Basically, anyone who likes either New Amerykah and isn't fucking with this is stuck on stupid.
― The Reverend, Thursday, 4 November 2010 02:52 (thirteen years ago) link
*throwing the gauntlet down*
― The Reverend, Thursday, 4 November 2010 03:01 (thirteen years ago) link
<3 u rev
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Thursday, 4 November 2010 03:10 (thirteen years ago) link
i got this today on some random download shit and it is bonkers good
op is a ringing endorsement, tbh though i didn't even know he was around still
― "I am a fairly respected poster." (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Thursday, 4 November 2010 03:16 (thirteen years ago) link
"All Matter" is as tense as a coil.
― The Reverend, Thursday, 4 November 2010 03:31 (thirteen years ago) link
he had her walkin the townsellin her asshe was makin money til she broke her backone daaaayhow you do dat?upside down on the poll when you're smokin cracksomebody yelled from the back"get this ho up off the floor"
― The Reverend, Thursday, 4 November 2010 03:40 (thirteen years ago) link
upside down on the poll when you're smokin crack
too much time on ilx
― J0rdan S., Thursday, 4 November 2010 03:41 (thirteen years ago) link
irl lol
― The Reverend, Thursday, 4 November 2010 03:43 (thirteen years ago) link
that was an otm post
― The Reverend, Thursday, 4 November 2010 03:44 (thirteen years ago) link
hook me up dude
― holy lolson (deej), Thursday, 4 November 2010 03:49 (thirteen years ago) link
just check the usual places
― The Reverend, Thursday, 4 November 2010 03:58 (thirteen years ago) link
album is v. good.
― Tim F, Thursday, 4 November 2010 04:50 (thirteen years ago) link
Oh dang, I didn't realize it was done yet. Hooray!
― Johnny Fever, Thursday, 4 November 2010 04:54 (thirteen years ago) link
― The Reverend, Wednesday, November 3, 2010 10:58 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
cant find :( u have aim mofo
― holy lolson (deej), Thursday, 4 November 2010 05:10 (thirteen years ago) link
hey rev would you post one or two choice tracks?
― J0rdan S., Thursday, 4 November 2010 05:17 (thirteen years ago) link
i still need to check out the aloe blacc album
― J0rdan S., Thursday, 4 November 2010 05:18 (thirteen years ago) link
deej, i got it off slsk, i don't have a link to a rar/zip
j0, this is my immediate fave:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0apYId-zQQE
― The Reverend, Thursday, 4 November 2010 05:42 (thirteen years ago) link
― The Reverend, Thursday, 4 November 2010 02:52 (4 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
was thinking of starting a thread about the last Mos Def album with p much the same line. Will download this, never knew Bilal was still kicking around.
― gazza bale flame (a hoy hoy), Thursday, 4 November 2010 07:25 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah straight up i thought this dude was dead and shit
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Thursday, 4 November 2010 07:42 (thirteen years ago) link
His unreleased album Love for Sale was good too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geIyb1pfk0s
― The Reverend, Thursday, 4 November 2010 07:45 (thirteen years ago) link
i like this album a lot.
― lex lex lex lex lex on the track BOW (lex pretend), Thursday, 4 November 2010 10:14 (thirteen years ago) link
how does this compare to Love 4 Sale (which is a classic imo), from what I've read it's a lot "rockier"
― i am not a display name (The Brainwasher), Thursday, 4 November 2010 12:20 (thirteen years ago) link
Great album. Along with the Quadron album, Plug Research is A+ this year.
― Michael F Gill, Friday, 5 November 2010 18:31 (thirteen years ago) link
COOL ON THE OUTSIDE AND HOT IN THE MIDDLE
― kkkvagz (The Reverend), Tuesday, 9 November 2010 02:55 (thirteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzKgNNpVtYk
― kkkvagz (The Reverend), Tuesday, 9 November 2010 02:56 (thirteen years ago) link
It's good, but when I put this on it kind of just drifts over my head. I guess it's a bit like listening to an r'n'b Tame Impala - like, there's music there and it's ostensibly interesting,but it doesn't hold me by the lapels and shake me like New Amerykah does. Sorry, I will keep listening.
