context, cos monae IS just the type of R&B artist it would be nice to see more of. enough of all the 'oh but jazmine sullivan and amerie are just as boundary breaking' argument, thats like comparing britney to idk, pj harvey. theyre working in totally different traditions/lineages. and its not like straight up r&b doesnt get the p4k vote either, so that seems a stupid thing to get worked up over. monae IS special. she IS more ambitious. she IS more 'intelligent'. if you wanna compare her to badu, joi, adriana, etc (not van hunt though, hes so boring, apart from dust and hold her hand anyway) thats cool, but it just doesnt work to compare her to mainstream shit. anyway, its an overambitious debut, im fine with ranking it just as that and not much more. shell figure out that shes trying a little hard (though less than dre3000 was) soon enough.

this album is ten times better than the love below

really? okay, i'm gonna re-listen now (while i continue editing this interminable response brief).

personally i think more than one janelle monae is enough

well the love below is fucking dogshit

personally i think more than one janelle monae is enough

I agree.

van hunt strikes me as a dude who decided he wanted to "sound like prince" but didn't realize that when people say they want to "sound like prince" they don't mean "sound like current prince"

half of love below sux, but it has some jams. still not nearly as good as this tho (altho archandroid doesn't have anything near "hey ya" obv)

Songs I will still rep for from Love Below: She Lives In My Lap, Prototype, Hey Ya, Behold a Lady, Pink and Blue, Vibrate, Spread
Some days I can even get with She's Alive and that fucked up jitterbug Favorite Things.
I would absolutely not call this dogshit.

this album is ten times better than the love below. not nearly as try hard. and while its cool to hate anyone who gets the indie rock/hipster vote, it just feels dumb in this context, cos monae IS just the type of R&B artist it would be nice to see more of. enough of all the 'oh but jazmine sullivan and amerie are just as boundary breaking' argument, thats like comparing britney to idk, pj harvey. theyre working in totally different traditions/lineages. and its not like straight up r&b doesnt get the p4k vote either, so that seems a stupid thing to get worked up over. monae IS special. she IS more ambitious. she IS more 'intelligent'. if you wanna compare her to badu, joi, adriana, etc (not van hunt though, hes so boring, apart from dust and hold her hand anyway) thats cool, but it just doesnt work to compare her to mainstream shit. anyway, its an overambitious debut, im fine with ranking it just as that and not much more. shell figure out that shes trying a little hard (though less than dre3000 was) soon enough.

― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Sunday, May 23, 2010 2:45 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

without having heard the record yet, based on her 1st one i agree w/ this

& van hunt aint that boring yall. titchy saying so makes it sound like hes got something against trad R&B in general. this track is 5 <3's out of <3<3<3<3<3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjqtmfBeyjI

^^that song is on the same level as tweet 'smoking cigarettes' & if u ask a normal person the diff between the two they would be at a loss minus "dude singing" -- anything else is music crit bullshit

so cos i dont like van hunt i have something against trad r&b? not at all (just how is van hunt trad R&B anyway? hes a total hybrid artist). van hunt is just DREARY. hes basically a repressed alt rock dude (for some reason a lot of his stuff makes me think of someone who likes the magnolia soundtrack, fiona apple or er jewel) and makes a hell of a lot of really insipid music that im guessing he thinks is deep or something. but anyway, dust, hold her hand and end of a slow dance are seriously good.

down here in hell with you is good too actually, but i hate his voice on a lot of his slower material. he sings them pretentious/self importantly. i think thats my main problem with VH. he often sounds too self conscious.

back to monae though, i hope she one day gets the budget to be able to stage some lavish stage shows. i imagine her coming up with something like the mothership but in a way artier fritz lang sort of way.

yeah back to van hunt though, you are just wrong & he has lots of great songs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4j1-HIiWYo

ugh wack vid quality on that
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loLPh7y3eOY

"Down Here in Hell With You" is great! But so is this, which it's very much operating in the same territory as: http://www.56.com/u74/v_MTQ5MzkwMzE.html

That wasn't (quite) a value judgement.

