THIS FUCKING ALBUM.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wN-LZ5BQoKI
― Tim F, Monday, 21 February 2011 10:21 (seven years ago) Permalink
I like that the mixtape's implied critique of Last Train To Paris is that it's too chilled!
― Tim F, Monday, 21 February 2011 10:23 (seven years ago) Permalink
also u&k - this track that apparently emerged last year but isn't on the mixtape
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEyIVWFVatk
prod. rob holladay, who was responsible for most of the production on the dirty money lovelove vs. hatelove mixtape
is this where danity kane get a critical re-evaluation too? their second album was SO good. dawn always seemed like something of a creative driving force with them too. and they took their name from her imaginary anime character.
― lex pretend, Monday, 21 February 2011 10:28 (seven years ago) Permalink
this is my most played album of 2011
― mumflop & sons (dayo), Monday, 21 February 2011 12:48 (seven years ago) Permalink
It's so good!
― Tim F, Monday, 21 February 2011 12:51 (seven years ago) Permalink
the run from superhero (acapella) to the end is :O
― mumflop & sons (dayo), Monday, 21 February 2011 12:58 (seven years ago) Permalink
actually...the whole run from intro (the fall) to the end is :O
― mumflop & sons (dayo), Monday, 21 February 2011 13:10 (seven years ago) Permalink
^^^^
― Tim F, Monday, 21 February 2011 13:24 (seven years ago) Permalink
finally sitting down with A Tell Tale Heart and damn yeah, this is great. very considerate of the Diddy-Dirty Money folks to already start turning Last Train To Paris into its own little genre with the release of this and the Valentine's Day mixtape just a couple months later.
funny that I was the first person to mention this record's existence on ILM but like the 30th to actually hear it.
― some dude, Monday, 21 February 2011 19:59 (seven years ago) Permalink
finally hearing her voice in isolation for extended periods of time is nice, too; the slightly raspy grain is a bit like Brandy but not too much.
― some dude, Monday, 21 February 2011 20:01 (seven years ago) Permalink
talking of the LTTP mini-genre, did everyone hear the lektro black mixtape diddy did with felix da housecat that was meant to precede it (well, it did precede it, just by a year rather than a few months)? one of the most banging hours of music i've ever heard. http://rcrdlbl.com/2009/08/14/exclusive_new_download_felix_da_housecat_x_diddy_lectro_black_last_train_to_paris_mixtape
― lex pretend, Monday, 21 February 2011 20:08 (seven years ago) Permalink
digging the version of "I Know" on here, too, you could slot this right in place of the album version on LTTP and get closer to an ideal Chris Brown-less version of the album.
― some dude, Monday, 21 February 2011 20:11 (seven years ago) Permalink
Brandy is a useful comparison point actually, in some ways this is like Full Moon if it was an album of straight bangers.
― Tim F, Monday, 21 February 2011 21:47 (seven years ago) Permalink
yeah i love this mixtape. Have to listen more but i think "vibrate" is my favorite
― kl0p's son (k3vin k.), Monday, 21 February 2011 23:12 (seven years ago) Permalink
i wonder what it is about dawn that made diddy keep her around after the dissolution of dannity kane
― pop the s1ock (J0rdan S.), Monday, 21 February 2011 23:17 (seven years ago) Permalink
Wasn't she the best singer out of everyone in Danity Kane? I mean there is nothing about her that screams "super star" but I think the pop/r&b audience are so use to big personalities that a straight forward singer may seem boring. Dawn isn't boring per se but maybe Diddy needed a "real" singer around Bad Boy since Cassie was the only female for a little spell after Danity Kane split up.
― Okay Pet Shop Boys Aren't That Bad. (lilsoulbrother), Monday, 21 February 2011 23:32 (seven years ago) Permalink
i really know nothing about danity kane or any of its members, but being the best singer makes sense
― pop the s1ock (J0rdan S.), Monday, 21 February 2011 23:33 (seven years ago) Permalink
I never listen to a note of Danity Kane as I don't like the idea of 5 person singing group. I saw a video of her performing with Diddy doing "Last Night" waaayy back and assumed she was better than the other four.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGlhmDw7zhc
― Okay Pet Shop Boys Aren't That Bad. (lilsoulbrother), Monday, 21 February 2011 23:48 (seven years ago) Permalink
Danity Kane, anyone?
prescience from brainwasher!
well at least we'll be getting a Dawn solo album I guess.
― Put A Ring On It (The Brainwasher), Wednesday, October 15, 2008 2:39 AM (2 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 22 February 2011 00:02 (seven years ago) Permalink
i'd love to hear a version of a tell tale heart where several of the songs didn't sound like they were recorded underwater
― kl0p's son (k3vin k.), Tuesday, 22 February 2011 04:42 (seven years ago) Permalink
does 'blackout'-era britney have much crossover w/ this stuff? i'm listening to "radar" (love love love) right now and i could see the drama being pitched up slightly in a way that would totally fit w/ the 'LTTP sound'
― pop the s1ock (J0rdan S.), Tuesday, 22 February 2011 06:42 (seven years ago) Permalink
"vibrate" is nuts
― pop the s1ock (J0rdan S.), Tuesday, 22 February 2011 07:13 (seven years ago) Permalink
YES (i mean, i assume this will be the actual album if and when it emerges)
blackout's a good comparison point, i mentioned it in my LTTP review from the "constant surprising sonic thrillz" standpoint, but re: dawn specifically there's also that impulse to get drunk and curse and act out sexually running through it (though obv she's coming at it from a more controlled persona...)
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 22 February 2011 08:08 (seven years ago) Permalink
Yeah she's interesting in that she's a controlled singer doing "unhinged" R&B - there are aspects of this album that remind me of K Michelle and Fantasia and J Hudson and Brooke Valentine in parts but it's mostly sonic rather than vocal.
This works for me though I'll have to think about why, can't come up with a neat explanation for it yet.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 22 February 2011 10:03 (seven years ago) Permalink
i'm still unbelievably pissed off that my chat w/dawn and kalenna has been lost to the vagaries of hard drive death - they said some really interesting things, esp re: their differing singing/songwriting styles, and both generally came across as totally smart and totally on it, and a bit like...necessary to keep diddy down to earth?
tim, you heard the last danity kane album right? if not, omg you need it. (i probably need their first one! never heard it)
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 22 February 2011 10:07 (seven years ago) Permalink
I think I heard and liked the singles? I can't remember now if I checked out the album or not.
In my head I kind of just slot Danity Kane as halfway between Dream and Pussycat Dolls and keep forgetting that this is based purely on pop-cultural arithmetic rather than what they actually sound like.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 22 February 2011 10:11 (seven years ago) Permalink
it's not entirely offbase w/r/t what they sound like either
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd5lzwctwUk
that was probably one of my favourites off the album, which made a really great companion piece at the time to...blackout, as it happens - danja helmed a good chunk of it and most of the beats were rather great.
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 22 February 2011 10:14 (seven years ago) Permalink
"bulletproof" is so immense, steel pistons grinding into motion
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 22 February 2011 12:20 (seven years ago) Permalink
Love "Superhero"
― banjee trillness (The Reverend), Tuesday, 22 February 2011 20:46 (seven years ago) Permalink
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/dawnangelique
― Wrong-Way Willy (Andy K), Tuesday, 22 February 2011 21:33 (seven years ago) Permalink
any good?
― kl0p's son (k3vin k.), Tuesday, 22 February 2011 21:49 (seven years ago) Permalink
booty in da pants
― pop the s1ock (J0rdan S.), Tuesday, 22 February 2011 21:50 (seven years ago) Permalink
― pop the s1ock (J0rdan S.), Tuesday, February 22, 2011 1:42 AM (15 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
um aside from multiple beats by Danja on both albums i don't really see any connection beyond urban-leaning pop and pop-leaning rap/R&B kinda meeting each other halfway. also lol @ blackout-era britney like that's some kind of defining touchstone of anything outside the ilx hivemind.
― some dude, Tuesday, 22 February 2011 21:57 (seven years ago) Permalink
it's a defining touchstone of the pop genre, i think - almost certainly the most critically acclaimed of her albums
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 23 February 2011 00:02 (seven years ago) Permalink
the popjustice crowd (and most top 40/pop fans I've talked to) generally consider it to be the best pop album of at least the second half of the decade, if that means anything
― prolego, Wednesday, 23 February 2011 00:23 (seven years ago) Permalink
yeah i was exaggerating about it being a big deal only on ilm but calling it her most critically acclaimed album is i think pretty off -- on metacritic it's 3% lower than Circus, 5% lower than In The Zone, 11% lower than Oops -- it's only put on a pedestal in a very particular internet bubble.
― some dude, Wednesday, 23 February 2011 01:00 (seven years ago) Permalink
Eh, Metacritic only analyzes initial reviews, not an album's long-term legacy.
― banjee trillness (The Reverend), Wednesday, 23 February 2011 01:24 (seven years ago) Permalink
yeah obviously there's a lot of nuance that it doesn't accurately measure -- i'm just saying there's this kind of assumption that it's universally regarded as the high point of her career that i don't think really holds water
― some dude, Wednesday, 23 February 2011 01:36 (seven years ago) Permalink
Realistically though Dawn Richard is highly unlikely to attain any success outside of that internet bubble (or an overlapping one) so it's not so misfounded or misleading a point of comparison.
If I say "maybe Dawn Richard's album is gonna be the 2011 equiv of Chain Letter" it's no more ridic, really.
― Tim F, Wednesday, 23 February 2011 03:29 (seven years ago) Permalink
yeah who knows if DR has any commercial potential (although LTTP might have legs enough to set her up well, who knows), but Blackout being singled out as a comparison point over all the other dancey Danja-produced R&B/pop albums of the last few years seemed kinda arbitrary.
― some dude, Wednesday, 23 February 2011 03:36 (seven years ago) Permalink
what other notable danja-produced R&B/pop albums are out there? (honest q)
― Neu! romancer (dayo), Wednesday, 23 February 2011 03:42 (seven years ago) Permalink
i wanna know if the first 20 seconds to "let love in" are supposed to be part of the song or if it's part of another one - sounds absolutely heavenly
― kl0p's son (k3vin k.), Wednesday, 23 February 2011 03:48 (seven years ago) Permalink
Really enjoying this but the shitty mixtape sound quality is really harshing my buzz. Why do these songs not sound louder?
― Matt DC, Wednesday, 23 February 2011 12:05 (seven years ago) Permalink
'Sounds louder' is usually a bad thing imo.
― banjee trillness (The Reverend), Thursday, 24 February 2011 00:47 (seven years ago) Permalink
i think he means the levels are quiet in an unmastered way that makes the whole thing sound less full/alive, which is a totally valid gripe and not at all an aesthetic thing.
"Hey" has not been singled out itt as a standout and that needs to be rectified.
― dayo technology (some dude), Friday, 1 April 2011 20:57 (seven years ago) Permalink
― Neu! romancer (dayo), Tuesday, February 22, 2011 10:42 PM (1 month ago) Bookmark
if we're talking stuff from when Danja was Timbaland's right hand man (and those should probably count since Danja had a huge influence on the sound of those records), Timberlake's FutureSex and Furtado's Loose. but i was referring to stuff heavy on Danja solo productions like Diddy's LTTP and Press Play, Keri Hilson's 1st album, Danity Kane's 2nd album, Katharine McPhee's 1st album.
― dayo technology (some dude), Friday, 1 April 2011 21:02 (seven years ago) Permalink
"hey" is amazing yes
― lex pretend, Saturday, 2 April 2011 08:27 (seven years ago) Permalink
ship otm
"runway" & "vibrate" are also the joints off this
― J0rdan S., Saturday, 2 April 2011 08:39 (seven years ago) Permalink
i like how the art for this album could double as a los campesinos cover
― J0rdan S., Saturday, 2 April 2011 08:46 (seven years ago) Permalink
kmt
― lex pretend, Saturday, 2 April 2011 08:46 (seven years ago) Permalink
:D
― J0rdan S., Saturday, 2 April 2011 08:47 (seven years ago) Permalink
i feel like an asshole for loving "vibrate" the most cuz it sounds like the one that terius & los would've done
― J0rdan S., Saturday, 2 April 2011 08:48 (seven years ago) Permalink
do we actually have the production credits for this? i couldn't find them the other week. "vibrate" def in the "promise"/"devotion" lineage
― lex pretend, Saturday, 2 April 2011 08:50 (seven years ago) Permalink
if anything i feel bad for loving the swagged-out ones so much. I'M ON MY SUPERMAN SHIT, WHIPPIN UP TOWN, BLOWIN UP SHIIEEET
― lex pretend, Saturday, 2 April 2011 08:51 (seven years ago) Permalink
that's why "runway" is the best -- bragging about her hair being real
― J0rdan S., Saturday, 2 April 2011 08:52 (seven years ago) Permalink
NO HORSES UP HERE
― lex pretend, Saturday, 2 April 2011 08:52 (seven years ago) Permalink
exactly
― J0rdan S., Saturday, 2 April 2011 08:53 (seven years ago) Permalink
they say they new guccis but i had em last yeari'm rocking everything that you really wanna wear
― J0rdan S., Saturday, 2 April 2011 08:54 (seven years ago) Permalink
i also like to think that naomi campbell references in r&b have proliferated precisely because of her capacity for assault & battery with swarovski-encrusted blackberrys
― lex pretend, Saturday, 2 April 2011 08:56 (seven years ago) Permalink
haha, no longer feel weird for suggesting to kev k that vibrate kinda sounds like promise
― dayo, Saturday, 2 April 2011 10:01 (seven years ago) Permalink
props to Tim F for an excellent thread title that grabbed my attention and got me to listen to this, because I probably would've ignored it otherwise. listening for the first time now, and it's amazing!
I think I fell in love with her the second I saw there was a song called "Me Myself & Y" (not quite living up to the title, especially following up the excellent excellent "Hey", but still pretty good)
― bernard snowy, Saturday, 2 April 2011 12:38 (seven years ago) Permalink
oh and now "Broken Record" is up next — poor lil "MMY", sandwiched in between these two motherfucking monsters
― bernard snowy, Saturday, 2 April 2011 12:39 (seven years ago) Permalink
okay I realize that confessing this will probably make me public enemy #1 on this thread, but I still haven't listened to Last Train — just couldn't get excited about it, honestly. but if it's anywhere near Tell Tale Heart in terms of production and atmosphere/mood...
― bernard snowy, Saturday, 2 April 2011 14:08 (seven years ago) Permalink
yeah TTH is very close to LTTP in sound and mood, definitely check it out. better late than never!