― village idiot (dog latin), Tuesday, 9 November 2010 13:50 (thirteen years ago) link
this is so great on headphones
― dark side of the goon (The Reverend), Thursday, 18 November 2010 04:27 (thirteen years ago) link
like this a lot, though i think the songwriting could be a bit stronger at times. its mostly bilals voice/phrasing/tone etc that carry it for me. the last song is quite like cody chestnutt. overall though i think i like this album cos it has a kind of resigned tone that hangs over the whole thing.
― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Thursday, 18 November 2010 10:08 (thirteen years ago) link
I finally listened to this and... don't get it. It seems so aimless and confused. There are no hooks, none of the breaks were memorable - I just don't get it. It's like Voodoo if you take all that makes the D'Angelo great. The songwriting seems like he needs someone to tell him to sharpen it up. The New Amerykah comparison doesn't even really make sense considering how TIGHT that record is, even parts like Master Teacher are so focussed.
I'll give it another go but really this guy exists for me to occasionally pull out Fastlane.
― hoy orbison (a hoy hoy), Tuesday, 23 November 2010 11:28 (thirteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jkbDtFapyY
― smanging pumpkins (The Reverend), Friday, 28 January 2011 10:17 (thirteen years ago) link
"Flying" works because Bilal sounds like the broken-down woman he's singing about.
― banjee trillness (The Reverend), Saturday, 26 February 2011 23:40 (thirteen years ago) link
rev did u make a best albums list last year? i remember finding some really cool shit i had missed off your 09 one (shafiq husayn, meshell ndegeocello)
― flopson, Saturday, 26 February 2011 23:45 (thirteen years ago) link
ILM 2010 Albums Poll Ballot+Stats Fiesta
― banjee trillness (The Reverend), Saturday, 26 February 2011 23:48 (thirteen years ago) link
It's a lot closer to the ILX hivemind's than the previous year's list, where I was kind of carving my own little corner of the world for myself. I also listened to a lot more rap, less r&b and dance than the few years previous.
― banjee trillness (The Reverend), Saturday, 26 February 2011 23:52 (thirteen years ago) link
ya, i feel i hewed p close to it too, or at least to stuff the same stuff you were onto. will check out esperanza spalding & ramadanman tho -- bilal is dope
― flopson, Saturday, 26 February 2011 23:55 (thirteen years ago) link
I love the reggae coda of "Who Are You"
― banjee trillness (The Reverend), Sunday, 27 February 2011 00:04 (thirteen years ago) link
Really like this lp, but it's mastered so horribly I can't usually make it all the way through. It's way too harsh.
Still have much love for Levels, Restart and All Matter. Three of 2010's best songs right there.
― Spottie_Ottie_Dope, Sunday, 27 February 2011 00:29 (thirteen years ago) link
Really? I haven't noticed any problem with that.
― banjee trillness (The Reverend), Sunday, 27 February 2011 00:32 (thirteen years ago) link
Yah man, crank it and you'll have to turn down the highs in your e
― Spottie_Ottie_Dope, Sunday, 27 February 2011 00:33 (thirteen years ago) link
*eq
Check the opening drums on Restart.
― Spottie_Ottie_Dope, Sunday, 27 February 2011 00:35 (thirteen years ago) link
Compare it to the Aloe Blacc lp which was one of the best sounding albums from last year, any genre. That whole album is so warm and inviting, although not as adventurous on a song to song basis.
― Spottie_Ottie_Dope, Sunday, 27 February 2011 00:44 (thirteen years ago) link
I don't really ever listen to music loud tbh.
― banjee trillness (The Reverend), Sunday, 27 February 2011 00:52 (thirteen years ago) link
It was one of the first things I noticed and I'm not a major geekaudiophile. My preferences with sound could differ greatly from yours so if you don't notice then cool. Still one of my favorite soul releases from '10 regardless.