vh's voice IMO is best when he sings at his full, or normal volume, but he spends too much of his albums trying to quieten it down and ends up with this sub curtis/pharrell/r kelly whisper thing. i dont know why hes opted for this as his main voice. it just sounds really feeble. like hes aiming too hard for delicate sensitivity. but it ends up sounding 'small' and weedy really and really exposes the limitations of his voice. his range isnt that good that he can sing in that register and pull it off.

or maybe he was just trying on purpose to emulate the weedy male R&B voice. not sure.

i dunno it really doesnt sound all that similar to me! i mean i know theres a prince vibe to dude's voice, but topically van hunt is going for something entirely diff

i mean lyrics are in an entirely different world

titchy, I agree with the general sentiment you expressed. However, you can't expect much from certain people who operate under the notion that current top 40 USA chartpop & shitty indie are, in point of fact, the entirety of the musical universe and are their only frames of reference.

That said, I think a lot of the people criticizing this album raise a lot of valid points. Many of them are not necessarily denying her talents & that she's capable of being fantastic, but merely disagree that this album is the best possible concretion of that potential.

To me, the album just seems weirdly detached compared to her live presence & stuff like 'Many Moons' & 'Sincerely, Jane'; like she isn't quite present in the music and she's waiting for something transcendent to happen with all these collaborators + predictable pomp kind of half-running the show for her. I'll have to listen to it more, but I think it ultimately fails.

xpost

true... but thats one of the things thats bugged me about van hunt lol. it seems like hes trying to be deep and meaningful too much (almost as if he heard dangelos root and thought he must attempt to channel that amount of earnestness and thesaurus-searching into every track he does!) and im not sure it always works. its a bit heavy handed. but i think i just dont have the patience for him. id rather hear eric benet (well, *old* EB).

"To me, the album just seems weirdly detached compared to her live presence & stuff like 'Many Moons' & 'Sincerely, Jane'; like she isn't quite present in the music and she's waiting for something transcendent to happen with all these collaborators + predictable pomp kind of half-running the show for her. I'll have to listen to it more, but I think it ultimately fails."

yes. though i dont think it ultimately fails, i think theres just something that doesnt quite engage about it. partly cos she HERSELF doesnt appear to quite engage with it. though i think that might partly be her vocal character (poise etc), or perhaps its just she hasnt quite found her own vocal voice as such yet.

I don't get the "too many collaborators" criticsm. Big Boi is totally expected and doesn't get in the way at all. Saul Williams barely raises notice for himself. Which leaves Of Montreal as the only other real collaboration? While I agree that there are one two many OM tracks here, that hardly counts as "all these collaborators".

Also, get real, this is way better than Metropolis, which isn't that good.

She also seems way more at one with the material here, too. The main criticisms here (other than "lol Of Montreal" obv) are basically completely opposed to my experience of the album.

It's not really about the collaborators, I agree. It's about how far down she disappears into the mix here. It's all huge, loud, & elaborate.

I agree that Metropolis wasn't that good, but it had a lot of potential, which imo wasn't realized on this album.

But hey, I'm glad you love it.

actually i dont think its that she doesnt engage, its more that its your standard first album performance, where the singer doesnt fully impose their vocal personality on the material (even if she does impose her personality in plenty of other ways). its sort of like hearing prince on for you compared to hearing prince later, on say, something like beautiful ones, where hes doing all sorts of weird shit vocally that could only come from him. but that might come later. or she might just be a song-first kind of artist, who tries not to do that stuff as shes more of a straighter singer and doesnt want to do R&B runs or act like shes beyonce who can fuck up a melody in 0 to 6 seconds.

Also why is Locked Inside so out of tune?

The main criticism is that the songs just aren't that good.

I didn't enjoy this album that much, but I really really wanted to.

Well, and the arrangements are frantic; I rarely feel as if she as a vocalist owns the material. Listening to the album by the pool today in one concentrated burst, I thought of Prince's Around the World in a Day: lots of good ideas -- an attractive miscellany -- but the songs were mostly no good and he felt like a visitor on his own album. It took Parade for me to go, "Oh okay, I see what he's attempting."

So, no, I don't hate this album; it's an interesting misfire with several good performances.