― sarraghmaclachlan (some dude), Saturday, 2 April 2011 14:17 (seven years ago) Permalink
dope:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgeO3sIIqkU
doper:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F_Ou9gX2Bw
― The Brainwasher, Thursday, 23 June 2011 02:10 (seven years ago) Permalink
I really wish there was a CDQ version of Tell Tale Heart... or at least one that isn't so compressed and muddy sounding
― The Brainwasher, Thursday, 23 June 2011 02:14 (seven years ago) Permalink
^^^
i thought this was just gonna be a prelude to an album proper but everything's gone a bit quiet on the dawn richard front? this is still amazing though
HE ON ME LIKE BUTTER ON BREADFRONT ROW WHEN I'M DOIN MY DANCE
― all i see is angels in my eyes (lex pretend), Monday, 14 November 2011 16:36 (seven years ago) Permalink
official title is the prelude to a tell tale heart, right?
so sad you bumped this when I didn't have any dawn richard synced to my iphone
― ASPIE Rocky (dayo), Monday, 14 November 2011 18:02 (seven years ago) Permalink
haha i totally relate, h8 it when that happens
― all i see is angels in my eyes (lex pretend), Monday, 14 November 2011 18:32 (seven years ago) Permalink
where is dawn richard :[
― dayo, Thursday, 17 November 2011 22:39 (Yesterday)
The mixtape (which is my 2nd favourite album of 2011) is so good that it's hard for me not to think of it as her debut album.
― Tim F, Friday, November 18, 2011 12:45 AM (5 hours ago) Bookmark
sez wikipedia (sics all over the place):
The Mix-tape The Prelude to A Tell Tale Heart or alternate title: #ATellTaleHeart[9][10][11] was released February 7, 2011 on her official web-site. There are 15 tracks.[10][12] It called "the prelude to..." because there will be official debut studio album by Dawn Richard entitled A-Tell Tale Heart, which she is working on for past 3 years.[13] She is working with Trendsetter (producer) on few tracks for that album.[14][15] Celebrating the release of her mix-tape, Dawn Richard organized several club events. On February 7, 2011 at "Milan" club in Baltimore[16][17] and on February 12, 2011 at PHX – "Nightclub MIXTAPE PARTY RELEASE".[18]
Dawn has announced that her major solo debut project will be a broken up trilogy of albums entitled "GoldenHeart, "BlackHeart", and "RedemptionHeart". "GoldenHeart", the first of the trilogy is expected to be released late 2011.[19] On June 19, 2011 a buzz track entitled "Stuck On Mad" was released to the public. Followed by a release of a remix to Frank Ocean's Novacane. The remix which was co-written by songwriter Intyce, hit the net on June 21, 2011 and reached over 5000 downloads within a few hours. Intyce was enlisted as one of the writers for Richards solo debut.[20]
2011-present: Golden Heart
SMFU (SAVE ME FROM U) was released on the internet 31st October and is set to be on the first album.[21] This album is set to have an concept of a alter-ego named NEON. The concept has not yet been discussed.
― all i see is angels in my eyes (lex pretend), Friday, November 18, 2011 2:12 AM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
i am d/lding "stuck on mad" and "smfu" now. no one mentioned them. and yeah putting together my EOY lists dawn ended up at #5, higher than i thought she would.
also she started following me on tumblr!
― all i see is angels in my eyes (lex pretend), Friday, November 18, 2011 2:13 AM (4 hours ago) Bookmark
― dayo, Friday, 18 November 2011 11:43 (seven years ago) Permalink
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3EGWZtOWKA
^^ luv it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izlttiuc8GY
― dayo, Friday, 18 November 2011 11:46 (seven years ago) Permalink
really feelin this too
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhdTXp9Zdgo
― dayo, Friday, 18 November 2011 12:20 (seven years ago) Permalink
not gonna go through all of dawn's tumblr lol but this is good too
http://concreteloop.com/2011/09/new-music-dawn-richard-love-wont-lose
think it's produced by the same guy who did the valentine's day mix of lttp?
― dayo, Friday, 18 November 2011 12:24 (seven years ago) Permalink
i am d/lding "stuck on mad" and "smfu" now. no one mentioned them
brainwasher posted stuck on mad just upthread!
― just sayin, Friday, 18 November 2011 12:58 (seven years ago) Permalink
lol I think I missed that :/
― dayo, Friday, 18 November 2011 13:02 (seven years ago) Permalink
SFMU is a jam though
album coming as soon as MARCH!!!
http://www.rap-up.com/2012/02/10/dawn-richard-preps-solo-debut-for-march-previews-new-song/
― first period don't give a fuck, second period gon get cut (lex pretend), Friday, 10 February 2012 16:03 (six years ago) Permalink
kalenna's mixtape drops on monday, too
― first period don't give a fuck, second period gon get cut (lex pretend), Friday, 10 February 2012 16:04 (six years ago) Permalink
http://www.ddotomen.com/2012/02/13/kalenna-of-dirty-money-chamber-of-diaries/
the dirty money fans have apparently abandoned ilx judging from the tumbleweave here i guess?
― first period don't give a fuck, second period gon get cut (lex pretend), Monday, 13 February 2012 14:36 (six years ago) Permalink
mixtape is worth copping? i'm with it
― some dude, Monday, 13 February 2012 14:39 (six years ago) Permalink
there is WAY too much ryan tedder on that tracklist for me to feel comfortable
― J0rdan S., Monday, 13 February 2012 14:40 (six years ago) Permalink
so far I'm only interested in dawn
― http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1tAYmMjLdY (dayo), Monday, 13 February 2012 14:41 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah it's great - some excellent beats, she's very charismatic, you wouldn't be able to tell ryan tedder was on it. only given it one cursory listen cuz am on double deadline and have to listen to other stuff today :(
― first period don't give a fuck, second period gon get cut (lex pretend), Monday, 13 February 2012 14:47 (six years ago) Permalink
Looking forward to this, but much further to the outskirts of the media ecosystem than you, Lex - keen to hear yr thoughts.
― etc, Monday, 13 February 2012 16:21 (six years ago) Permalink
media ecosystem?
― first period don't give a fuck, second period gon get cut (lex pretend), Monday, 13 February 2012 17:16 (six years ago) Permalink
oh wait as in PR and shiz? lol, i haven't been PRed any of this, i hear about it through following dawn on tumblr and kalenna on twitter exclusively
i'm about to listen to the Kalenna in a bit, but I'm LOVING the new Dawn song. Much much better than #SMFU and December Sky:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESodEc4s8YA
so ethereal. she really is just perfect
― Peace (peaceful) (The Brainwasher), Monday, 13 February 2012 23:26 (six years ago) Permalink
SFMU is better imo, but this is a pretty nice album cut
― http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1tAYmMjLdY (dayo), Tuesday, 14 February 2012 00:11 (six years ago) Permalink
http://soundcloud.com/warhol2012/black-lipstick-dawn-richard
― flagp∞st (dayo), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 01:58 (six years ago) Permalink
^^ a jam
man, this new dawn shit is too dope
― The Reverend, Wednesday, 22 February 2012 02:16 (six years ago) Permalink
was the kalenna mixtape any good? i couldn't get a copy that would open on my computer, for whatever reason
― illuminati girl (J0rdan S.), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 06:56 (six years ago) Permalink
it's excellent - dawn's is prob better but "matte black truck", "pain & alcohol", "love rock", "ladder" and "put it in a bag" in particular are stunning
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 22 February 2012 11:50 (six years ago) Permalink
although setting dawn and kalenna against each other is probably unhelpful, they're superficially similar but actually quite different
i think my review should go up on fact at some point
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 22 February 2012 11:51 (six years ago) Permalink
I like the kalenna mixtape well enough but I am on #teamdawn xp
― flagp∞st (dayo), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 11:52 (six years ago) Permalink
stop trolling dayo
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 22 February 2012 11:53 (six years ago) Permalink
lol what?
― flagp∞st (dayo), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 11:54 (six years ago) Permalink
setting dawn and kalenna against each other is probably unhelpful― lex pretend, Wednesday, February 22, 2012 11:51 AM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
I am on #teamdawn― flagp∞st (dayo), Wednesday, February 22, 2012 11:52 AM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 22 February 2012 11:55 (six years ago) Permalink
oh right. sorry - I didn't see that, was an xpost.
― flagp∞st (dayo), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 11:56 (six years ago) Permalink
she wore black lipstick color in the game/leather jacket on collar high couldn't see her face/she ice skated on my heart couldn't feel the blade/think I'm colorblind cause I'm bleeding black and gray
<3
― flagp∞st (dayo), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 13:57 (six years ago) Permalink
i love how kalenna responds to getting dumped by drink-driving and blasting wu-tang on not one but two separate songs
driving in the rain with the music loudcup out the window, swag on kanyegoing the wrong way, listening to wu-tangcuz i'm feeling like a white girl on cocainetook three vicodin, i feel strangepushing 100, hitting curves in the rainyou shouldn't drive drunk with love on the brain
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 22 February 2012 15:41 (six years ago) Permalink
can we add kalenna to the thread title btw? think two separate threads would be a bit pointless
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 22 February 2012 15:43 (six years ago) Permalink
also: she ends that song singing from beyond the grave!
haha yeah. what's the other song with wu-tang? can't remember how it goes
― flagp∞st (dayo), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 15:45 (six years ago) Permalink
"matte black truck"!
IF U LEAVE IMMA CRANK WU-TANG IN MY MATTE BLACK TRUCK, IN MY MATTE BLACK TRUCKGOT MY RED CUP FILLED UP IN MY MATTE BLACK TRUCK, IN MY MATTE BLACK TRUCK
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 22 February 2012 15:49 (six years ago) Permalink
kalenna is basically the hotheaded yin to dawn's sensual yang
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 22 February 2012 15:51 (six years ago) Permalink
every time i listen to this mixtape i love it more - the desperate drunk final third is so EPIC
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 22 February 2012 15:55 (six years ago) Permalink
imma take my heart, put it in his handsimma drop it low til i ca-can't standhe all in my ear, now he in my headand i'm drowning in the tears the patron gave melove is in my lap, watch me throw it backlike a re-run, just call it a paybackmy guardian angel, you stay close to methey don't gotta know, but baby we got wingshold on to my lifecuz we gonna fly tonight...
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 22 February 2012 16:01 (six years ago) Permalink
Didn't even know this thread *existed*.
Getting 'Chamber of Diaries' now, but Black Lipstick is wonderful and the most of either of their solo stuff that really FEELS like something that could fit into LTTP.
― Somewhere between Fergie and Jesus (Alex in Montreal), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 18:10 (six years ago) Permalink
Kalenna's Feeling Good samples Avicii's 'Levels', right?
― Somewhere between Fergie and Jesus (Alex in Montreal), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 18:28 (six years ago) Permalink
Hence the inverted title of "Good Feeling" as in the Etta sample from Levels that never actually appears in this song?
― Somewhere between Fergie and Jesus (Alex in Montreal), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 18:29 (six years ago) Permalink
i have never heard "levels" and indeed i have never heard of avici
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 22 February 2012 18:45 (six years ago) Permalink
you've heard 'good feeling' by Flo Rida? It's the same sample?
― Somewhere between Fergie and Jesus (Alex in Montreal), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 18:51 (six years ago) Permalink
It's the same sample. rather
haha i'm sure i must have heard it but not so much that i remember anything about it
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 22 February 2012 18:52 (six years ago) Permalink
― lex pretend, Wednesday, February 22, 2012 10:43 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
should prolly add Dirty Money to the thread title too tbh
― TERMAINTOR 2 (some dude), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 18:53 (six years ago) Permalink
xp, you'd remember the sample if you heard it, if not anything else about either track
― marissa explains it all (The Reverend), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 18:57 (six years ago) Permalink
me and Brainwasher were talking last night about how dope it is that Dawn's new stuff seems really in tune with a lot of underground music right now
― marissa explains it all (The Reverend), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 19:00 (six years ago) Permalink
Bah why is all of this (i'm assuming) amazing music coming out at a time when my internet has died.
― Tim F, Wednesday, 22 February 2012 20:20 (six years ago) Permalink
Black Lipstick is fantastic but I'm halfway through the Kalenna and not really feeling any of it, although I've got as far as Matte Black Truck and that's pretty good.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 21:01 (six years ago) Permalink
"Matte Black Truck" is the first song to really blow my mind this year, it basically transforms to a completely different song within the coruse of 3 mins, and it manages to be both an assertive, convincing club banger and an incredibly vulnerable midtempo (I feel like letting my guard down/And giving my all to you/No matter what cost it is). AMAZING song.
― Peace (peaceful) (The Brainwasher), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 21:09 (six years ago) Permalink
Okay this really kicks in after the first interlude.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 21:12 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah it definitely takes off after "matte black truck", the first third kind of clicked for me afterwards
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 22 February 2012 21:44 (six years ago) Permalink
so "matte black track"'s instrument melody is basically outkast - slump, right?
― flagp∞st (dayo), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 21:49 (six years ago) Permalink
which is itself probably some other song that i don't know about
Kalenna mixtape sounding fantastic on first listen (odd fixations on Kanye and cocaine aside). I love the way that Kalenna and Dawn both seem to be running with what I can only describe as the Dirty Money aesthetic - simultaneously ostentatious and brutalist and melodramatic, like the music's emotional center is also is its rhythmic center and vice versa.
― Tim F, Thursday, 23 February 2012 22:00 (six years ago) Permalink
― lex pretend, Wednesday, February 22, 2012 10:49 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark
― flagp∞st (dayo), Friday, 24 February 2012 02:46 (six years ago) Permalink
kinda sorta think this would be better than dawn's tape except that it has waaayyy to many random nonsense guests
― pre-tennis ball head-era chris brown (J0rdan S.), Friday, 24 February 2012 02:49 (six years ago) Permalink
I keep on getting distracted by name drops like weezy, drake
― flagp∞st (dayo), Friday, 24 February 2012 02:50 (six years ago) Permalink
so obsessed with "Change" & "Black Lipstick" today
― marissa explains it all (The Reverend), Friday, 24 February 2012 05:24 (six years ago) Permalink
need to get ahold of this
― ploppawheelie V (k3vin k.), Friday, 24 February 2012 05:25 (six years ago) Permalink
"Matte Black Truck" really is such an astonishing song,
Its superiority vis a vis the rest of the Kalenna mixtape is partly because it is just so amazing, but also because (I feel) it's the moment where the album snaps totally into focus.
"Feeling Good", "The Ladder", "Love Rock", "The Morning After", "Pain & Alcohol" and "Party & Bullshit" (basically all the most Dawn-like moments actually!) are all pretty excellent. (obv a great batting average for a mixtape)
The rest I think can succumb to flashiness and brash(i)ness to varying degrees - "Put It In The Bag", "Go To Work" and "The Motto" still pretty good to great, "6000 Sistas" is irritating (as are the random nonsense guests). I suspect Kalenna (like Dawn) works best translating the Dirty Money vibe into a solo aesthetic, rather than trying to make 'Last Train To Paris' all by herself.
― Tim F, Monday, 27 February 2012 08:42 (six years ago) Permalink
"december sky" has joined the continuous loop of "change"/"black lipstick"
― marissa explains it all (The Reverend), Monday, 27 February 2012 08:49 (six years ago) Permalink
FLY http://www.hulkshare.com/yc0w997or5gp
kind of ruptures the dawn/kalenna duality you guys are setting up. bangs, too.