― Spottie_Ottie_Dope, Sunday, 27 February 2011 01:11 (thirteen years ago) link
This album still jams
― The Reverend, Wednesday, 26 October 2011 22:18 (twelve years ago) link
Maybe somebody can help me out with this: Bilal teased Airtight's Revenge with a single-worthy track that ultimately didn't make the album, and I don't remember what it was called or know where I can hear it again. I vaguely remember the song being in the vein of "Cake & Eat It Too," kind of heaving and beat-heavy, but that memory could be way off. I was really bummed when it wasn't on the album, then the album grew on me so much I didn't care anymore, but I'd love to hear that track again if anybody remembers it.
― Evan R, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 15:45 (twelve years ago) link
no idea, dude
― hologram ned raggett (The Reverend), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 16:24 (twelve years ago) link
Spent way too much time searching, but I found it. It's "Free." Definitely too beaty to have fit on the album, but not a bad song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZHIENQ698w
― Evan R, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 17:44 (twelve years ago) link
Nottz production is always very buoyant.
― Spottie_Ottie_Dope, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 17:51 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, I could go for a whole Nottz-produced soul album. Maybe not a Bilal-Nottz album, because there are probably better uses for Bilal's unique talents, but I always dig Nottz.
― Evan R, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 17:58 (twelve years ago) link
They had another joint on Nottz solo album
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aahQwBLM2Ns
― Spottie_Ottie_Dope, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 18:00 (twelve years ago) link
New album is streaming at NPR and sounds nothing like how I expected it to sound
http://www.npr.org/2013/02/17/172110416/first-listen-bilal-a-love-surreal?sc=tw&cc=share
― Evan R, Monday, 18 February 2013 20:47 (eleven years ago) link
this is fantastic
― On Being Blue (Da Ba Dee): A Philosophical Inquiry (wins), Monday, 18 February 2013 21:16 (eleven years ago) link
Only listened to it once, but my jaw has dropped so many times already. It's no easy feat making an album this soft so daring
― Evan R, Monday, 18 February 2013 21:27 (eleven years ago) link
yeah I'm just listening now and there are so many odd little earworms but still this record already feels like an old friend. Highlight so far is "slipping away", which is just wow.
― wins rules at negative self-demolition (wins), Monday, 18 February 2013 21:42 (eleven years ago) link
http://www.thenqm.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/bilal-a-love-surreal-album-coverjpg.jpg
― wins rules at negative self-demolition (wins), Monday, 18 February 2013 21:45 (eleven years ago) link
loving this so far
― skeet-skeet-gate (Spottie_Ottie_Dope), Monday, 18 February 2013 21:54 (eleven years ago) link
this is awesome
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Monday, 18 February 2013 22:32 (eleven years ago) link
― The Reverend, Wednesday, November 3, 2010 10:01 PM (2 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― 'glown' with the king (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 18 February 2013 22:34 (eleven years ago) link
the drums on "back to love" are killing me rn
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Monday, 18 February 2013 22:35 (eleven years ago) link
okay so i'm only into the third song but so far this record is amazing at creating a sense of extreme space even when like a million things are happening at once
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Monday, 18 February 2013 22:38 (eleven years ago) link
which is great bc correct me if i have a wrong impression of airtight's revenge but a lot of what kept me from really getting into that record was how busy it seemed
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Monday, 18 February 2013 22:40 (eleven years ago) link
I loved airtight's revenge but yeah I see what you're saying, this feels less... dense?
― wins rules at negative self-demolition (wins), Monday, 18 February 2013 22:44 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah, it definitely is. There's a lot more space on this one. Totally different vibe, too. (And as good as the first half of this one is, the second half is even more striking).