I agree 100% with that comment.

i agree with the sentiment, but not the example. just cos around the world in a day has raspberry beret, pop life and paisley park on it.

and even condition of the heart and the ladder are good if you strip them away from their bloated arrangements.

xpost I love a lot of the songs on ATWIAD but agree about the suspected 'owning' of it. A recent poll thread shed some interesting light on it.

xpost gah titchy beat me to this on the 'other messages have been posted...'

Just a comment, expected this to be like Outkast's Stankonia crossed with Amerie's 1 Thing...maybe I should lower my expectations with these things a little..

ha I knew as soon as I wrote my post that there's lots of ATWIAD fans.

the 'owning' thing might come with time.

I'm totally looking forward to her next album already.

Ditto.

xpost as in more people getting past its reputation and listening to it properly? or in that it's a grower and it takes time for one to mentally stamp prince as owning the material in this state.

Fwiw, I didn't come into this with huge expectations. The songs aren't fantastic, but they're fine. The arrangements are fantastic though.

I've lived with ATWIAD for twenty years. It hasn't grown -- I have, about three inches.

The arrangements are my favorite thing about this album really, I am just totally in love with how rich and deep they are.

Well, also Monae as a vocalist is a total joy, too.

I know I mentioned Kid Creole earlier, but a lot of the arrangements make me think of how detailed and lovely Dr. Buzzard's Savannah Band's were (which, really Kid Creole was a step down from, or maybe the cd issues are just shitty)

What the hell? Metropolis is basically three great songs.

so xposted

I'm very satisfied with the way she flexibly adapts to the demands of different styles and moods here. If the vocals are so buried, why has this album imprinted on my mind mostly in the form of the vocal lines?

multiple x-post:

The arrangements are great. The orchestral passages work incredibly well. I don't know, I think the songs are pretty good too. What's weird is that sometimes it's not the song as a whole, but more the melodies running through the songs. This is very strong melodically.

xpost I know i've been derailing the thread here, but the two Darnell songs I really like are Grace of God and the cover of I'm an Indian Too. Does this record bring those to mind in particular?

Ha, Rev. I'm a Kid Creole >>> Dr. Buzzard guy.

I saw you mention them upthread, by the way. Can you expand on the comparison?

Davek: not really. maybe the later? there's nothing really that disco here, it's more the other influences of DB/KC that come to bear

Alfred, you break my heart with that KC>DB talk but let me get back to you.

I mean, I like Kid Creole but I love Dr. Buzzard's like few other things.

I guess it's only really "Faster" which in particular sounds like a Kid Creole & the Coconuts song, but more of the album reminds me of KC in small bits (like the background vocals of "Dance or Die") and in how it so omnivorous, but without seperating the components and risking pastiche.

As far as Dr. Buzzard's, it's mostly in how the arrangements are so detailed yet warm and lived-in. It never gets pompous in a way that arrangements so labored over would often risk. Maybe some kinship to Cory Daye as a vocalist, too? Monae is at least as good of a singer, too, which is high praise.

On a sidenote: am I the only one who thinks "Oh, Maker" is going to "Octopus' Garden" for about the first 3 seconds?

I'm going to need to listen to that track again right now.

x-post:

Still thinking about her allegedly not owning the songs. . . Does she fail to own "Oh Maker!"? Is she missing in action as a vocalist, or at least lost in the mix, on that track? I don't hear it. I'm not denying there are some tracks here where her vocals are heavily treated but I don't have a problem with that anyway. And I'll take a chameleonic vocal of Monae's stature over a bad or so-so vocalist with some clearly defined identity (is that the issue?).

Last minute and a half of Tightrope is straight-up amazing, like Curtis Mayfield amazing.

Just saw her performance on late night show and she was really really good.

Funnily enough I finally heard Dr. Buzzard's Meets King Penett and Goes to Washington for the first time today. Brilliant albums both.

Are there any samples on the record at all? The Wiki credits list an insane number of musicians...

Pretty sure there aren't. You'll notice some of the muscians credited have names like Eanom Ellenaj, though. ;-)

Noone else getting a David

ehem.... I was about to say:

Noone else getting a David Axelrod influence on some of the orchestration? A song like 'Wondaland' for example sort of sounds, at least to my ears, like David Axelrod providing orchestration and choral work for some eurodisco diva like Sophie Ellis Bextor or something.