― marissa explains it all (The Reverend), Monday, 27 February 2012 10:33 (six years ago) Permalink
"Change" and "Black Lipstick" (haven't heard "December Sky" or "Fly" yet) are so widescreen and epic it's ridic.
Each are an (increasingly rare) example of R&B borrowing liberally from dance music in the service of the forces of good.
― Tim F, Monday, 27 February 2012 22:53 (six years ago) Permalink
Yeah but Last Train to Paris did that too, if in a different way and with different touchstones. "December Sky" and "Fly" are dissimilar to those songs, though. "December Sky" is more LTTP-ish and "Fly" is a Kalenna-style banger
― marissa explains it all (The Reverend), Monday, 27 February 2012 23:40 (six years ago) Permalink
oh, i just said that two posts up
― marissa explains it all (The Reverend), Monday, 27 February 2012 23:41 (six years ago) Permalink
'black lipstick' sounds like a LTTP cutout idk
― flagp∞st (dayo), Monday, 27 February 2012 23:42 (six years ago) Permalink
u rong ¯\(°_o)/¯
― marissa explains it all (The Reverend), Monday, 27 February 2012 23:45 (six years ago) Permalink
it sounds like nguzunguzu with a vocalist
it sounds like it could be sandwiched somewhere in the back third's 'heartbreak' phase
― flagp∞st (dayo), Monday, 27 February 2012 23:47 (six years ago) Permalink
Maybe as a tune, but I feel the production on "Black Lipstick" and "Change" are very different from anything on LTTP. More focused on lots of layers of percussion.
― marissa explains it all (The Reverend), Monday, 27 February 2012 23:51 (six years ago) Permalink
oh yeah totally
― flagp∞st (dayo), Monday, 27 February 2012 23:52 (six years ago) Permalink
idk why it's not getting a lot of attention on the R&B thread but elle varner's 'go' is like r&b + idm (prob because I just don't have a good sense of what idm is)
― flagp∞st (dayo), Monday, 27 February 2012 23:53 (six years ago) Permalink
in a recent interview Kingdom said he'd really like to do an album with an R&B vocalist as the credited artist (he said maybe Naomi Allen) and all of the production by the Fade to Mind crew... if this happens (I HOPE IT DOES) Dawn would be like the perfect vocalist imo!
― Peace (peaceful) (The Brainwasher), Monday, 27 February 2012 23:54 (six years ago) Permalink
xp I need to listen to her mixtape but I need to find and tag it first
― marissa explains it all (The Reverend), Monday, 27 February 2012 23:55 (six years ago) Permalink
Dawn would be cool for that, but I think I'd be more excited about such a project with Naomi as the vocalist.
― marissa explains it all (The Reverend), Monday, 27 February 2012 23:56 (six years ago) Permalink
I mean, not like I wouldn't be excited as fuck in any event.
and "Fly" is a Kalenna-style banger
I think we shouldn't ignore that Dawn has always done heavy bangers as well - it's not like anything on Book of Diaries bangs harder than "Superman" or "Runway". I don't think the duality is there, it more resides in their general songwriting approach - Dawn is very focused whereas Kalenna is all over the place (sometimes winningly so).
Yeah but Last Train to Paris did that too, if in a different way and with different touchstones.
yeah I was thinking that too - but as you say, different touchstones. There's something quite ostentatious about the way "Changes" bites from percussive house and "Black Lipstick" from drum and bass (and to a lesser extent miami bass - it reminds me of Janet Jackson's "Empty" slightly in this regard).
Whereas the LTTP dance influences are kinda more like current electro-housey R&B but done better and more creatively (esp. on stuff like "No Ordinary Love").
Sure, but Dawn/Dirty Money seem better at swiping ideas from dance music than Kingdom is at swiping ideas from R&B - at least on the evidence of "Take Me". I'm not sure what Fade To Mind would really bring to the table that these guys don't already do themselves?
But it's not like I'm against the idea of this project or anything.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 28 February 2012 00:32 (six years ago) Permalink
"take me" is wonderful. tim you're only lukewarm on kingdom anyway so why would you be excited?
i wasn't really trying to set up a kalenna/dawn duality upthread, more trying to delineate what distinguishes them from each other, and i don't think "fly" disproves any of it - of course dawn does bangers, but even then her bangers are all about how perfect and awesome she is, whereas kalenna's are all about getting crunk and out-of-control. runway vs club.
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 28 February 2012 09:34 (six years ago) Permalink
I've always liked Kingdom. "Fogs" was in my top twenty in 2010, and of course "Mind Reader" in 2009. But while "Take Me" is fine I don't think it's in the league of the great Dawn songs (or Electrik Red songs obv).
Yeah I think your delineation between Dawn and Kalenna there rings pretty true. Even Kalenna's ballads sound kinda out of control.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 28 February 2012 12:54 (six years ago) Permalink
I like 'Take Me' but might prefer 'Girlfriend' which is the Kingdom/Naomi Allen track on the latest Nguzunguzu mix. Credited to 'NA'.
― Somewhere between Fergie and Jesus (Alex in Montreal), Tuesday, 28 February 2012 17:11 (six years ago) Permalink
where's the latest nguzunguzu mix?
― flagp∞st (dayo), Tuesday, 28 February 2012 17:39 (six years ago) Permalink
http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2011/12/check-out-nguzunguzus-transmusic
that "Gilfriend" song just sounds like an edit of Aaliyah's "Girlfriend" though, i don't hear Naomi
― Peace (peaceful) (The Brainwasher), Tuesday, 28 February 2012 17:43 (six years ago) Permalink
Huh. lou and I thought it was Naomi. :/
― Somewhere between Fergie and Jesus (Alex in Montreal), Tuesday, 28 February 2012 21:48 (six years ago) Permalink
i'm really late on this but holy shit @ a tell tale heart
― Whiney vs. (BradNelson), Saturday, 3 March 2012 22:10 (six years ago) Permalink
Still think the album is arguably underrated even by a lot of supporters, in a couple of ways but especially production-wise (perhaps due to the low quality slash non-existent mastering) - especially the initial run of tracks through to "Broken Record" the uncompromisingly machinic rhythmic approach is so startling and unique, and really underscores and packs weight behind Dawn's emotional intensity in its various guises.
― Tim F, Saturday, 3 March 2012 23:09 (six years ago) Permalink
your hall of shame thread title made people underrate the mixtape
― some dude, Saturday, 3 March 2012 23:53 (six years ago) Permalink
the uncompromisingly machinic rhythmic approach is so startling and unique
i only really hear this on "bulletproof". and also "december sky", which is turning out to be one i really underrated initially as just ok, but it really is the MOST widescreen epic thing dawn's done
― lex pretend, Sunday, 4 March 2012 23:18 (six years ago) Permalink
This Kalenna album really falls down the more melodic she gets, she's way better over harder tracks, neither the vocal presence nor the songwriting are really there with the ballads and midpaced songs. The Ladder is terrible.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Friday, 9 March 2012 08:45 (six years ago) Permalink
Except Pain and Alcohol, which is wonderful.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Friday, 9 March 2012 08:58 (six years ago) Permalink
I think "The Morning After" is great. Agreed about "The Ladder" which I listed upthread as good but must have misremembered.
But I'm not sure of your general principle here b/c "6000 Sistas" is the worst song by some margin.
― Tim F, Friday, 9 March 2012 09:14 (six years ago) Permalink
"6000 sistas" = female WAKA
its monomania can be a bit much but i bet it sounds amazing when you're drunk. MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY COIN COIN GUAP
― lex pretend, Friday, 9 March 2012 09:42 (six years ago) Permalink
most unmemorable song is "feeling good" - i'm sure i remember "the ladder" as being good? it def all goes up a notch at "matte black truck", from there to the end it's pretty flawless
Sure, but Dawn/Dirty Money seem better at swiping ideas from dance music than Kingdom is at swiping ideas from R&B
Not really interested in Kingdom wrt this debate but I think part of the problem with the danceification of R&B is that singers and songwriters haven't really got to grips with how the artists should sing over it*. DDM aren't immune from this, one of the reasons I don't rate Ass On The Floor as highly as most people is because the singers don't really convince over the top - when they aren't singing the "madder than a motherfucker" but they don't really sound like they know what to do over that beat. You get these sort of fairly drippy, open "stirring" melodies that just don't convince up against the rest of the track, awkward halfway houses between ballad and dance banger.
Contrast to how effortless and at home Kalenna sounds over something like Matte Black Truck. Then again this may be all rolled in with post-Umbrella R&B - a lot of this stuff feels very different melodically from anything pre-2007 or therabouts, ballads included.
*This is weird given the entire history of DIVA HOUSE is pretty instructive here. Not saying R&B artists should be aping diva house at this point but it's a pretty good guide as to what kind of performance works and what doesn't.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Friday, 9 March 2012 10:11 (six years ago) Permalink
Matt have you listened to "Black Lipstick" and "Change" yet?
(not that i agree with you about "ass on the floor" but...)
― Tim F, Friday, 9 March 2012 10:32 (six years ago) Permalink
Yes, Black Lipstick is great. Dawn's own stuff is way better in this regard than either Kalenna or DDM.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Friday, 9 March 2012 10:38 (six years ago) Permalink
it's my duty to inform you that there's a napoleon dynamite sample in the kalenna mixtape
― flagp∞st (dayo), Friday, 9 March 2012 11:47 (six years ago) Permalink
The ballad/banger tension is a lot of what's great about "Ass on the Floor"!
― The Reverend, Friday, 9 March 2012 19:54 (six years ago) Permalink
And like half the DDM catalog for that matter.
Chamber of Diaries is hit n miss but i like it, kinda hits that Last Train To Paris vibe more effectively for me than Tell Tale Heart. although i'm kind of weary of all the superhero-themed lyrics on both tapes.
― some dude, Monday, 12 March 2012 19:13 (six years ago) Permalink
R&B mixtapes should come out with special "no-bullshit anonymous guest rappers" versions the way rap mixtapes have "no-DJ" versions
― some dude, Monday, 12 March 2012 19:15 (six years ago) Permalink
but then you would never learn about bo deal
― flagp∞st (dayo), Monday, 12 March 2012 19:17 (six years ago) Permalink
lol some dude otm
― The Reverend, Monday, 12 March 2012 19:33 (six years ago) Permalink
ahaha oops! that was dumb of me. i obv had no idea that song existed. it's so good! the vocals on the nguzu mix DO sound a hell of a lot like naomi to me, though, and the tracklist credits it to "NA", which i assumed meant N/A before alex pointed out those are naomi's initials. and the souped up beat sounds like kingdom or girl unit. now i'm really dying to know what it is exactly.
― handy ban (lou), Tuesday, 13 March 2012 05:22 (six years ago) Permalink
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FelGsbxq6tM
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 13 March 2012 06:03 (six years ago) Permalink
I thought it was Kingdom/ER related too ¯\(°_o)/¯
Whoa. I didn't know that existed! New Aaliyah. Wow. Yay.
― Somewhere between Fergie and Jesus (Alex in Montreal), Wednesday, 14 March 2012 00:43 (six years ago) Permalink
finally got around to the kalenna mixtape
"poison" rules
― Whiney vs. (BradNelson), Thursday, 15 March 2012 21:11 (six years ago) Permalink
Preview of the new single
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1bdYextQeI
― MikoMcha, Saturday, 17 March 2012 06:08 (six years ago) Permalink
I have the biggest crush on dawn
― flagp∞st (dayo), Saturday, 17 March 2012 11:46 (six years ago) Permalink
(sorry for being male gaze-y)
― flagp∞st (dayo), Saturday, 17 March 2012 12:22 (six years ago) Permalink
This sounds excellent.
― Tim F, Saturday, 17 March 2012 23:05 (six years ago) Permalink
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vBVJKF_dGU
LOVELOVELOVE HERRRR! "i wanna be in a rainforest!"
also excited to hear the #smfu remix
also producer guy is v. cute
― Peace (peaceful) (The Brainwasher), Friday, 23 March 2012 07:48 (six years ago) Permalink
apparently dirty money is "finished" though which is totally heartbreaking
― Peace (peaceful) (The Brainwasher), Friday, 23 March 2012 07:49 (six years ago) Permalink
that sucks... not entirely surprising. they put a ton of effort (and presumably) music into making that album happen, wish they would stay committed to it but the fact that 'last train to paris' even exists is some sort of miracle i think, so i can't be mad.
― come on a #KONY (J0rdan S.), Friday, 23 March 2012 08:00 (six years ago) Permalink
presumably money**
dawn's not signed to bad boy any more and the tone of the last kalenna interview i read ("that part of her life is BEHIND HER and she is MOVING ON") did not imply that the end of dirty money was all that amicable
― lex pretend, Friday, 23 March 2012 08:29 (six years ago) Permalink
― Peace (peaceful) (The Brainwasher), Friday, March 23, 2012 12:48 AM Bookmark
ayo
― The Reverend, Friday, 23 March 2012 08:37 (six years ago) Permalink
― Peace (peaceful) (The Brainwasher), Friday, March 23, 2012 3:49 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark
quit while you're on top, imo!
― dayo, Friday, 23 March 2012 11:32 (six years ago) Permalink
judging by the new projects, still on top tho
― The Reverend, Friday, 23 March 2012 18:13 (six years ago) Permalink
I didn't know you pronounce richard like ri-shard as in shard of glass
― dayo, Saturday, 24 March 2012 01:54 (six years ago) Permalink
wait what?
― The Reverend, Saturday, 24 March 2012 10:22 (six years ago) Permalink
http://youtu.be/SMpyMFtmqKM
I really can't handle her dress, it's like sean young in blade runner
― dayo, Saturday, 24 March 2012 11:54 (six years ago) Permalink
i feel like my perception has been altered in a deep way not experienced since i found out nancy whang's name is pronounced "wong", not "wang"
― The Reverend, Saturday, 24 March 2012 18:45 (six years ago) Permalink
pro tip: even when a chinese person's last name is 'wang' it's still pronounced 'wong'
― dayo, Saturday, 24 March 2012 18:49 (six years ago) Permalink
i wonder if that's actually "true" or just something that she's stylized like a pseudo stage name
― come on a #KONY (J0rdan S.), Saturday, 24 March 2012 18:50 (six years ago) Permalink
I'm not gonna question somebody about the pronunciation of their name
― dayo, Saturday, 24 March 2012 18:52 (six years ago) Permalink
she's from louisiana tho
― dayo, Saturday, 24 March 2012 18:53 (six years ago) Permalink
true
― come on a #KONY (J0rdan S.), Saturday, 24 March 2012 18:56 (six years ago) Permalink
she seems very sweet
― The Reverend, Saturday, 24 March 2012 19:00 (six years ago) Permalink
this is almost like the time i found out o'so krispie's real name is not o'so krispie.
― Peace (peaceful) (The Brainwasher), Saturday, 24 March 2012 19:01 (six years ago) Permalink
actually it's nothing like that i just felt like dropping an o'so krispie reference tbh
― Peace (peaceful) (The Brainwasher), Saturday, 24 March 2012 19:03 (six years ago) Permalink
u'so krispie
― flopson, Saturday, 24 March 2012 19:04 (six years ago) Permalink
this is sooooooooooooo good
"Heaven"!