― Evan R, Monday, 18 February 2013 22:47 (eleven years ago) link
also i know everybody made last year about channel orange vs. kaleidoscope dream but this record (at least so far) actually registers to me as kind of a version of channel orange i find 100 percent compelling. a similar feeling of wandering strangeness but the songs are all incredibly present oh and the PLAYING is fantastic
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Monday, 18 February 2013 22:48 (eleven years ago) link
Unfortunately, it's not as flashy or personality-driven as Channel Orange, and between that and its leisurely pacing and NPR jazziness I'm afraid that it's not gonna get a fraction of the press it deserves. I feel like this could be the album that turns me into Lex, the true believer crying out to every critic that they need to hear an album they have no intention of ever listening to
― Evan R, Monday, 18 February 2013 22:52 (eleven years ago) link
the second half is even more striking
the glasper track is incredible! does ilx like glasper? No thread, and I can't remember seeing any chatter anywhere. Too npr-y? I loved the last one with all the neo-soul artists on it (bilal, badu, ndegeocello!)
ha xp
― wins rules at negative self-demolition (wins), Monday, 18 February 2013 23:01 (eleven years ago) link
answers my question I guess. I'm a brit so I have only a vague sense of what npr even is, except that a lot of my favourite albums seem to turn up as "first listens" there
― wins rules at negative self-demolition (wins), Monday, 18 February 2013 23:03 (eleven years ago) link
That Glasper album was very good, but maybe a little "safe" to garner widespread interest. Glasper's contributions here, though, are head turning. Would love to maybe see these two make a full album together some day
― Evan R, Monday, 18 February 2013 23:06 (eleven years ago) link
"back to love" is ruling my life today
― een, Monday, 18 February 2013 23:06 (eleven years ago) link
channel orange invocation so very unnecessary
― r|t|c, Monday, 18 February 2013 23:10 (eleven years ago) link
sorry rtc! was just a thought i had. forget i mentioned it
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Monday, 18 February 2013 23:11 (eleven years ago) link
lol u dont have to actually apologise
it's just a smothering idea for first blushes is all
― r|t|c, Monday, 18 February 2013 23:15 (eleven years ago) link
ooh i didn't know robert glasper was on this
― william tyler the creator (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 18 February 2013 23:16 (eleven years ago) link
true
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Monday, 18 February 2013 23:17 (eleven years ago) link
tbh i'd kinda always felt this guy flattered to deceive somewhat (not to say i ever thought he was fraudulent, just that idk he could have done more than settle for the cosily oblique) but the second half of this is sounding pretty wonderful and deeply satisfying
― r|t|c, Monday, 18 February 2013 23:25 (eleven years ago) link
you could be onto something for all I know, I've always been glad to be a sucker tbh
― wins rules at negative self-demolition (wins), Monday, 18 February 2013 23:28 (eleven years ago) link
yeah never mind whatever i said upthread about this record bc i honestly hadn't reached the second side yet
which goddamn
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Monday, 18 February 2013 23:39 (eleven years ago) link
― wins rules at negative self-demolition (wins), Monday, 18 February 2013 23:28 (Yesterday) Bookmark
winsomely put. the unspoken superficialities of bohemian appreciation is a topic of perpetual interest imo, like i know as i fall in love with this record that i'm certainly not really checking for the lyrics as a whole and indeed ever getting round to doing so would likely feel like an artificial labour; simultaneously however i wallow in the dusky signifiers of numinous soulful substance.
guess essentially it's a question of personal stock markets and why i sell on a supposedly thin and indulgent first half and buy on a supposedly rich and affecting second half; in reality i don't doubt they're cut from the same cloth
if there were an interesting comparison with channel orange it's might be one of image and presentation; how the cover art of each invite/preclude different stratas of suckerdom (a hunch can't be bovd to flesh out so good luck w/ that)
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 14:34 (eleven years ago) link
in any case, got this album helplessly on loop today
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 14:38 (eleven years ago) link
Here's my weird bias: I wish the second half came first, because it's the much more interesting sell (and I suppose because it has the killer vocal performances), even though the album is a much more logical listen as it is. I just don't want people dipping in for a few songs, assuming they've heard everything there is, then ducking out before they get to the revelations.