I just watched the letterman clip and she is a small little woman

I just got my copy of this imported from America. I am really in love with this album but the only thing that disappoints is the album version of Tightrope is no way near as good as the live version on Letterman. I love how the brass just builds and builds on that performance, so I'm disappointed it doesn't quite get there.

I think I'll probably start skipping the Of Montreal song soon.

I quite like the Of Montreal song, as someone mentioned upthread it has an 80s Bowie vibe to it. Interesting melodies. nb I have never heard Of Montreal before.

you'll probably like their last two albums, like i said the song is basically an outtake from their latest, Skeletal Lamping

I am really in love with this album but the only thing that disappoints is the album version of Tightrope is no way near as good as the live version on Letterman. I love how the brass just builds and builds on that performance, so I'm disappointed it doesn't quite get there.

I prefer the studio version, but then that's the one I heard first. Check out the ending of the studio version closely if you haven't already, because it gets pretty interesting and I missed most of that before a few listens. I think watching the video also boosted my appreciation for that single.

yeah, the last minute or two of "Tightrope" is absolutely nuts

i like this album... and the of montreal song... and i like of montreal in general. in fact i like it better than anything on their last album.

Listened a few more times and I still think she's better when she abandons the kitchen sink craziness and goes for the sort of ballad that really gives her voice space - Sir Greendown and Oh Maker are both lovely. In contrast things like Come Alive (War of the Roses) are spectacularly irritating.

I prefer the studio version, but then that's the one I heard first. Check out the ending of the studio version closely if you haven't already, because it gets pretty interesting and I missed most of that before a few listens. I think watching the video also boosted my appreciation for that single.

― _Rudipherous_, Wednesday, May 26, 2010 1:35 AM (11 hours ago)

The letterman performance was the first song I'd heard of hers. I do still love the album version but the brass on the live one just seems really exciting, it sounds a bit lower in the mix on the album and fades out a bit too early.

I think overall Cold War is my favourite song on the album. Her vocal sounds especially great on that one and it kinda reminds me of Smiley Faces by Gnarls Barkley.

Despite what I said I think the Of Montreal one has grown on me quite a lot. I've only heard one of their earlier albums so don't know much about them, it does remind me of something from the new MGMT album a bit.

the song is basically an outtake from their latest, Skeletal Lamping

Probably a good thing I've avoided this, then.

I want to say the lines Just like a candle snuffed at dawn/You're here, you're near, you're there, and then you're gone strike me as really beautiful, especially as sung. (That is, assuming I am hearing the line correctly. I still don't have a lyrics sheet, since my CD copy came with a smashed up case and I am sending it back.) I also like the color imagery/symbolism in her lyrics, something I don't think I fully understand, which makes it interesting to me. We haven't talked so much about the lyrics, which may be a good thing since there are certainly some weaknesses, but I think at times they are pretty good.

I also like the little spoken segment in "Mushrooms & Roses." It sounds as if she is momentarily taking off her mask as a performer and actually talking the way Janelle Monae would, unveiling in the safety of all the distortion on that track.

I still don't know what she's saying right before "Take the Bus." It sounds like "confusion is a walrus," which I'm pretty sure is wrong (though it makes a nice Sonic Youth/Beatles mashup).

her lyrics can be sorta lol

the comment that oh maker sounds like the moz has become very distracting to my listening

her lyrics can be sorta lol

I still don't know what she's saying right before "Take the Bus." It sounds like "confusion is a walrus," which I'm pretty sure is wrong (though it makes a nice Sonic Youth/Beatles mashup).