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Monday, 26 March 2012 22:48 (six years ago) Permalink
only 2/3 through, but album of the year?
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Monday, 26 March 2012 22:55 (six years ago) Permalink
this is not on uk itunes >:(
― lex pretend, Monday, 26 March 2012 22:55 (six years ago) Permalink
it's not on any itunes yet
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Monday, 26 March 2012 23:02 (six years ago) Permalink
album version of "save me from u" >>>>>>>>> og versio
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Monday, 26 March 2012 23:03 (six years ago) Permalink
n
this last track! the production is incredible throughout and the tunes are a lot better than Tell Tale Heart, which I know some people will jump on me for, but I was never that hot on
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Monday, 26 March 2012 23:04 (six years ago) Permalink
so jellie of you right now
― dayo, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 01:06 (six years ago) Permalink
http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds#/8
― sisilafami, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 01:13 (six years ago) Permalink
on uk itunes. bought on sight. with money! on the day of release! can't remember the last time i did this
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 08:29 (six years ago) Permalink
i'm not sure how i feel about the pronunciation of her surname, "ree-shard" seems a bit hyacinth bucket
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 08:34 (six years ago) Permalink
and everyone knows the correct status affectation in r&b is the r&b acute
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 08:35 (six years ago) Permalink
heh, another sade ref in "scripture"
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 08:59 (six years ago) Permalink
OMG I LOVE HER SO MUCH.
"Automatic" joins "Change" in the now I school every bitch who thinks she can mess with 4X4 house beats dept.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 11:13 (six years ago) Permalink
I mean "Faith" of course.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 11:14 (six years ago) Permalink
"Scripture"!!!
― Tim F, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 11:19 (six years ago) Permalink
"Heaven"!!!!!
I need these new songs to appear on youtube so I can stop carpet-bombing my friends with them.
So pleased and weirdly parental-proud of Dawn right now. I adored #A Tell-Tale Heart of course but this really feels like an artist standing up and demanding attention.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 11:24 (six years ago) Permalink
so I can start carpet-bombing... Ugh why can't I type anything right tonight.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 11:25 (six years ago) Permalink
when "faith" explodes it's a real O_O moment
it is incredibly frustrating that constantly going on about dawn and kalenna has gained zero traction outside ilm
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 11:31 (six years ago) Permalink
like what more do they have to do for everyone to realise that these two women are making the best music around atm?
― lex pretend, Tuesday, March 27, 2012 4:34 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark
she's from louisiana...
― dayo, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 11:48 (six years ago) Permalink
woah this is good
― art dealin' thru the west coast (tpp), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 11:56 (six years ago) Permalink
Stoked to hear this, is this an actual proper album?
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 11:57 (six years ago) Permalink
it's a 10 song EP
― dayo, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 12:00 (six years ago) Permalink
graaaaah I wish the layout ppl had spent more than 10 min on the 'digital booklet' pdf
― dayo, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 12:47 (six years ago) Permalink
it's 40 minutes long...
― sisilafami, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 13:22 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah there's a bizarre thing happening in hip hop/R&B now where mixtapes and major label albums have gotten so long that if anyone makes an Illmatic-length album that would actually fit on vinyl they call it an EP
― internet somebody (some dude), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 13:31 (six years ago) Permalink
want to support Dawn and buy this but I just can't pay for MP3s... hope there's a physical copy soon.
― Peace (peaceful) (The Brainwasher), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 13:32 (six years ago) Permalink
wait it's only $6, I guess I can do that... :-\
― Peace (peaceful) (The Brainwasher), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 13:33 (six years ago) Permalink
this is the happiest i've ever been to have an iphone
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 27 March 2012 14:27 (six years ago) Permalink
― lex pretend, Tuesday, March 27, 2012 7:31 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark
this was basically true for dirty money as well
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 27 March 2012 14:28 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah but LTTP was at least a moderately successful major label record with a hugely famous person at the center of it. the Dawn/Kalenna stuff lives or dies on whether it builds any kind of buzz outside that LTTP cult.
― internet somebody (some dude), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 14:41 (six years ago) Permalink
ladies and gentlemen, elektrik red
― dayo, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 14:42 (six years ago) Permalink
I think the last two years or so have really revealed a deep critical bias against female R&B acts in general
― Evan R, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 15:02 (six years ago) Permalink
uh, Rihanna?
― stan this sick bunt (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 15:03 (six years ago) Permalink
not really considering her R&B
― Evan R, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 15:04 (six years ago) Permalink
i think it's more of a long standing critical bias against R&B that is just being slightly broken down at the moment more by male artists than female artists. but i mean beyonce had the #2 song on pazz & jop a couple months ago so let's not get carried away.
― internet somebody (some dude), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 15:04 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah, that's true...I should specify NEW female R&B artists. There's a circle of established ones who get a fair shake
― Evan R, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 15:05 (six years ago) Permalink
it's a weird time for R&B in general, the critical response means nothing without the context of fluctuations in commercial fortunes. i mean who's the biggest new female success story of the last few years, Keri Hilson? and she's not exactly a household name.
― internet somebody (some dude), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 15:19 (six years ago) Permalink
non-megastar female r&b artists, i'd say - it'd be impossible for any critic to ignore someone as big as beyoncé, but i'm not expecting, say, brandy's forthcoming album to get much buzz outside of a small group of critics
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 15:20 (six years ago) Permalink
i think a lot of critics and editors still don't quite understand how irrelevant "r&b" has become commercially (they see beyoncé and rihanna and extrapolate the wrong things), but their rationale for covering r&b/pop in the first place is because they're commercial phenomenona, and so you end up with them thinking that if a certain r&b artist is a commercial flop then they're not worth covering.
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 15:22 (six years ago) Permalink
i mean who's the biggest new female success story of the last few years, Keri Hilson?
i'm still not entirely sure how/why this happened, btw. like...she doesn't have a noteworthy voice, she doesn't have a distinct or recognisable aesthetic or persona, she just has occasional enjoyable tunes. maybe that's it - she's so undemanding for fans, requires no real investment.
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 15:27 (six years ago) Permalink
Keri is undeniably an underachiever but i mean i like her vocal tone a lot, she writes well and she's smoking hot, you could do a lot worse. depending on how 'new' you consider her J-Hud is probably her closest competition and she's more of a typical big voice sensation but even more underachieving as far as her actual recorded output.
― internet somebody (some dude), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 15:35 (six years ago) Permalink
R&B radio is maybe getting into that same zone as American Idol the last few years where the audience is so heavily female and so heavily invested in its male heartthrobs that a woman would have to be 2x as talented as Trey Songz to be half as successful as him
― internet somebody (some dude), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 15:37 (six years ago) Permalink
which is interesting given how pop radio has been so totally dominated by female vocalists
lol @ lex broadcasting my bitchy description of him on twitter as a compliment
― internet somebody (some dude), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 15:38 (six years ago) Permalink
oops wrong thread
― internet somebody (some dude), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 15:39 (six years ago) Permalink
my one only reaction to this right now is HOLY SHIT @ "FAITH"
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 27 March 2012 15:43 (six years ago) Permalink
Keri Hilson is in some ways the last vestige of a very different, money-flushed era of R&B. Tim and co spent forever manufacturing her into the perfect mass-market star (succeeding, but just barely).
I don't think labels have the interest in making big new R&B stars right now (look how long K. Michelle has been trying to release an album), and I don't think the media has any interest in covering them (most magazines couldn't even be bothered to review Melanie Fiona's fantastic new album). And for the Nikkiyas, Jade Alstons and even Jhene Aikos of the world, there just really isn't much of a support system.
― Evan R, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 15:49 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah but i mean...those are Z-listers that wouldn't've even had a shot at any kind of audience without a hit single 10 years ago when R&B was really big business. at least now there's mixtapes and blogs and more of a live circuit where people that will never get a Def Jam release date can foster a following.
― internet somebody (some dude), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 15:56 (six years ago) Permalink
I don't know that this is a new phenomenon though. I mean, no media outlets had any interest in reviewing Shareefa's album! Or Algebra's!
― Peace (peaceful) (The Brainwasher), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 15:57 (six years ago) Permalink
i don't know much about algerba
― internet somebody (some dude), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 15:59 (six years ago) Permalink
"faith" would hit billboard w/ a major label push right?
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 27 March 2012 16:09 (six years ago) Permalink
All those songs on the Kelly Rowland album that kinda sounded like "Faith" didn't, so I wouldn't get my hopes up
― Evan R, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 16:12 (six years ago) Permalink
oh i have no hopes
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 27 March 2012 16:14 (six years ago) Permalink
but either way that song is MASSIVE
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 27 March 2012 16:16 (six years ago) Permalink
'faith' feels like three songs mashed into one
― dayo, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 16:17 (six years ago) Permalink
There were songs on the Kelly Rowland album that sounded like "Faith"? Cause "Faith" is incredible and that album was boring as fuck, "Motivation" aside.
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 20:18 (six years ago) Permalink
most of y'all will prob cringe a this but i'm most reminded of 808s & heartbreak
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 27 March 2012 20:18 (six years ago) Permalink
you are correct at the first part
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 20:19 (six years ago) Permalink
the first part of 'faith' really reminds me of 'i hate that you love me'
― dayo, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 20:20 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah, me too -- the tone of the piano is the same
it really reminds me of that kelis EP... just a lot better
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 27 March 2012 20:20 (six years ago) Permalink
talking just about "faith", and kelis album, not EP
i'm allllllllll about "scripture"
― Peace (peaceful) (The Brainwasher), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 20:22 (six years ago) Permalink
I am so sad right now that I am working and can't listen to this over and over and over.
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 20:22 (six years ago) Permalink
was kind of thinking how the little 'dance-floor buildup' a la we found love was not really necessary in 'faith'
xp yeah, but also in just how motorik the percussion is, just a kind of military stomp
― dayo, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 20:22 (six years ago) Permalink
like I'm not quite sold on the anthemic second half when the synths and kickdrum come in...but maybe that'll come
― dayo, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 20:25 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah the kelis album was what i thought of re: "faith" too
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 20:29 (six years ago) Permalink
SORRY IF YOU THINK IF YOU THINK I'M AUTOMATICFUCKIN WITH THE WRONG TOY NO BATTERIES INCLUDEDTRYNA TURN ME ON CUZ YOU THINK I'M OPERATEDTREAT ME LIKE A DROID CUZ YOU THINK I'M AUTOMATIC
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 20:42 (six years ago) Permalink
― art dealin' thru the west coast (tpp), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 11:56 (9 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― art dealin' thru the west coast (tpp), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 21:07 (six years ago) Permalink
ugh, it's not on amazon and i don't fuck with itunes
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 21:54 (six years ago) Permalink
i think it leaked, someone kindly gave me a link on twitter.
― sisilafami, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 22:16 (six years ago) Permalink
aha, found it! thx
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 22:34 (six years ago) Permalink
still wanna put my money on it tho
the percussion is really what makes this album
― dayo, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 22:56 (six years ago) Permalink
yes, but also the tunes + dawn
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 22:58 (six years ago) Permalink
I take those two as a given tbh
― dayo, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 23:01 (six years ago) Permalink
just grokked the "pearls" reference in "scripture"
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 23:20 (six years ago) Permalink
fuck itunes i paid for this and all songs will download except one!
― art dealin' thru the west coast (tpp), Wednesday, 28 March 2012 07:40 (six years ago) Permalink
ugh son
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Wednesday, 28 March 2012 07:59 (six years ago) Permalink
Just downloaded this, but can't listen to it yet (at a cafe and I have no headphones).
Instead, I am thoroughly enjoying the OG dropshadow booklet design.
― MikoMcha, Wednesday, 28 March 2012 10:56 (six years ago) Permalink
the last minute of "Heaven", fuck! those strings and that ever more insistent percussion
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Wednesday, 28 March 2012 11:49 (six years ago) Permalink
HOW GOOD IS IT
― Tim F, Wednesday, 28 March 2012 11:54 (six years ago) Permalink
http://dawnrichard.tumblr.com/post/20054589357/bombs-away-say-hey-what-did-you-say-shout-out-to
scroll down <3
― dayo, Wednesday, 28 March 2012 11:54 (six years ago) Permalink
OK, at home now listening to the album. At Automatic, seems like the track sequence is really perfect.
― MikoMcha, Wednesday, 28 March 2012 12:55 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah it's sequenced really really well
― art dealin' thru the west coast (tpp), Wednesday, 28 March 2012 12:57 (six years ago) Permalink
I'm hanging in there for Faith and Scripture based on comments here, although it's still great to hear Black Lipstick and Changes again this way!
― MikoMcha, Wednesday, 28 March 2012 13:02 (six years ago) Permalink
OK, well obviously, Faith is my new jam. But feel like I need much more time with this!
― MikoMcha, Wednesday, 28 March 2012 13:20 (six years ago) Permalink
Just downloaded it. Preparing to listen.
― Somewhere between Fergie and Jesus (Alex in Montreal), Wednesday, 28 March 2012 17:47 (six years ago) Permalink
People saying "Faith" sounds like Flesh Tone otm. Love that album, need to go back to it.
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Wednesday, 28 March 2012 19:20 (six years ago) Permalink
kinda sounds like it was inspired by the Jamie XX & Gil Scott-Heron/Drake thing to me
― Number None, Wednesday, 28 March 2012 19:55 (six years ago) Permalink
this album is too good
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Wednesday, 28 March 2012 20:18 (six years ago) Permalink
SFMU remix is so great
― dayo, Wednesday, 28 March 2012 22:43 (six years ago) Permalink
it has this sort of aftermath-of-the-war vibe
― dayo, Wednesday, 28 March 2012 22:49 (six years ago) Permalink
I love the persistent superman motif's in Dirty Money-related projects
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Wednesday, 28 March 2012 23:06 (six years ago) Permalink
superfluous apostrophe there
REFERENCE SUPERMAN LISTEN TO SADE should be the dirty money motto
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Wednesday, 28 March 2012 23:07 (six years ago) Permalink
'automatic' has that same sort of nonapologetic vibe of 'runway', it's great
― dayo, Wednesday, 28 March 2012 23:09 (six years ago) Permalink
wait, maybe sade is superman
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Wednesday, 28 March 2012 23:11 (six years ago) Permalink
It's interesting that Dawn runs with that superman/superhero/invincible/bulletproof narrative so much given I think a big part of her voice's appeal is how she can sound so much on the verge of tears while still singing really well. "Change" is an excellent example of the latter quality.
― Tim F, Wednesday, 28 March 2012 23:19 (six years ago) Permalink
true, i'm finding it kinda hard listening to this in the sunshine thinking "jeez cheer up brandy"
― r|t|c, Thursday, 29 March 2012 00:35 (six years ago) Permalink
jokes aside tho the record is impeccable
hope + pray for an extended version of 'heaven' somewhere down the line for the full quentin harris experience
― r|t|c, Thursday, 29 March 2012 00:36 (six years ago) Permalink
oh i should hear this huh
― recent thug (k3vin k.), Thursday, 29 March 2012 00:37 (six years ago) Permalink
i swear that's skepta's voice just before the drop on 'faith' as well
― r|t|c, Thursday, 29 March 2012 00:41 (six years ago) Permalink
i'm kind of weary of all the superhero-themed lyrics on both tapes.