― Evan R, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 14:56 (eleven years ago) link
so far i like to hear it as two mini lps, small and perfectly formed like blacksummersnight; probably if i really studied the lyrics there'd be some greater intended arc this might disfigure but concision has its own logic (and often a better, more suggestive one at that)
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 15:22 (eleven years ago) link
doubtful in any case that anyone so minded to bother to check this album out at all is ever going to skip the second half
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 15:25 (eleven years ago) link
anyone have credits for this? who's on drums?
― queeple qua queeple (Jordan), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 15:38 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah the drums AND the bass O__o
― skeet-skeet-gate (Spottie_Ottie_Dope), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 15:39 (eleven years ago) link
guessing derrick hodge on bass
― queeple qua queeple (Jordan), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 15:43 (eleven years ago) link
this could be a banner year for, uh, neo-neo-soul. this, jose james, and i guess it's maybe even possible that there's an outside chance that d'angelo and maxwell will drop their records.
― queeple qua queeple (Jordan), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 15:46 (eleven years ago) link
that would be an incredible year.
― skeet-skeet-gate (Spottie_Ottie_Dope), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 15:48 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah, that's a trend piece I would love to read
― Evan R, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 15:59 (eleven years ago) link
definitely feeling the slower second half more
― queeple qua queeple (Jordan), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 16:19 (eleven years ago) link
was quite excited about this based on the hosannahs but in what way is this not bilal making the same kind of album he always makes? that's nice to listen to with a few interesting details for a week or so and then you completely forget about it. case in point, his last album seems to have disappeared from my itunes and this is the first time i've noticed. "slipping away" is pretty great i guess but he never stops my attention wandering.
the robert glasper album last year was really great, much better and more varied imo
― lex pretend, Saturday, 23 February 2013 14:57 (eleven years ago) link
this is based on 2 listens, i guess i'm not done with it yet but it didn't blow me away
― lex pretend, Saturday, 23 February 2013 14:58 (eleven years ago) link
don't recall much inhomogeneous about the glasper rec, nice enough though it was
― r|t|c, Saturday, 23 February 2013 15:36 (eleven years ago) link
really? quite apart from the multiplicity of voices you've got breezy summer jams, heavy-lidded bedroom soul, dr dre interpolations, nirvana through a talkbox...it's one of the most varied (broadly) neo-soul albums i can think of
― lex pretend, Saturday, 23 February 2013 17:54 (eleven years ago) link
imo the "forgettable" feeling with bilal (which i also get) has a lot more to do with the internet crit community's tendency not to reward these types of records than with some fundamental replay value issue
― een, Saturday, 23 February 2013 19:17 (eleven years ago) link
In case this hadn't been posted:
http://m.soundcloud.com/eone-music/bilal-the-retrospection
DAMN.
― Raymond Cummings, Thursday, 7 March 2013 12:49 (eleven years ago) link
I listened to the new album once and forgot about it :/
― radric: the gathering (The Reverend), Thursday, 7 March 2013 18:22 (eleven years ago) link
still hanging in there nicely for me
― r|t|c, Thursday, 7 March 2013 18:24 (eleven years ago) link
yeah, I need to go back
― radric: the guccining (The Reverend), Thursday, 7 March 2013 18:34 (eleven years ago) link
Buying today, will report back
― Raymond Cummings, Monday, 11 March 2013 20:45 (eleven years ago) link
"butterfly" is my favourite, that one is gorgeous
― monotony, Tuesday, 12 March 2013 01:17 (eleven years ago) link
Not sure if this album can crack my top 10, but love the shit out of "west side girl"
― Raymond Cummings, Friday, 22 March 2013 11:53 (eleven years ago) link
What would Bilal's Purple Rain look like?