― _Rudipherous_, Wednesday, May 26, 2010 6:26 AM Bookmark

ha, I keep going o_O at that line everytime I hear it and then completely forgetting about it until the next time

are they really singing "take her back to wondaland, she thinks she left her undapants"?

the problem with the of montreal song is that they didn't seem to think they should tailor it to monae, this just sounds like an of montreal song stuck in the middle of the album

yeah, exactly

On the Letterman and Ellen performances, when she sings the "whether you're high or low" part it doesn't sound quite right to me. Is it off key, or does it maybe just not sound right to me because of my expectations based on the recorded version. Is there anything weird about it music theory wise (anybody)?

iirc it's just the vagaries of live performance; unless you are Celine Dion, you are not going to hit every single note that comes out of your mouth perfectly and she is pressing a lot on that phrase, making it sound simultaneously unsteady and awesome

Hmm, I dunno. There's something about that part of the song, and the chorus, that doesn't sound quite right. Like you want it to be a perfect pop song, but the "high or low" part doesn't quite hit the right notes. I would also like to hear from someone who knows music a little bit technically...

BUT having said that, love this album. Oh, Maker is genuinely pretty, and a great shift in tone. I also like the way the album is, on the whole, damn fast.

Dan knows music a lot a bit technically. She just didn't hit the notes, it happens sometimes.

Yeah, but I was talking bout the recorded version.

In which there's no problem?

Not trying to labor the point. Just saying: to my ears, that part of the song, on the recorded version, doesn't sound right. Maybe it's just me.

Again, she's jarringly out of tune on Locked Inside. It's painful.

xp I think it's just you.

It doesn't even sound like she's trying to hit the same notes (as she hits on the album version) on that high or low part ,in the two live performances. The fact that it's the same in both performances makes me wonder if it's just a mistake, like why would she make the same mistake twice (as if I've never made the same mistake twice). I don't hear anything wrong with "Locked Inside" but I don't think I'm particularly sensitive to things being out of tune to begin with.

I feel as though I am with this album where I would normally be after two or three months of listening to an album, because I've listened so much, and I'm not longer as completely absorbed as I was on the first many listens. I'm not saying I don't like it a lot, just that the initial spell is no longer there. Probably I should just take a break from it. I am thinking that the moderate weakness of some of the songs as songs (so yes, I'm agreeing with that view to some extent) could be an issue in the long run.

^^^dope display name imo

Thanks, I usually don't play with that stuff. What is she saying though?

that lyrics are lol

http://vimeo.com/11723505

Again, she's jarringly out of tune on Locked Inside. It's painful.

― silence is a rhythm too (Turangalila), Friday, May 28, 2010 3:38 PM Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I'm listening to this now and between this and the Kelis thread, I'm thinking autotune has completely ruined people's perceptions of what actual singing sounds like.

She is eclectic. Isn't that SunnO))) in the Tightrope video? Love this song.

Last minute and a half of Tightrope is straight-up amazing, like Curtis Mayfield amazing.

― rhythm fixated member (chap), Monday, 24 May 2010 01:08 (5 days ago)

I just watched Tightrope and while it was ok for the first three and a bit minutes, it REALLY takes off towards the end. Love the visuals of her being led away while everyone else cavorts too. If she pulls this shit throughout then I'll have to give this a good listen.

I think you would probably like this album. You seem to like a lot of albums with a big ambitious sweep to them. This has that and mostly makes good on its big ambitions. (Incidentally, I am not feeling disconnected from it the way I was the last few times I listened to it before my last set of posts--maybe I was just listening to it when I was too tired.)

My dabblings in R&B are not especially extensive but I did like that Badu album everyone went mental for. I'll give it a listen!

This definitely has huge crossover-appeal (even to a degree which may make some people unhappy).

Last minute and a half of Tightrope is straight-up amazing, like Curtis Mayfield amazing.

― rhythm fixated member (chap), Monday, 24 May 2010 01:08 (5 days ago)

i dunno i think it's bad, real bad, michael jackson

lol jk i just wanted to say that

loooooooool

I don't know anything about R&B as has been pointed out on here extensively but I own more records by James Brown/Flaming Flames/The J.B.s than any other artist and this ticks a lot of boxes for me. I can't wait to hear the album.

as someone who loved tightrope, i have to say that i don't think the rest of the album lives up to it.