― some dude, Monday, March 12, 2012 3:13 PM (2 weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
seriously it was quite enough when dawn had "superman" AND "super hero" AND "bulletproof" but then kalenna came with "s on my chest" and i was like come the fuck on
― some dude, Thursday, 29 March 2012 00:46 (six years ago) Permalink
I have so much room in my heart for all these superman songs
― dayo, Thursday, 29 March 2012 01:23 (six years ago) Permalink
otm
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Thursday, 29 March 2012 02:02 (six years ago) Permalink
I GO GRENADEYOU GO GRENADA
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Thursday, 29 March 2012 07:34 (six years ago) Permalink
I'm listening for the first time and I just got the irresistible urge to post that. Three songs in and this is unstoppable.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Thursday, 29 March 2012 07:36 (six years ago) Permalink
So apparently there are other records that people might want to listen to now this exists? Unbelievable.
Sort of feel that this sets a high-water mark for dance influences in R&B and reveals almost everyone else as a clunky hack in comparison. Things like actually getting the drums right and sounding like they go with the music and keeping that rhythmic interest running - the flimsiness of recent R&B drum sounds has been a minor bugbear of mine for a while. Also she's great at songs and melodies that sound like they actually fit with the music rather than awkwardly plonked on top of it. The huge Guetta-does-Jamie-XX drop in the second half of 'Faith' works because everyone concerned realises that big filterdisco choruses are something that needs to be built up to rather than the basic building block of pop. Icing not cake.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Thursday, 29 March 2012 09:22 (six years ago) Permalink
idk why anyone is surprised that dawn's preoccupation with superhero motifs is continuing on an album called ARMOR ON
― lex pretend, Thursday, 29 March 2012 09:27 (six years ago) Permalink
she uses them in really interesting ways, too - feel like "bulletproof" is the key here, the whole idea of being made superhuman through love - you could hear it as another iteration of the sade obsession b/c it's an extension of the whole "soldier of love" imagery
― lex pretend, Thursday, 29 March 2012 09:31 (six years ago) Permalink
― dayo, Thursday, 29 March 2012 11:34 (six years ago) Permalink
I'm not actually sure these are particularly interesting or original metaphors at all but they sound cool.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Thursday, 29 March 2012 11:39 (six years ago) Permalink
― lex pretend, Thursday, 29 March 2012 10:31 (2 hours ago) Bookmark
yeah, and not just love but love itself, a higher power never specific to the person that's given her cause to feel love (or indeed feel hurt; "you may hate me but i'm still free" in 'bulletproof')
like "you are my scripture", the way people don't worship scripture itself but as a symbol of the things it represents. or worshipping messianic figures as conduits and restorers of communion with gods etc
― r|t|c, Thursday, 29 March 2012 13:00 (six years ago) Permalink
listening to 'bulletproof' again i think it's not just the sunny weather, i do have to cop to missing a little of the grit and rough edges of tell-tale heart and lttp here
the way "I GO GRENADE YOU GO GRENADA" actually makes me suddenly hunger to put on 'matte black truck' instead
should add there is however sufficient grit here to make any comparison to that kelis album thoroughly unjust
― r|t|c, Thursday, 29 March 2012 13:07 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah, and not just love but love itself, a higher power never specific to the person that's given her cause to feel love
yup when she kneels in reverence on "scripture" the focus is on the feeling, not the "him" of the song.
"bombs" is maybe the only disappointment? "i'm bout to blow" just makes me wish she'd given us a full length HQ "superman".
― lex pretend, Thursday, 29 March 2012 13:30 (six years ago) Permalink
is this in relation to a specific song or the whole thing
― THIS TRADE SERVES ZERO FOOTBALL PURPOSE (DJP), Thursday, 29 March 2012 13:39 (six years ago) Permalink
he was comparing "Faith" to "Take Care"
― some dude, Thursday, 29 March 2012 13:46 (six years ago) Permalink
didn't expect that to be a popular notion but it was the first thing i thought of when i heard it
― Number None, Thursday, 29 March 2012 13:56 (six years ago) Permalink
blimey, the drums on this whole thing!
― pandemic, Thursday, 29 March 2012 14:00 (six years ago) Permalink
After a first listen, I love love love "Automatic" and "Scripture" (the latter Rev had tipped me to before), and it seems absolutely dud-free. Not sure about "Faith"; I don't dislike it, but something didn't quite work for me. Same as the second drum pattern that intrudes in "The Battle (Outro)"; not bad by any means, but felt clunky, like another song was playing and they poorly meshed.
Really impressive album.
― EZ Snappin, Thursday, 29 March 2012 15:12 (six years ago) Permalink
I love that this is apparently an 'EP'
― Somewhere between Fergie and Jesus (Alex in Montreal), Thursday, 29 March 2012 16:18 (six years ago) Permalink
Yeah Faith is really obviously and openly making use of the Jamie XX hook but in a very different way, and the rest of the album sounds nothing like it.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Thursday, 29 March 2012 16:53 (six years ago) Permalink
aside from faith right now i'm really loving "heaven" but mostly cuz it's this album's version of "love lockdown"
― J0rdan S., Thursday, 29 March 2012 16:57 (six years ago) Permalink
I kept on not making the connection that you were talking about "Take Care" and thinking "Jamie XX is a really odd person to invoke when it comes to housey R&B".
Sort of feel that this sets a high-water mark for dance influences in R&B and reveals almost everyone else as a clunky hack in comparison.
Yeah this is what I was getting at upthread. It's quite amazing that (to my knowledge) she and her one producer guy did all of it.
― Tim F, Thursday, 29 March 2012 17:04 (six years ago) Permalink
"Faith", it should be noted, is the only track not produced by Druski, so if it sounds a bit different from the rest of the album, that's probably why.
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Thursday, 29 March 2012 17:09 (six years ago) Permalink
― J0rdan S., Thursday, March 29, 2012 9:57 AM Bookmark
Except the tune actually develops.
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Thursday, 29 March 2012 17:10 (six years ago) Permalink
still would like more from j0rd on why this is 808's and dirty money
― dayo, Thursday, 29 March 2012 17:17 (six years ago) Permalink
Rev - Thanks for that tidbit re: "Faith". It definitely feels like something apart from the rest. I think the drums are weakest on that cut as well.
I guess I'm a Druski fan.
― EZ Snappin, Thursday, 29 March 2012 17:20 (six years ago) Permalink
I agree the drums are the weakest but the tune is one of the best.
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Thursday, 29 March 2012 17:29 (six years ago) Permalink
I love the drums on the first part of faith
― dayo, Thursday, 29 March 2012 17:32 (six years ago) Permalink
btw I'm just so happy this is actually an official release on itunes, I feared that this would remain in an unproduced label hell like tell-tale heart
I think I'd like "Faith" more if it was a stand alone. Doesn't really work for me in the context of the album.
― EZ Snappin, Thursday, 29 March 2012 17:33 (six years ago) Permalink
Apparently it's #1 in itunes' r&b chart, as an independent release.
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:08 (six years ago) Permalink
it is interesting that she seems to have a pretty good sized following. i guess that's more from danity kane than dirty money though?
― some dude, Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:10 (six years ago) Permalink
Probably both?
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:11 (six years ago) Permalink
well yeah sure but i bet a majority are holdovers from the former than followed her to the latter
― some dude, Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:15 (six years ago) Permalink
was she the most famous danity kane member?
― dayo, Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:17 (six years ago) Permalink
arguably Aubrey is the most famous DK member
― THIS TRADE SERVES ZERO FOOTBALL PURPOSE (DJP), Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:19 (six years ago) Permalink
hard to say, i mean she prob is now but there wasn't really a breakout star in the group at the time, although Aubrey O'Day was kind of a hot mess tabloid fav for a while and is now on Celebrity Apprentice (xpost)
― some dude, Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:20 (six years ago) Permalink
IIRC at the time Aubrey and Aundrea were de facto "the famous ones" due to being on both casting seasons of Danity Kane's "Making The Band", plus I think Aubrey did Playboy...?
― THIS TRADE SERVES ZERO FOOTBALL PURPOSE (DJP), Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:23 (six years ago) Permalink
this is def the most inspiring thing from any danity kane member this week, narrowly edging out aubrey's impassioned defense of her creativity in last week's boardroom
― J0rdan S., Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:26 (six years ago) Permalink
there was an episode of 'celebrity apprentice' a few weeks back where the teams had to sell some car, and when aubrey got on she told this story about how her mom and sister were badly injured in a car crash and if they had been driving the buick whatever whatever with its airbag system and safety ratings, they would've been fine. she started crying, then they cut to an off camera interview where she revealed that the whole story was fake and that she was there to win.
― J0rdan S., Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:28 (six years ago) Permalink
lol j0rdan nobly taking the "watches the worst tv imaginable" torch right outta my hands
― some dude, Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:29 (six years ago) Permalink
ha
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:31 (six years ago) Permalink
lol since i don't have cable i usually find myself flipping around the major networks on some nights and multiple times i've stopped on some random cbs or abc show and after three minutes been like "smh this must be what it's like to be al shipley"
― J0rdan S., Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:38 (six years ago) Permalink
you bastard
― some dude, Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:42 (six years ago) Permalink
minus having an adorable baby
― J0rdan S., Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:47 (six years ago) Permalink
still think this is aubrey's finest moment
http://www4.images.coolspotters.com/photos/37416/aubrey-oday-and-heart-on-my-sleeve-gallery.jpg
― lex pretend, Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:48 (six years ago) Permalink
the last danity kane album was really good btw
dawn gave them their name fwiw, after a fictional anime character of her own invention
Aubrey's finest moment is looking like a political hobo?
― THIS TRADE SERVES ZERO FOOTBALL PURPOSE (DJP), Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:49 (six years ago) Permalink
what else would you pick! that image is hilarious
― lex pretend, Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:50 (six years ago) Permalink
the DOG with the GLITTER BONNET and dyed pink ears
what else would you pick!
this is a pretty convincing argument
― J0rdan S., Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:51 (six years ago) Permalink
you just imagine the obama campaign staffers (this was from early 2008 iirc) suddenly seeing these pictures and being like "noooooooo"
― lex pretend, Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:51 (six years ago) Permalink
is that dog actually alive?
― Number None, Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:54 (six years ago) Permalink
yup. it accompanied her to a number of events around this time.
― lex pretend, Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:56 (six years ago) Permalink
probably came close to dying of embarrassment
― Number None, Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:58 (six years ago) Permalink
tis a crying shame dawn's major in marine biology doesn't influence her music to the same degree her comic book nerdery does
― r|t|c, Thursday, 29 March 2012 18:59 (six years ago) Permalink
All my people gettin' down on the floor-ahStingin' beats like we're Medusozoa
― THIS TRADE SERVES ZERO FOOTBALL PURPOSE (DJP), Thursday, 29 March 2012 19:18 (six years ago) Permalink
i knew everyone was trying to think of something there but i still expected better
― r|t|c, Thursday, 29 March 2012 19:32 (six years ago) Permalink
best i could do was a tilapia heart fwiw
― r|t|c, Thursday, 29 March 2012 19:33 (six years ago) Permalink
whats the name of this album everyone is raving over? I am having serious problems with my Internet literacy or something...
― dies irate (loves laboured breathing), Thursday, 29 March 2012 19:54 (six years ago) Permalink
armor on
― sisilafami, Thursday, 29 March 2012 19:59 (six years ago) Permalink
cool thx
― dies irate (loves laboured breathing), Thursday, 29 March 2012 20:08 (six years ago) Permalink
hurry up, we're dreaming
― J0rdan S., Thursday, 29 March 2012 20:24 (six years ago) Permalink
― lex pretend, Thursday, March 29, 2012 2:48 PM (4 hours ago) Bookmark
really wanna know what anime shows dawn watches
― dayo, Thursday, 29 March 2012 23:07 (six years ago) Permalink
Just as ridiculous as the idea that this is an EP is that the 3+ min songs at the beginning and the end constitute an intro and an outro.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Friday, 30 March 2012 07:56 (six years ago) Permalink
first incidence of this sort of thing i recall is e.badu calling the 12-track, 45-min worldwide underground an "EP" in 2003
― lex pretend, Friday, 30 March 2012 08:26 (six years ago) Permalink
I'm guessing there's some bullshit record company reason for it.
I don't think Bombs is a disappointment at all but it's certainly more, I dunno, route one banger than the rest of it. It's a big jolt though and feels totally necessary in the flow of the album (and the album flows really really well).
I think Faith fits well in as well - the thing with the whole record is how patient most of it is, a bit like a DJ mix, and by that point it's like "ah go on, you can have a peak-time banger".
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Friday, 30 March 2012 08:53 (six years ago) Permalink
DJ mix comment is otm - which is, of course, another interesting hybrid aspect to the dance/R'n'B genre play going on with the record.
― MikoMcha, Friday, 30 March 2012 09:01 (six years ago) Permalink
I also like how she's grouped like songs together so there's a real "take you on a journey" aspect.
It is pretty remarkable that Dawn/Dupri 'get' house and what it can do so well (thinking esp. of "Change" and "Heaven")... As well as any house producer could have managed I think.
Rather than just whacking on a kickdrum, they've really thought about how to use house's little percussive flairs to enhance the songs in the same way that (obvious e.g.) Timbaland might have done with a stuttering triplet.
― Tim F, Friday, 30 March 2012 09:23 (six years ago) Permalink
The irony being that Timbo doesn't get that.
― if you feeling frogbs, leap (The Reverend), Friday, 30 March 2012 11:35 (six years ago) Permalink
I actually thought of 'Beats 4 Da Streets (Intro)' listening to 'Intro (Call to Hearts)'. Always wanted to hear more stuff done in the style of that Aaliyah opener, 90's r&b in full-dance mode, lover's jungle, etc.
― MikoMcha, Friday, 30 March 2012 11:53 (six years ago) Permalink
i feel like other music is obsolete now
― TALiB KWELi SODMG (The Reverend), Monday, 2 April 2012 23:26 (six years ago) Permalink
― MikoMcha, Friday, 30 March 2012 11:53 AM (3 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Did you ever hear Janet Jackson's "Empty"?
That's the closest thing I can come up with as a precedent for Intro/Black Lipstick.