― Raymond Cummings, Wednesday, 27 March 2013 11:36 (eleven years ago) link
This is a GROWER
― Raymond Cummings, Tuesday, 2 April 2013 12:34 (eleven years ago) link
album of the year
― sleepingbag, Saturday, 16 November 2013 15:45 (ten years ago) link
One of em yeah
― comic sbans soref (wins), Saturday, 16 November 2013 15:48 (ten years ago) link
It will get a track on my singles list at the least
Weird this thread came back, been revisiting this album over the last few days
― Beatrix Kiddo (Raymond Cummings), Sunday, 17 November 2013 00:50 (ten years ago) link
same
― Spottie, Sunday, 17 November 2013 04:47 (ten years ago) link
revisited it the other week, still slams
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Sunday, 17 November 2013 18:13 (ten years ago) link
love "Climbing." the 'smoking some mary jane, with Marilyn, in Maryland' line just jumped out at me because i used to know a pothead girl in Baltimore County by that name.
― some dude, Monday, 18 November 2013 14:49 (ten years ago) link
Nice
― comic sbans soref (wins), Monday, 18 November 2013 14:51 (ten years ago) link
That bass on Winning Hand.
― Spottie, Thursday, 9 January 2014 06:26 (ten years ago) link
I know, right?
― Beatrix Kiddo (Raymond Cummings), Thursday, 9 January 2014 14:41 (ten years ago) link
10/10 aoty, rt
― een, Thursday, 9 January 2014 19:07 (ten years ago) link
i'm still not over this album (love surreal) even a little bit... any ilx rnb-ists have any recommendations that might scratch the same itch?
― real myst opportunity (sleepingbag), Thursday, 20 March 2014 00:43 (ten years ago) link
i feel like i love a lot of records in this vein but none are coming to mind right now. first van hunt record?
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Thursday, 20 March 2014 00:50 (ten years ago) link
Did you check the Jose James record from last year? No Beginning No End is the name.
― Spottie, Thursday, 20 March 2014 00:52 (ten years ago) link
xp ha, that's funny, my friend showed me some van hunt after i showed him this bilal, but it was a later record. i'll check out the first one.
haven't heard jose james either, will do. thanks guys!
― real myst opportunity (sleepingbag), Thursday, 20 March 2014 00:54 (ten years ago) link
Also Black Radio 1 (and 2) by Robert Glasper.
― Spottie, Thursday, 20 March 2014 00:54 (ten years ago) link
Anthony Hamilton with Robert Glasperhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq1Nti0LuEM
check out some Anthony Hamilton too
― Spottie, Thursday, 20 March 2014 00:55 (ten years ago) link
ALSO the latest albums from Amel Larrieux (Ice Cream Everyday) and Goapele (Break of Dawn).
― Spottie, Thursday, 20 March 2014 00:58 (ten years ago) link
Pretty much EVERYTHING Glasper is gold
― RAP GAME SHANI DAVIS (Raymond Cummings), Thursday, 20 March 2014 01:46 (ten years ago) link
you guyyyyyyyys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGKs6U8xdWM
― steendriver dysphoria hoos (The Reverend), Sunday, 13 April 2014 21:39 (ten years ago) link
new album with adrian younge apparently, which could be good, or could be too period-focused...
― StillAdvance, Wednesday, 1 April 2015 16:04 (nine years ago) link
yeah that's a crap shoot, but there's high upside there
― Evan R, Wednesday, 1 April 2015 16:16 (nine years ago) link
airtights revenge is really underrated - ive been listening to it a lot lately. its much better than a love surreal which seemed like him doing whats expected, more or less (though maybe its time for a revisit).
― StillAdvance, Wednesday, 1 April 2015 16:18 (nine years ago) link
love airtights revengehate adrian younge
― ANU (sisilafami), Wednesday, 1 April 2015 17:15 (nine years ago) link
i listened to airtights and a love surreal today and they both fuckin rule
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Wednesday, 1 April 2015 17:44 (nine years ago) link
Couldn't get into Love Surreal apart from West Side Girl. Agree that Airtight's Revenge is really underrated.