The Reverend, seriously? Like I listen to much music with autotune or think the rest of the album is out of tune? It's just that song ffs.

ok i need to get around to hearing this

brb listening to autotuned Ghena Dimitrova

'dance or die' is xxxtra dope for real

man this is dope. any haters on some kneejerk popism HOW IS THIS MORE ADVENTUROUS THAN AMERIE REHASHING ONE THING STILL needs to back down

build that strawman high, son

The Reverend, seriously? Like I listen to much music with autotune or think the rest of the album is out of tune? It's just that song ffs.

― silence is a rhythm too (Turangalila), Saturday, May 29, 2010 11:27 AM Bookmark

Okay, my bad for strawmanning you, but I don't hear it at all.

deej otm

xp seriously though deej, what do you mean by that? i don't follow.

(altho tbh I don't really think anyone here [rep]ped for the last Amerie album like that)

haha im totally exaggerating/strawmanning there

but there was a huge thread of "how is this more adventurous than [pop r&b artist x] [pop r&b artist y] & its like, look -- its a genuinely unique record! just because we can now acknowledge that, hey, the-dream is a really unique artist, doesnt mean that all 'outsider' alternative-y artists are overrated. this record is good

naw, I totally agree

but to some of us, this particular 'outsider' alternative-y artist is being overrated! -- this is like the most critically acclaimed album of the year

yeah, the rhetoric around the album is ridiculous, but who gives a shit, the music itself is great

in our circle i dont see much bullshit -- matt p's review was pretty good i thought, & looked at the record for what it was w/out hammering 'the rest of R&B' with it. obviously some cornballs will always see anything vaguely 'alternative' as superior but thats unavoidable, whether this record is great or wack.

the idea that 'tightrope' is the best song on this is nuts imo -- tightrope is kinda the most trad/boring -- this record mostly reminds me of bassment jaxx in its manic kitchen sink thing. way more than, like, nellie mckay. this is a great record! i want to know what tim f thinks

he definitely is the kind of person who can go either way when it comes to debates like this which gives at least some illusion of objectivity haa

man this is so so good ... after reading this thread i expected it to be, like, ok but uneven, but this is just wall 2 wall banging

i will say that 'war of the roses' has always been a bit too 'lets do the time warp agaiiiin' for my liking

The screamed verse on that is ace.

Also the bells in the bridge. I think it's a good track.

deej otm

xx-post

The bells are my favorite part and are a subtle echo of some things in other tracks (or at least one--I forget which at the moment). The bells kind of makes me think of the Butthole Surfers's classic "To Parter."

the thing about "Tightrope" is it starts out totally trad but then starts going in a million directions at the end and it's easy to lose sight of one or the other when both these things make the other stronger

the of montreal song is cool w me, sounds like shes going for a freddie mercury thing. but i dont listen to of montreal so

xp to rev yeah this was esp noticeable seeing her do this on TV & it made me reconsider the song

i think my favorite is actually the low-key songs like 'wondaland' (not really low key at all) but like ... this is where she sounds the most jaxx-ian to me.

the most jaxon

I find this record more and more obnoxious, and keep erasing more tracks from my iPod (still like "Cold War" and "Locked Inside."

We'll never reach a consensus with this one.

and I can't imagine what song woudl win a poll.

I'm not even ready to answer such a thing. The record is still revealing its charms to me.

I kinda feel like this hits the same spot last year's Platinum Pied Pipers album did, where even when it's retro, it's never reverent and uses those retroisms to springboard into something completely new, except the songwriting and production and everything are way better than on that record.

xpWow, I'm kind of jealous of how much you like it. I really wanted to, considering how fucking awesome she is.

Also, the weirdness on Locked Inside isn't necessarily just the voice. There's something offputting harmonically about the whole song to me. e.g., there's something unpleasantly *off* about the 4th chord in that accompaniment loop throughout.

'Tightrope' kind of reminds me of Róisín Murphy

We'll never reach a consensus with this one.

― Filmmaker, Author, Radio Host Stephen Baldwin (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, May 29, 2010 3:39 PM (26 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

by this i assume you mean, 'ill never agree with the emerging consensus'

i'm trying to wait til i'm in the right mood to give this a second chance but it's not happening yet, just thinking about how busy it is is tiring me out

There's something offputting harmonically about the whole song to me. e.g., there's something unpleasantly *off* about the 4th chord in that accompaniment loop throughout.