― Tim F, Monday, 2 April 2012 23:45 (six years ago) Permalink
"empty" is the best song
― J0rdan S., Monday, 2 April 2012 23:59 (six years ago) Permalink
― TALiB KWELi SODMG (The Reverend), Tuesday, 3 April 2012 00:00 (six years ago) Permalink
Amazingly, nearly 15 years old.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 00:15 (six years ago) Permalink
Armor On is afaict self-released so i think it being an EP is less a 'bullshit record company' thing than just wanting to prolong the anticipation for a proper DEBUT ALBUM with mixtapes and other minor releases, because everyone always thinks their first album is going to sell a bazillion copies like 50 Cent and doesn't want to drop an album until they think it can do that
― some dude, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 01:12 (six years ago) Permalink
the tone of the piano in SFMU remix just kills me
― dayo, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 02:04 (six years ago) Permalink
it's a song sung from the rubble
― dayo, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 02:05 (six years ago) Permalink
Cool, Empty is great! I never listened to that record besides the singles.
― MikoMcha, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 10:15 (six years ago) Permalink
That album is amazing, breh
― TALiB KWELi SODMG (The Reverend), Tuesday, 3 April 2012 12:56 (six years ago) Permalink
― Tim F, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 12:59 (six years ago) Permalink
So many oversights. Downloading it now, especially after that track.
― MikoMcha, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 14:33 (six years ago) Permalink
Velvet Rope might be my favourite Janet LP and 'Empty' might be her best track. You know, depending on the day of the week and more likely if it's winter.
― Somewhere between Fergie and Jesus (Alex in Montreal), Tuesday, 3 April 2012 18:40 (six years ago) Permalink
man, this mixtape
― goole, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 22:34 (six years ago) Permalink
― pop the s1ock (J0rdan S.), Tuesday, February 22, 2011 1:13 AM (1 year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
one year! shit
wish so much she would release a mastered version of that mixtape
― dayo, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 22:50 (six years ago) Permalink
every time I see the title "SMFU", I feel like it should stand for *shaking my fucking uterus* or something
― TALiB KWELi SODMG (The Reverend), Tuesday, 3 April 2012 23:22 (six years ago) Permalink
i'm kind of having trouble connecting with 'armor on'. of course i love dawn's voice, so i think i'm more impressed with the atmosphere of the thing - that's really the point of most of these joints, right? - than i am taken with the songs themselves. like the background vocals in "heaven" - that's straight outta LTTP (forget which song, drunx). maybe the problem's with me, that i'm holding it up to kind of an impossible standard, but the songs just aren't staying with me for whatever reason. given the quality of posters enjoying this i'm sure the problem is with me - i need to spend more time with this
― recent thug (k3vin k.), Wednesday, 4 April 2012 03:23 (six years ago) Permalink
i wasn't head over heels like most ppl on the first few listens ("faith" aside) but i think the songs really sneak up on you. a lot of the pleasures are pretty subtle.
― J0rdan S., Wednesday, 4 April 2012 03:25 (six years ago) Permalink
i almost feel like this album is just waiting to be cut up by some great house DJs, that that's its primary aim even
― recent thug (k3vin k.), Wednesday, 4 April 2012 03:25 (six years ago) Permalink
― Peace (peaceful) (The Brainwasher), Tuesday, March 27, 2012 11:57 AM (1 week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― internet somebody (some dude), Tuesday, March 27, 2012 11:59 AM (1 week ago)
btw http://sae.tweek.us/static/images/emoticons/emot-golfclap.gif
― recent thug (k3vin k.), Wednesday, 4 April 2012 03:27 (six years ago) Permalink
haha ME TOO, and i'm sure she meant it like that, or rather she meant the acronym as a portmanteau of SMH and FU
k3vin try headphones, the songs are there but not all are immediate, but this was blown open for me the first time i heard it on headphones. rtc otm that the sunny weather did it no favours either which was the one positive of last night's inexplicable rainstorm
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 4 April 2012 06:02 (six years ago) Permalink
(it's my album of the year now)
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 4 April 2012 06:03 (six years ago) Permalink
i am so fucking sitting on my hands right now
― TALiB KWELi SODMG (The Reverend), Wednesday, 4 April 2012 06:03 (six years ago) Permalink
― recent thug (k3vin k.), Tuesday, April 3, 2012 11:23 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark
i'm with you, sounds good but hasn't really clicked for me. will give it another try today.
― some dude, Wednesday, 4 April 2012 12:51 (six years ago) Permalink
― TALiB KWELi SODMG (The Reverend), Wednesday, April 4, 2012 6:03 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
oh, go on.
― Tim F, Wednesday, 4 April 2012 12:52 (six years ago) Permalink
also with kk & sd to some extent, i think it's less "trouble connecting" than it is the nature of the connection tho - 'armor on' is this haunting, austere, sacred, bleak vista that always impresses but doesnt necessarily engage you to fall head over heels outside the appropriate circumstances like the rest of the ddm canon maybe does
just a bit different is all
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 4 April 2012 13:21 (six years ago) Permalink
rtc otm that the sunny weather did it no favours either which was the one positive of last night's inexplicable rainstorm
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 4 April 2012 07:02 (7 hours ago) Bookmark
i once got caught in a torrential storm with 'make love to you' off lovelovevshatelove on and it was so perfect and overwhelmingly romantic i still sometimes think about it
like if a bad bitch had cropped up at that exact moment i would have walked away from everything and spent my every last penny whisking her off off on a plane somewhere vibe
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 4 April 2012 13:26 (six years ago) Permalink
She's certainly less um approachable than she was on #A Tell-Tale Heart for the most part. There's nothing as breezy as "Biggest Fan" or "Hey" for instance.
This ain't a problem for me perhaps because I've already primed myself for Dawn so much I'm happy to take her in full forbidding stone edifice as last remnant of a vanished alien civilisation mode.
― Tim F, Wednesday, 4 April 2012 13:27 (six years ago) Permalink
xp underrated jam anyway, even in clement weather
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 4 April 2012 13:27 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah it's more the darkness on tell-tale heart is more, idk if ~relatable~ is le mot juste but a sense of something overwrought and ultimately monstrous bloodily at stake than armor on's more transcendent virtues
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 4 April 2012 13:38 (six years ago) Permalink
This is easily my favourite DDM-related release.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Wednesday, 4 April 2012 13:52 (six years ago) Permalink
no offence but you have hardly distinguished yourself on matters ddm tbf
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 4 April 2012 14:04 (six years ago) Permalink
well maybe you have actually but not in a good way
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 4 April 2012 14:06 (six years ago) Permalink
― r|t|c, Wednesday, April 4, 2012 6:27 AM Bookmark
― TALiB KWELi SODMG (The Reverend), Wednesday, 4 April 2012 14:21 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah that's not saying much coming from someone who was not a 'ass on the floor' partisan! xxp
― dayo, Wednesday, 4 April 2012 14:33 (six years ago) Permalink
The original SMFU just clicked with me. It's still not as awesome as the Remix, but still.
― Somewhere between Fergie and Jesus (Alex in Montreal), Wednesday, 4 April 2012 14:50 (six years ago) Permalink
Feelings!
(Hah I don't actually like DDM at all but really like both Dawn releases, her own aesthetic is distinct enough that I barely make the DDM connection any more)
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Wednesday, 4 April 2012 15:10 (six years ago) Permalink
Hah I don't actually like DDM at all
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/dc19124/snoop.gif
― TALiB KWELi SODMG (The Reverend), Wednesday, 4 April 2012 18:21 (six years ago) Permalink
btw
http://www.factmag.com/2012/04/07/dawn-richard-armor-on/
― The Reverend, Sunday, 8 April 2012 01:28 (six years ago) Permalink
a-yo
― dayo, Sunday, 8 April 2012 01:34 (six years ago) Permalink
niiiiiice
― Peace (peaceful) (The Brainwasher), Sunday, 8 April 2012 01:39 (six years ago) Permalink
Yeah that was totally awesome!!!
― THE SPACEMENT TAPES (loves laboured breathing), Sunday, 8 April 2012 01:45 (six years ago) Permalink
Rev is getting really trigger happy with the snoop.gif.
― Evan R, Sunday, 8 April 2012 02:01 (six years ago) Permalink
Nothing snoop.gif worthy about not vein able to stomach Diddy's atrocious rapping imo
― Evan R, Sunday, 8 April 2012 02:02 (six years ago) Permalink
imo if you don't like DDM what board are you even posting on
― recent thug (k3vin k.), Sunday, 8 April 2012 02:03 (six years ago) Permalink
nice review btw rev
― recent thug (k3vin k.), Sunday, 8 April 2012 02:04 (six years ago) Permalink
k3v otm
― dayo, Sunday, 8 April 2012 02:05 (six years ago) Permalink
DDM songs work because of, not in spite of, diddy's rapping
― Evan Rhttp://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxozkjOUlo1r97gceo1_500.gif
― Peace (peaceful) (The Brainwasher), Sunday, 8 April 2012 02:06 (six years ago) Permalink
SMOKE WEED LISTEN TO SADE
― dayo, Sunday, 8 April 2012 02:06 (six years ago) Permalink
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2012/04/dawn_richard_kalenna_dirty_money.php
― some dude, Monday, 9 April 2012 13:40 (six years ago) Permalink
(lol at me and rev having a mindmeld on the phrase 'greek chorus')
― some dude, Monday, 9 April 2012 13:42 (six years ago) Permalink
nice
lol at "For the album's fervent cult of patient motherfuckers"
― The Reverend, Monday, 9 April 2012 14:45 (six years ago) Permalink
thumbs up 4 the piece shipz
― lex pretend, Monday, 9 April 2012 15:54 (six years ago) Permalink
Great piece; and a good gateway to the joys of Dawn Richard for people who aren't already on the DDM train (i.e non-ilxors)
― Evan R, Monday, 9 April 2012 16:06 (six years ago) Permalink
hey bigger fanbases have been built on smaller foundations than an album that almost went gold
― some dude, Monday, 9 April 2012 16:21 (six years ago) Permalink
That was great too sd
― THE SPACEMENT TAPES (loves laboured breathing), Monday, 9 April 2012 19:15 (six years ago) Permalink
Loving this stream of excellent journalism on Dawn!
― Tim F, Monday, 9 April 2012 21:11 (six years ago) Permalink
i really hope we can actually get some traction going on dawn and kalenna. i've had a few too many experiences of trying to talk about r&b to other music critics and when i bring up dawn and kalenna it's like they don't even hear the names, and then they say "so! the weeknd!"
and then i stab them
― lex pretend, Monday, 9 April 2012 23:08 (six years ago) Permalink
I think one of the potentials with Dawn is that her genre dabbling does provide an "in" for stabworthy people - you can sell it as "not just R&B" in a similar fashion to how The Weeknd or even The-Dream are sold to that kind of audience.
Although of course in truth what Dawn does with drum & bass, house, etc. is to make it function precisely as R&B sui generis and par excellence (though of course her own individualised take on it). So it's not meaningfully different from a 2002 tune with a pseudo-dancehall beat or a tabla.
One of the things I tried to do in my own review (i'm not sure how successfully) is to try express both the above points while not making them contradict each other, so each audience gets the point I want them to get. The difficulty with this is that 9 out of 10 readers only pick up on these things if you beat them over the head with it, so the more likely outcome is to end up falling between two stools.
― Tim F, Monday, 9 April 2012 23:32 (six years ago) Permalink
Kalenna's probably a lost cause though - Chamber of Diaries is the kind of R&B that only gets critical traction if there's a hit (preferably a string of them). Not that I would object to "Matte Black Truck" being number one forever of course.
― Tim F, Monday, 9 April 2012 23:38 (six years ago) Permalink
Tim, where is this review of yours?
― recent thug (k3vin k.), Monday, 9 April 2012 23:43 (six years ago) Permalink
Kalenna definitely is doomed to get less buzz in general but i hope peope itt aren't sleeping on her tape since DR's record dropped, "Poison" is so killer
― ghostface protocollah (some dude), Tuesday, 10 April 2012 00:46 (six years ago) Permalink
I think it'll be up in a few days. Let's talk about the awesomeness of both rev and some dude instead.
Some dude totally spot on when he refers to Dawn's "heavily armored vulnerability". I think perhaps the most interesting aspect of the EP's uh "theme" is that the title "Armor On" is less about fortifying oneself for battle per se than it is about the possibility of being wounded - Dawn's "armor" is really scar tissue.
And yes "Poison" is great.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 10 April 2012 00:48 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah i mean i make fun of the superhero/military stuff but i have come to respect the way it's woven into the whole thing and isn't just the repetitive employment of a cliched metaphor
― ghostface protocollah (some dude), Tuesday, 10 April 2012 00:53 (six years ago) Permalink
I think the superman meme in particular does merit some fun-making. Especially the whole S on your/my chest thing.
I imagine one of Dawn or Kalenna jumping on this first and getting really mad each time the other tries to pass it off as her own.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 10 April 2012 01:22 (six years ago) Permalink
lol it is so totally Dawn's
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 10 April 2012 01:57 (six years ago) Permalink
^^
― swaghand (dayo), Tuesday, 10 April 2012 02:18 (six years ago) Permalink
also i think people into the new wave of **dark & moody* indie r&b or w/e could find something to like in dawn's stuff
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 10 April 2012 02:52 (six years ago) Permalink
I'm inclined to agree of course.
It'd be more amusing though if Kalenna concocted it and then Dawn started using it (to the point of nearly building her entire persona around it) before she got a chance to.
I do wonder what they think of each other actually. Has there been anything juicy post DM breakup?
― Tim F, Tuesday, 10 April 2012 03:12 (six years ago) Permalink
I think this board seriously underestimates what a tough sell Dawn Richard is to non-converts. On the surface, her resume looks pretty dire. Danity Kane was not a well-respected band, and the Diddy association is a turnoff to a lot of people who haven't actually heard the DDM album (or who only heard that one moronic Skylar Grey single)
― Evan R, Tuesday, 10 April 2012 03:15 (six years ago) Permalink
xp Dawn (at least publicly) seems totally cool with whatever happened and Kalenna seems more bitter about it.
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 10 April 2012 03:59 (six years ago) Permalink
― Evan R, Tuesday, 10 April 2012 3:15 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
I think anything can be spun.
Weeknd fans who want to embrace this can convince themselves that she is busting out of the constraints of major label R&B and that Diddy wasn't smart enough to realise her genius.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 10 April 2012 04:29 (six years ago) Permalink
though if they didn't realise how LTTP was hugely sonically innovative...
if kalenna goes down the "go to work" route enough, that could sell her from a character (rather than beats) perspective in a similar way to how nicki and WAKA cross over to non-rap audiences. we'll see what her official material sounds like if/when it emerges. have to say i am slightly disappointed that dawn and kalenna don't even see each other as allies in the vaguest sense.
anyway yeah anything can be spun but apart from our own articles that doesn't seem to be happening on anything like last year's initial weeknd level. i blame whoever the fuck the tastemakers and gatekeepers actually are.
re: armour, what you all say is true of course but what i love about the way dawn uses that imagery is how armour is less of a protective necessity and more of a badge of honour, and a natural development of being in love; she makes becoming superhuman via the process of love sound like an organic process. there's def a religious association at work here - echoes of how the concept of armour is used in a scriptural sense.