― Kitchen Person, Wednesday, 1 April 2015 18:14 (nine years ago) link
the like 2 second sample of "when the levee breaks" in "move on" is hilarious
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Wednesday, 1 April 2015 19:06 (nine years ago) link
I just out Airtight on at an afterparty the other night! I never really did get into A Love Surreal tho. Hate Adrian Younge too.
― The Reverend, Wednesday, 1 April 2015 21:14 (nine years ago) link
just put on
just started playing this and it's definitely a bilal record
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Wednesday, 1 July 2015 03:40 (nine years ago) link
it's also really good? obv
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Wednesday, 1 July 2015 03:47 (nine years ago) link
Both of the above posts OTM.
― Tim F, Wednesday, 1 July 2015 05:02 (nine years ago) link
new one sounded great while making dinner last night . i want to dig in more but it sounds like his most reined in, concise album yet?
― lil urbane (Jordan), Friday, 3 July 2015 13:51 (nine years ago) link
Definitely
― The Reverend, Saturday, 4 July 2015 09:32 (nine years ago) link
A Love Surreal already felt fairly concise to me (if not "reined in" per se). I feel like this album applies that album's discipline to Airtight Revenge's sonic template, though I haven't yet gone back to AR to confirm whether this is even remotely close to correct.
― Tim F, Sunday, 5 July 2015 21:54 (nine years ago) link
this tweet made me download this album lol
https://twitter.com/alshipley/status/617116418518028288
― flopson, Sunday, 5 July 2015 22:56 (nine years ago) link
:)
― some dude, Sunday, 5 July 2015 23:09 (nine years ago) link
Finally cracked into this yesterday. Exciting record. First half sounded great to me; second half was a little harsh but I was listening on bad speakers. I run hot and cold on Adrian Younge (sometimes his retro-ness scans as schticky to me) but his work here sound good
― Evan R, Sunday, 5 July 2015 23:55 (nine years ago) link
Yeah, this is the first Adrian Younge production I've really had any use for because he's finally working with an artist who pushes against his staid-ness.
― The Reverend, Monday, 6 July 2015 00:53 (nine years ago) link
who's Adrian Younge
the live drumming on this record is pretty appallingly bad, like the worst drumming i've heard on a 'name' record that wasn't shambolic indie rock shit
― some dude, Monday, 6 July 2015 03:19 (nine years ago) link
did you not like the Ghostface album xp?
― Hikikomori Povich (tsrobodo), Monday, 6 July 2015 08:48 (nine years ago) link
lol yeah this is such a weird choice
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Monday, 6 July 2015 12:04 (nine years ago) link
I thought the Ghostface record was a blast, but campiness flatters Ghostface. Haven't gotten around to the sequel yet though
― Evan R, Monday, 6 July 2015 13:39 (nine years ago) link
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Younge
And yeah, some of his fake-vintage stuff comes across as plastic to me, esp the drums
― Evan R, Monday, 6 July 2015 13:41 (nine years ago) link
track examples? i still haven't gotten a chance to listen to the first half, but there were parts in the first half that just seemed like intentionally janky loops.
― lil urbane (Jordan), Monday, 6 July 2015 15:20 (nine years ago) link
if this album is as good as sirens (Which was amazing, if a bit short and bitty), i think it might be bilals best album in a while. i think airtights might be his best, followed by the first one, and then love for sale.
― StillAdvance, Monday, 6 July 2015 23:01 (nine years ago) link
many songs on the record are as good as "sirens" which yeah is incredddible
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Tuesday, 7 July 2015 03:04 (nine years ago) link
Been listening to a lot of Adrian Younge's productions lately and was looking forward to In Another Life. Those drums sure are hard to get past tho. :(
― Jeff W, Tuesday, 7 July 2015 13:54 (nine years ago) link
i would call the drums a little basic sounding maybe, but i don't think i would have noticed so much if not for the convo in this thread. after one listen today i think it's pretty great, "it's definitely a bilal record" otm
― i'm not a dogg (sleepingbag), Wednesday, 8 July 2015 18:57 (nine years ago) link
production feels less than stellar but the songwriting is lovely
― like a giraffe of nah (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 9 July 2015 19:52 (nine years ago) link
only heard this once, on the train, so not ideal conditions, but the album seems underwritten. i wish he would get someone to write for/with him. nice to hear him screaming a bit though, i miss that side of him.