― silence is a rhythm too (Turangalila), Saturday, May 29, 2010 3:54 PM (12 minutes ago) Bookmark

to each his own but imo this is a great harmonic move

deej, you listening to & liking an album does not mean that there is an "emerging consensus"

btw who is Nellie Mckay?

me agreeing with matthew perpetua suggests something must have some serious appeal ha

nellie mckay is like the white precocious theater kid indie version of this -- way awful though. iirc miccio dug her

i really like nellie mckay's first album

heres an emerging consensus for u jordan
http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/monaejanelle/archandroid?q=janelle%20monae

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_mjAQb_2gc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q6HKiF83aI

heres an emerging consensus for u jordan
http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/monaejanelle/archandroid?q=janelle%20monae

― its like why GROCERY BAG and not saddam? (deej), Saturday, May 29, 2010 4:11 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark

yeah no duh i already mentioned that -- alfred said "we" as in people posting itt & reaction has been completely mixed

alfred is an eccentric & u are riding lex kneejerk popism here

most of the monae stans aren't even feeling this!!

not sure how this qualifies as knee jerk popism -- she's signed to bad boy & sold 3 times as many albums in her first week as electrik red -- i just think there's a lot bluster & noise on the album and not much quality songwriting

i haven't even said i dislike this yet, and i quite liked her ep!! i will say that 100% of the critical response (ugh, that perpetua review that i ended up reading by accident) makes me roll my eyes though.

& you have more eccentric tastes than alfred, you tard

whats wrong with the perpetua review lex

the quality songwriting is exactly why this is great fwiw

cold war is def my favorite vocal performance

"there's a lot bluster & noise on the album and not much quality songwriting"
^kinda where I'm at; the razzmatazz gets cloying

and I voted for Metropolis as top 10 p+j in 08 and I'm pretty sure this won't make it into my top 20 unless another few listens really changes my perspective... though tightrope might be a top ten single.

i think a more restricted palette served her better; this is nice and it has def high points but after three or four listens I haven't felt as compelled to return to this as, say, Josh Turner or Guido or Ratatat or Ellie Goulding or

btw, nellie calmed down that jazz hands shit over her last two hands and is no longer quite so drastically unfocused and is quietly building a pretty nice discog

"last two hands" = "last two albums"

dog u like ratatat

yes and you like jacka

our respective crosses to bear

btw i listened to shooterz for a week and finally decided that, with exceptions, you and i have definitely different tastes and that's kinda where it's at

ratatat is great!

alfred is an eccentric

Ha! Okay! That's a first.

It's Memorial Day weekend, bros. Take the album on your iPods. Play it for your friends.

ipod got stolen

probably sunn0))) :(

this record is all songs -- if u cant make it thru the 'razzmatazz' thats on you -- and im kinda surprised you dont like anything on shooterz either. really? no songs stood out to you at all?

not even like www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhV-3FNUo5w

did the mods write "no bay area youtubes from poster 'deej'" into the code?

all over me and starz are runnin get some play every now and again, but overall not so much

reign god is okay but so much of that mix sounds like g-unit recycling

do you mean its ... gangster rap?

bcuz jacka himself doesnt really sound like any member of g-unit & certainly has his own lyrical style

anyway we should take that to the fruity therad

did the mods write "no bay area youtubes from poster 'deej'" into the code?

― ok dennis hopper (J0rdan S.), Saturday, May 29, 2010 7:12 PM (15 minutes ago) Bookmark

i try to do yall a favor & u zing me for it -- just for that im posting 10 bay rap youtubes in the fruity swag thread before today is over

:-p

'faster' is sooo good.

^^^

dash-dashing prince or horny toad

Haven't really heard much of her stuff, but I'm excited that I'll be seeing her open for Ms Badu tonight.

this record is cool, but sometimes it's a little too "jazz hands" for moi

holy shit, she's touring with Badu?????

i think it's funny how popists basically react like O.G. indie rockers when the uncool kids invade the clubhouse

holy shit, she's touring with Badu?????

http://outmymindjustintimetour.com

argh, not going to be able to go