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 10 April 2012 06:13 (six years ago) Permalink
― Tim F, Tuesday, April 10, 2012 12:29 AM (8 hours ago) Bookmark
it's funny because that's totally going to be the narrative when it's really just that right or wrong she didn't want to sit and wait in line behind French Montana. it's kind of a shame that Bad Boy is so focused on rebuilding their rap roster right now because Diddy could've made Dawn and Janelle and Cassie the front line of an artsy R&B movement.
― ghostface protocollah (some dude), Tuesday, 10 April 2012 13:23 (six years ago) Permalink
it's kind of a shame that Bad Boy is so focused on rebuilding their rap roster right now because Diddy could've made Dawn and Janelle and Cassie the front line of an artsy R&B movement.
It'd be awesome to see this happen anyway (though as a business model French Montana and co. probably offer a better return on investment)
― Evan R, Tuesday, 10 April 2012 14:01 (six years ago) Permalink
i dunno, pretty girls are still more bankable than dopey stuffed animals last time i checked
http://www.radiostreetbuzz.com/wethebuzz/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/French-Montana1.jpg
― some dude, Tuesday, 10 April 2012 14:16 (six years ago) Permalink
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16486-armor-on-ep/
― sisilafami, Friday, 13 April 2012 13:51 (six years ago) Permalink
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZPdRPReWeY
scanning diddy, brandy, and drumnbass there belatedly reminded me of the existence of this and its overlooked relevance here
duh
― r|t|c, Friday, 13 April 2012 14:04 (six years ago) Permalink
not an unreasonable surmise that mario winans had a strong even maybe dominant hand in the lttp vision imo
― r|t|c, Friday, 13 April 2012 14:21 (six years ago) Permalink
"sounding like she's watching her lover's execution" from tim's bit there is spot on
grousing about the mastering quality of tell-tale heart always seemed like a failure of imagination when 'bulletproof' sounded so much as if dawn was pouring out her devotion to you holding a pillow over your head as your life ebbed away
― r|t|c, Friday, 13 April 2012 14:29 (six years ago) Permalink
lol
― The Reverend, Friday, 13 April 2012 15:45 (six years ago) Permalink
lol I didn't peg you for a lo-fi authenticist xp
― swaghand (dayo), Friday, 13 April 2012 15:46 (six years ago) Permalink
that brandy track is one of my faves off of press play
― swaghand (dayo), Friday, 13 April 2012 15:47 (six years ago) Permalink
it is my fave off press play full stop
― The Reverend, Friday, 13 April 2012 15:48 (six years ago) Permalink
1. last night 2. thought you said
― swaghand (dayo), Friday, 13 April 2012 15:50 (six years ago) Permalink
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onZRgDeLA_k
― The Reverend, Friday, 13 April 2012 15:55 (six years ago) Permalink
btw it occurred to me last night how strange it is that no one's drawn a "i'll be missing you"-"coming home" link.
emotional puffy songs really are the best thing ever.
― The Reverend, Friday, 13 April 2012 15:56 (six years ago) Permalink
jaw is agape at that youtube btw
― swaghand (dayo), Friday, 13 April 2012 15:57 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah the inadequacy of didy's emotional tenor in emotional puffy songs invites the listener to color in the lines with their own xp
― swaghand (dayo), Friday, 13 April 2012 15:58 (six years ago) Permalink
otm!
― The Reverend, Friday, 13 April 2012 16:01 (six years ago) Permalink
I don't think that quite applies to "Coming Home" tho. He really does sell that one all the way.
― The Reverend, Friday, 13 April 2012 16:21 (six years ago) Permalink
erm if anyone has press play in 320 i would be v appreciative if you could let me know?
fucking hard drive crash leaving me without 90% of my music collection, i can't even bear to open the 90s r&b thread because of this. anyway press play is, remarkably, not on the internet :(
― liberté, égalité, beyoncé (lex pretend), Friday, 13 April 2012 17:27 (six years ago) Permalink
idk if mine is in 320
― swaghand (dayo), Friday, 13 April 2012 17:30 (six years ago) Permalink
Armor On is on Spotify now
so... this is great, huh
― an independent online phenomenon (DJP), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 17:51 (six years ago) Permalink
― The Reverend, Friday, April 13, 2012 11:55 AM (4 days ago) Bookmark
if my piece wasn't pegged to Dawn and Kalenna i probably would've gotten into my Sad Puffy timeline, post-J. Lo "I Need A Girl" weepers and all
― some dude, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 17:55 (six years ago) Permalink
I know it's a style but I do wish the autotune was dialed down on this
― an independent online phenomenon (DJP), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 17:56 (six years ago) Permalink
i don't think i even really noticed it just because it's so much less ubiquitous on Armor On than it was on Tell Tale Heart
― some dude, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 17:58 (six years ago) Permalink
armor on and the second half of chamber of diaries are still getting better and better for me - such rewarding listening
― liberté, égalité, beyoncé (lex pretend), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 18:06 (six years ago) Permalink
― some dude, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 18:55 (42 minutes ago) Bookmark
yah i'd been musing over this myself in compiling 90s bad boy r&b remixes
like even in less specific terms though there's clearly a sense of grand dramatic sweep & attraction to melancholy in how the mary & faith albums were framed that's traceable all the way to ddm
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 18:49 (six years ago) Permalink
We need a 90s Bad Boy R&B Remixes Poll.
― Somewhere between Fergie and Jesus (Alex in Montreal), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 19:03 (six years ago) Permalink
you should put one together alex
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 19:07 (six years ago) Permalink
not a quality judgement but i've listened to chambers way more than armor tbh. i like the messiness of it, it's engrossing
i like how even when she's reeling off some pretty iffy lines she's still got the presence to make them work - diddy should really have kept her on even if he wasnt fucking with artsy r&b
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 19:08 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah i really wanted to write about Chambers partly because i felt it was unfairly getting the short end of the stick, however predictably, in this thread, when it's on it's really fucking good
― some dude, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 19:10 (six years ago) Permalink
chamber suffers praise-wise from not really clicking into gear until "matte black truck" but from there on in it REALLY clicks and rides through to its logical conclusion in a really engrossing way. it seems a much riskier proposition than armor on in some ways, kalenna really overtly relies on ~swag~ and just about pulls it off.
god i just realised how amazing the power-play and emotional conflict and lust/security confusion in the second verse of "matte black truck" is - like every line's meaning is undercut or switched up almost immediately - this song is the tru part 2 of "ass on the floor"
you the motherfucker i needput it on mei ain't got time for gamesyou gon put the freeze on me?get on your kneesnigga put this ring on me
― liberté, égalité, beyoncé (lex pretend), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 19:18 (six years ago) Permalink
lol lex, recently it seems like every time you write something about lyrics and then post a snippet of what you're talking about, I wonder if you lost the c/p you meant and accidentally replaced it with some banal nonsense you intended to ridicule
― an independent online phenomenon (DJP), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 19:47 (six years ago) Permalink
That bit is pretty powerful in the song though Dan. If you haven't heard it you really should.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 20:33 (six years ago) Permalink
the biggest problem is that I remember to look for/check things out when I'm at work, where most of the sites that host mixtapes are blocked
― an independent online phenomenon (DJP), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 20:34 (six years ago) Permalink
oh god the video on Youtube has the horrible bedazzled lips thing going on, ugh
― an independent online phenomenon (DJP), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 20:35 (six years ago) Permalink
I dunno, "get on your knees" --> "put this ring on me" is slick!
― ንፁህ አበበ (nabisco), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 20:39 (six years ago) Permalink
I was sort of with Dan on the whole autotune thing but actually I've grown to love how it means her voice completely sinks into the warp and weft of each track, especially on the last couple of songs when you can't really tell how many Dawns there are singing over one another and which bit is Dawn and which bit is synth half the time.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 20:42 (six years ago) Permalink
don't suppose anyone ever came across a matte black truck NO DJ higher than 128/160?
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 20:46 (six years ago) Permalink
the first sexual "put it on me" => the second demand for commitment "put this ring on me""freeze on me" as in freezing her out/giving her jewellery/giving her a ring"get on your knees" as violent (sexual?) order then as (violent) demand for love, which sums up the way kalenna's approach to love is inextricably linked to displays of temper and violence and demonstrations of her power across the whole mixtape
― liberté, égalité, beyoncé (lex pretend), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 20:49 (six years ago) Permalink
I really haven't given the Kalenna mixtape fair time.
― hologram ned raggett (The Reverend), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 20:50 (six years ago) Permalink
... okay listening to this now
I do like this song, but that quoted section is not particularly powerful or overwhelming to me? Furthermore, there doesn't actually seem to be any confusion or contradiction in that second verse; she basically is like "I want you like crazy, let's stop fucking around and get married so we can get back to fucking".
The more interesting thing to me is the declaration of strength through vulnerability; like, the whole song is a pleading "don't break up with me" monologue but everything still functions on her terms. She's deciding it's time for her to be vulnerable, she's willing to change if he changes, she can't fathom life without him so obviously he should marry her.
The song is summed up by:
I want youYou need meSo stay, baby
Everything else in the song speaks directly to this central thesis statement.
― an independent online phenomenon (DJP), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 20:50 (six years ago) Permalink
listen to "Poison," that's the standout imo
― some dude, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 20:51 (six years ago) Permalink
btw I like her voice a lot more than Dawn's partially because I feel like I can actually hear it rather than having it drowning in autotune (part of that is backing track arrangement smoothing out some of the edges autotune puts on vocals)
holy shit "Poison" is great btw
― an independent online phenomenon (DJP), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 20:53 (six years ago) Permalink
kind of also like the way the focus is so much on the cranking of wu-tang and keeping her cup filled up in "matte black truck" that even though it's just a threat in the song, kalenna's focus kind of wills it into existence, which foreshadows the entire final stretch of the mixtape in which she does get thrown over and fucked up
― liberté, égalité, beyoncé (lex pretend), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 20:55 (six years ago) Permalink
just relistened to 'matte black truck' and kalenna wasn't nearly as fierce as I remembered, or was made out to be itt
still a great song tho
― dayo, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 20:57 (six years ago) Permalink
the final stretch is "pain & alcohol"/"poison"/"the morning after"/"party & bullshit" dan - they're all amazing in quite similar ways, the first two are kind of secret powerballads and the last two spacey hermetically sealed trapped-in-your-own-head club joints
she sings the final section of "pain & alcohol" from beyond the grave, a trick i always appreciate
― liberté, égalité, beyoncé (lex pretend), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 20:58 (six years ago) Permalink
I mentioned this in my review, but I really like the way Dawn uses autotune. Just lots of layers of both natural and autotuned vocals that complement each other, like she's half feeling human and half tragic android trying to understand human emotion.
― hologram ned raggett (The Reverend), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 21:00 (six years ago) Permalink
I pretty much think she's using it for better effect than anyone else tbh.
― hologram ned raggett (The Reverend), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 21:01 (six years ago) Permalink
― Tim F, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 21:02 (six years ago) Permalink
fierce is nowhere near the right word for "Matte Black Truck" IMO, I'd say she's closer to "imperious" than anything else
I really need to remember to go track these down when I get home
― an independent online phenomenon (DJP), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 21:02 (six years ago) Permalink
Also that stretch Lex just mentioned is def. my favourite stretch of Chamber of Diaries.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 21:03 (six years ago) Permalink
I didn't even realize dawn was autotuning!
― dayo, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 21:06 (six years ago) Permalink
listening to "the morning after" right now and it's just stunning - her UGHHHH after the popeye/spinach line, the "ayo technology" noises that pop up halfway through, the way it all pivots around her singing "i wanna feel like i've been with a rapper the morning after" in tones of anguish and desperation
― liberté, égalité, beyoncé (lex pretend), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 21:06 (six years ago) Permalink
and the way her voice suddenly switches from autotune in-the-club harshness to the sweetness of "hold on to my life" in "party & bullshit"
― liberté, égalité, beyoncé (lex pretend), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 21:09 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah, I totally didn't notice the autotune on Armor On... besides "Automatic," but it fits with the concept there.
WRT Chamber of DIaries, "Matte Black Truck" is far and away the best song... whereas Armor On is consistently stunning.
― Peace (peaceful) (The Brainwasher), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 21:12 (six years ago) Permalink
kind of saddens me slightly that its exclusion from armor on means "december sky" will always be overlooked
― liberté, égalité, beyoncé (lex pretend), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 21:14 (six years ago) Permalink
lex you are sad when anything gets overlooked
― dayo, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 21:15 (six years ago) Permalink
I feel the same away about "Stuck On Mad," which is secretly my favorite Dawn song.
― Peace (peaceful) (The Brainwasher), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 21:15 (six years ago) Permalink
Here's your shit you can TAKE IT IT BACK.... I don't want your love like that
― Peace (peaceful) (The Brainwasher), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 21:16 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah stuck on mad is GREAT
― dayo, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 21:17 (six years ago) Permalink
damn, I never heard that before! amazing.
― hologram ned raggett (The Reverend), Tuesday, 17 April 2012 21:52 (six years ago) Permalink
I would not have foreseen that 2 of my favourite albums of 2012 would both include heavy use of autotune and also both include the word "cowabunga" in a track.
― pandemic, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 16:12 (six years ago) Permalink
what's the other one?
― Number None, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 16:14 (six years ago) Permalink
Future 'Pluto', not sure which track, which is lame of me cos I've heard it 10-15 times so far this week.
― pandemic, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 16:24 (six years ago) Permalink
It's on there somewhere though.
― pandemic, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 16:25 (six years ago) Permalink
need to give that a proper listen myself
― Number None, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 16:27 (six years ago) Permalink
he says "i live a cowabunga lifestyle" on "truth gonna hurt you"
― yologram (J0rdan S.), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 16:31 (six years ago) Permalink
no complete j0rdan s. transcript, no credibility
― some former lust object you've shamefully forgotten (some dude), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 16:34 (six years ago) Permalink
I should have known J0rdan would know ;)
― pandemic, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 17:32 (six years ago) Permalink
Seriously what Dawn and Dupri do with rhythm on "Heaven" and the outro is just O_O. Someone should book them a residency at the PanoramaBar.
― Tim F, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 22:10 (six years ago) Permalink
druski
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 22:23 (six years ago) Permalink
Argh Druski.
Haha I would have loved if it was actually Dupri though.
― Tim F, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 22:25 (six years ago) Permalink
I like Armor On a lot but it *sounds* really poor.
― Spottie_Ottie_Dope, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 22:55 (six years ago) Permalink
look at her on the cover. she is a medieval paladin heading off to war on holy love's great crusades. dupri's 1472 production values weren't to come for another few hunna years. the fuck kinda sound quality you expect?
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 23:11 (six years ago) Permalink
:D alright then
― Spottie_Ottie_Dope, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 23:13 (six years ago) Permalink
But, for real though.
― Spottie_Ottie_Dope, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 23:16 (six years ago) Permalink
maybe you have a bad copy?
― dayo, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 23:18 (six years ago) Permalink
The one off iTunes, so not a lift or anything.
― Spottie_Ottie_Dope, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 23:19 (six years ago) Permalink
ah okay. I think it sounds fine
― dayo, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 23:25 (six years ago) Permalink
The bass clips out on just about every song. I really want to turn it up loud but it becomes too distracting for me.