― StillAdvance, Thursday, 16 July 2015 11:08 (nine years ago) link
and the drums - though a bit shoehorned in - are better than some of the drums on his other productions. at least these have some thwack to them, most of the time they sound flattened, or like theyre stuck on a certain preset.
― StillAdvance, Thursday, 16 July 2015 11:09 (nine years ago) link
First half is pretty good but I think it gets a little aimless near the end. The song I keep coming back to is "Star Now"
― Roland Pemberton, Monday, 20 July 2015 20:27 (nine years ago) link
album gets better the more i hear it, though it does still seem a bit underdeveloped in places, like they could have done more with the songs. the repetitiousness of the drum sound is dissappointing after a while but the last song kind of slays me. and sirens is still amazing. i love bilal to death, but while i like that he just keeps making albums, unlike dangelo, i still think he has yet to make an album deserving of his talent. having one producer is one good idea, but a strong writer would help loads i think.
― StillAdvance, Tuesday, 21 July 2015 10:33 (nine years ago) link
saw him live this evening in london. the relentlessness of younges non-grooves becomes more apparent live, where you just want the drummer to STFU with the breakbeats after a while. i didnt realise how sparse the new album actually is, and not always for the better. his current band are good, though it got samey quite fast to hear virtually every song end in a big rock blow out, like a rock shortcut. i wish bilal took rock's propulsion, speed, and catchiness, rather than just grand 70s heaviosity. airtights revenge worked rock/pop influences in much more subtly. hes still a brilliant performer, and singer, though oddly, he doesnt really give himself much time to relax or stretch out vocally these days, which is a shame.
― StillAdvance, Tuesday, 21 July 2015 22:53 (nine years ago) link
Lemme tell ya that starting the year hearing Bilal do an extended live jam on "Sometimes" is as good a way to get going as you're likely to get.
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Sunday, 6 January 2019 17:38 (five years ago) link
what a record
― american bradass (BradNelson), Friday, 4 October 2019 12:29 (four years ago) link
so fucked up on prescription pillsshe'll never trust a man again
― american bradass (BradNelson), Friday, 4 October 2019 12:38 (four years ago) link
my ears weren't ready for this album when it came out
― american bradass (BradNelson), Friday, 4 October 2019 12:53 (four years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epfE8rjLeTs
― american bradass (BradNelson), Friday, 21 February 2020 15:40 (four years ago) link
^^^ really wonderful song
seeing him with Kassa Overall on Sunday; bilal is always great in concert
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Friday, 21 February 2020 16:00 (four years ago) link
i love this. low key
― Thybulle on the Dash (Spottie), Friday, 21 February 2020 18:21 (four years ago) link
Did anyone spring for this Bandcamp-only, all-star, no preview tracks release?
https://bilalxhighbreedmusic.bandcamp.com/
― change display name (Jordan), Thursday, 11 February 2021 17:12 (three years ago) link
Btw ulysses idk if that was the last concert you saw, but I hope it was a good one.
― change display name (Jordan), Thursday, 11 February 2021 17:13 (three years ago) link
it was a good one (he did sometimes!) but not QUITE the last show I saw. god i miss live music.
― That's not really my scene (I'm 41) (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 11 February 2021 17:37 (three years ago) link
not heard that EP but i love the new song on spotify, in the rain.
― candyman, Thursday, 11 February 2021 18:31 (three years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QCwWtSZsMM
this is interesting
― ufo, Monday, 19 August 2024 21:01 (one month ago) link