― Spottie_Ottie_Dope, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 23:39 (six years ago) Permalink
The strings at the end of "Heaven" are so epic.
― hologram ned raggett (The Reverend), Thursday, 19 April 2012 00:29 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah i really have no idea what issues anyone could have with the sound quality of Armor On. although maybe i haven't turned it up loud enough to hear the bass clipping? i dunno
― some dude, Thursday, 19 April 2012 00:50 (six years ago) Permalink
could be an issue with your stereo? maybe not likely if you can pump other songs without clipping
― dayo, Thursday, 19 April 2012 01:09 (six years ago) Permalink
just had a quick go-through on (nice) headphones - doesn't seem to clip at all, or clip anymore than similarly voiced R&B tracks from other artists
― dayo, Thursday, 19 April 2012 01:28 (six years ago) Permalink
Will check it again at work tomorrow.
― Spottie_Ottie_Dope, Thursday, 19 April 2012 01:36 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah got a slight massive attack vibe from them
the bass in "automatic" gets me so hype
― liberté, égalité, beyoncé (lex pretend), Thursday, 19 April 2012 07:29 (six years ago) Permalink
The whole record, well most of it, is very 90s coffee dance, in a good way. There's kind of a superior quality Tracy Thorn feel to a lot of it, although Dawn is a much more captivating vocal presence.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Thursday, 19 April 2012 09:35 (six years ago) Permalink
Yeah, there is definitely a coffee vibe. As you say, in a good way.
― hologram ned raggett (The Reverend), Thursday, 19 April 2012 18:34 (six years ago) Permalink
i have no idea what "90s coffee dance" means so i'm just going to assume it means the DNA remix of "Tom's Diner"
― lathe darkman (some dude), Thursday, 19 April 2012 18:36 (six years ago) Permalink
That totally fits the criteria.
― hologram ned raggett (The Reverend), Thursday, 19 April 2012 18:37 (six years ago) Permalink
because it references coffee in the lyrics or somethign else?
― lathe darkman (some dude), Thursday, 19 April 2012 18:56 (six years ago) Permalink
because it sounds like the type of dance music you would expect to hear at a trendy cafe
― I need new, hip khakis (DJP), Thursday, 19 April 2012 18:56 (six years ago) Permalink
It fits into the same nebulous universe (although not genre) of The xx as understood by people who described them as fancy-dinner-party music.
― twinkin' and drinkin' and ready to fly (Alex in Montreal), Thursday, 19 April 2012 19:24 (six years ago) Permalink
Experimental music that has an air of tastefulness about it (but not necessarily in a bad way)
fans doing a good job of sounding like haters imo. even if there is a commonality in sound on occasion then dawn still brings the forward motion and sense of danger to render the point unnecessarily unflattering
― r|t|c, Thursday, 19 April 2012 19:42 (six years ago) Permalink
Oh! I mean.
I wouldn't necessarily describe it as such. I was classifying that sort of description into the same 'universe' of descriptors.
My words aren't working today.
― twinkin' and drinkin' and ready to fly (Alex in Montreal), Thursday, 19 April 2012 19:56 (six years ago) Permalink
<i>Experimental music that has an air of tastefulness about it (but not necessarily in a bad way)</i>
I think tracks like "Bombs" and "Automatic" upend that air. I could see Armor On appealing to the messenger-bag crowd if those songs weren't on it, though.
― Evan R, Thursday, 19 April 2012 20:31 (six years ago) Permalink
Very nice short piece on Armour On by Lex at The Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/apr/19/dawn-richard-armor-on-review
― Tim F, Saturday, 21 April 2012 00:06 (six years ago) Permalink
Haha, Dawn's now been written up in The Village Voice, The Guardian, FACT and Pitchfork, all by ilxors.
We do have some small influence when we set our minds to it.
― Tim F, Saturday, 21 April 2012 00:08 (six years ago) Permalink
now for the rest of the world to take notice
(that's just the normal length of non-lead guardian album reviews)
― liberté, égalité, beyoncé (lex pretend), Saturday, 21 April 2012 06:59 (six years ago) Permalink
Didn't the same thing happen with Electrik Red?
― twinkin' and drinkin' and ready to fly (Alex in Montreal), Sunday, 22 April 2012 03:32 (six years ago) Permalink
ha probably
― some dude, Sunday, 22 April 2012 10:51 (six years ago) Permalink
It's not meant to be unflattering, and yes tracks like Bombs and Automatic break the pattern, it's more that Dawn and Druski are talented enough to make good on a sound palette that would be pretty drab in the hands of lesser artists.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Sunday, 22 April 2012 12:51 (six years ago) Permalink
the ilxuminati media conspiracy rolls onward: http://www.avclub.com/articles/dawn-richard,72767/
― some dude, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 10:55 (six years ago) Permalink
Dating_site_agelessdate.com..It was surprisingly good—a lavish collage of contemporary dance and electronic sounds that was infinitely more sophisticated than anybody could have expected from a project called Diddy-Dirty Money.
It was surprisingly good—a lavish collage of contemporary dance and electronic sounds that was infinitely more sophisticated than anybody could have expected from a project called Diddy-Dirty Money.
*barfs*
― dayo, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 11:00 (six years ago) Permalink
someone tweeted me earlier today asking whether the dawn richard EP was really that good - they were suspicious of it because...
...
...they were such a massive danity kane fan
i didn't really see that reason coming
― liberté, égalité, beyoncé (lex pretend), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 11:23 (six years ago) Permalink
Better than MGMT
― when will Jesus bring the composition chops? (loves laboured breathing), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 11:28 (six years ago) Permalink
http://www.2shared.com/document/MAM61udn/ArmorOn_Lyrics.html
― dayo, Thursday, 26 April 2012 02:45 (six years ago) Permalink
this album is so fucking good i can't stand it
― hologram ned raggett (The Reverend), Thursday, 26 April 2012 06:00 (six years ago) Permalink
http://globalgrind.com/music/dawn-richard-i-feel-my-life-has-been-battle
― hologram ned raggett (The Reverend), Monday, 30 April 2012 19:55 (six years ago) Permalink
Great interview.
When can we expect the album?Well, the great thing is now I have options.You have the numbers.Oh my God, the numbers! And the pudding is right there. We can either milk this EP—I kind of want to do something really, really clever with maybe doing a different kind of re-release. I’m not going to say what, but I think—what we’re deciding to do is, always do a little bit different in our movement. There'll probably be something right before the album, maybe Fall.
Well, the great thing is now I have options.
You have the numbers.
Oh my God, the numbers! And the pudding is right there. We can either milk this EP—I kind of want to do something really, really clever with maybe doing a different kind of re-release. I’m not going to say what, but I think—what we’re deciding to do is, always do a little bit different in our movement. There'll probably be something right before the album, maybe Fall.
Awesome to hear she's encouraged by the numbers, whatever they actually are. Good incentive for her to keep heading down the awesome path she's on.
― Evan R, Monday, 30 April 2012 20:03 (six years ago) Permalink
well i think when you put something out with no label and no radio airplay and it does any kind of numbers to get onto the Billboard 200 and the iTunes charts, that opens some industry doors, or at the very least helps fund a larger budget for the next phase if it stays DIY
― some dude, Monday, 30 April 2012 20:08 (six years ago) Permalink
hang on, this got to no 1 on the R&B chart? is that...what i think it is, or is it less impressive than that?
anyway she made a lyric booklet for us http://www.rap-up.com/2012/04/25/download-dawn-richard-armor-on-lyric-book/
― liberté, égalité, beyoncé (lex pretend), Monday, 30 April 2012 21:27 (six years ago) Permalink
Not crazy about "Bombs" tbh
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 30 April 2012 21:29 (six years ago) Permalink
^ It's less impressive and more niche, I think, like when a podcast host doesn't make the New York Times best seller list but brags about his Amazon sales rank. But Al is otm; it's still something to point to
― Evan R, Monday, 30 April 2012 21:31 (six years ago) Permalink
I put this on my "best of 2012" Spotify playlist and then kind of ignored it for a couple of weeks
I came back to it today and holy shit, I like this even more than I did when I first played it
― I'M THAT POSTA, AAAAAAAAAH (DJP), Friday, 4 May 2012 15:51 (six years ago) Permalink
I have only just (finally) got around to listening to this and yes, it is amazing.
― They have fangs, They have teeth! (White Chocolate Cheesecake), Monday, 14 May 2012 20:13 (six years ago) Permalink
yes!
i keep wanting to play people "faith" but something about it all feels like it's not right to hear "faith" before you've heard the tracks that precede it.
― liberté, égalité, beyoncé (lex pretend), Monday, 14 May 2012 20:57 (six years ago) Permalink
― The Reverend, Monday, 14 May 2012 22:01 (six years ago) Permalink
click this http://www.hulkshare.com/x4krcblaq8no click this
― dayo, Friday, 18 May 2012 21:51 (six years ago) Permalink
damn son
― The Reverend, Saturday, 19 May 2012 01:32 (six years ago) Permalink
god "Automatic" is fantastic
― that is a weird thing to bring up over lean cuisine (DJP), Tuesday, 22 May 2012 14:12 (six years ago) Permalink
'Faith' is big, but there's something about the climax of the song at the end that trips me up a bit. It's like the drums come in half a beat later than expected. I've only listened to it a couple of times, mind.
Also, 'Black Lipstick' and 'Bombs' are a really cool 1-2 at the beginning. Some of the deeper cuts have yet to connect with me, but I'm willing to put more effort in. Also, SMFU is amazing.
― Mercer Finn, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 04:40 (six years ago) Permalink
SMFU is one of my favs; I love how minor it is. It's just this moving little song tucked toward the back of the album, a breather of sorts before the finale
― Evan R, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 05:23 (six years ago) Permalink
It's all about Change for me. It's the wibbly wobbly Four Tet remix singing bells in the background with those subtle firework vocal harmonies at the front.
Surprised you like Faith so much, Lex. It has a slight touch of the Calvin Harris fake-rave to it. It's those handclaps that annoy me. Like guys, I live the sound of the Roland as much as anyone, but what was great about the TR series was you could change the strike velocity for a good build. Try it with those damn handclaps instead of having them on 10 the whole time!
But this is a minor quibble with an otherwise amazing album. There's not a duff song here. Even the slow burners. Especially thd slow burners. I mean - Scripture? DAMN!
― Narco Martenot (White Chocolate Cheesecake), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 06:16 (six years ago) Permalink
Singing bells? Singing bowls. Damn iPhone.
― Narco Martenot (White Chocolate Cheesecake), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 06:51 (six years ago) Permalink
everyone should listen to that new song dayo posted
― The Reverend, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 07:40 (six years ago) Permalink
Remind me when I get home tonight. :-/
― Narco Martenot (White Chocolate Cheesecake), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 07:42 (six years ago) Permalink
i listened to the new track once & it was awesome but this dreadful working-in-an-office stint is so unconducive to listening to music, i don't know how people cope
i think i love "faith" a lot because of its position in the album - it's a tremendous work of build-and-release in its own right but also within the context of the whole thing. i wouldn't nec isolate it as the album's most impressive song ("black lipstick" or "scripture" imo) but the sheer rush it elicits is perhaps armor on's most impressive moment
― liberté, égalité, beyoncé (lex pretend), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 09:39 (six years ago) Permalink
OTM, 'Faith' works because there's only one of it and it's perfectly timed within the flow of the album. It's like dropping a big anthem at exactly the right point in a DJ set as opposed to just playing back-to-back big anthems with deadening effect.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 12:07 (six years ago) Permalink
― Evan R, Wednesday, May 23, 2012 1:23 AM (8 hours ago) Bookmark
yeah i saw the video on MTV Jams last night and was like "what is this? oh, that song? it's a single? huh?"
― waggin the cock and flow tit (some dude), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 14:09 (six years ago) Permalink
Love all the videos for the singles on this album...
― Mercer Finn, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 14:21 (six years ago) Permalink
i think "smfu" (the non-remix) was a single before "december sky" but none of us noticed it at the time. dawn keeps tweeting cryptic things that make me hopeful that a video for "automatic" might be imminent?
― kanye kardashian (lex pretend), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 14:25 (six years ago) Permalink
OTM, 'Faith' works because there's only one of it
yes yes yes yes
― Evan R, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 14:29 (six years ago) Permalink
Oh! the new track has that singing bowls sound that I was loving so much on it.
Also crazy disco string arpeggios. I am loving the attention to detail on the production of this thing.
― Dixie Narco Martenot (White Chocolate Cheesecake), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 17:58 (six years ago) Permalink
new track is brilliant.
she said on twitter it was swapped from the EP for "change", which was prob the right decision thematically
― kanye kardashian (lex pretend), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 20:40 (six years ago) Permalink
this interview is really great http://allhiphop.com/2012/06/06/a-diddy-dirty-money-liberated-dawn-richard-has-armor-on-for-her-next-phase/
"I’ve always had a love for talking to manatees"
― kanye kardashian (lex pretend), Thursday, 7 June 2012 19:05 (six years ago) Permalink
will be all the more bittersweet in a few years when she's finally reduced to collaborating with seapunk aquacrunk waverave producers :/
― r|t|c, Thursday, 7 June 2012 19:48 (six years ago) Permalink
... saying that tho can someone tweet her drexciya's number
― r|t|c, Thursday, 7 June 2012 19:50 (six years ago) Permalink
bubble metropolis vol 1, the fish suite
― r|t|c, Thursday, 7 June 2012 19:52 (six years ago) Permalink
But I stayed three years at Nicholls State University, majoring in marine biology, and then I was doubling up dancing in the NBA with the Hornets as a Honeybee.
she's like the love interest in a teen movie
― goole, Thursday, 7 June 2012 20:18 (six years ago) Permalink
Haha
― freebroheem (loves laboured breathing), Friday, 8 June 2012 03:55 (six years ago) Permalink
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fECWtBGjgoo&feature=g-all-u
― uberweiss, Monday, 18 June 2012 16:12 (six years ago) Permalink
she's a very lucky girl that "tryna turn me on cos you think i'm operatic" happens to be a better/funnier/truer lyric than "operational" like she was fumbling for
― r|t|c, Monday, 18 June 2012 16:41 (six years ago) Permalink
Ahhhh how had I not listened to "wild 'n' young" before now??? I want dawn to make these overwrought percussive epics 4eva.
― Tim F, Monday, 18 June 2012 22:26 (six years ago) Permalink
"Automatic"!!
― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 30 June 2012 13:22 (six years ago) Permalink
More Dawn/Druski. From an upcoming full-length set for October:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsuKEmWQvnk
― Evan R, Tuesday, 17 July 2012 15:31 (six years ago) Permalink
whoa
― du. duplass. duplass mich. (goole), Tuesday, 17 July 2012 15:41 (six years ago) Permalink
jesus christ that atmosphere
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Tuesday, 17 July 2012 16:01 (six years ago) Permalink
i should try to get over my dubstep allergy maybe, that half-time bit had me wrinkling my nose tbh
― du. duplass. duplass mich. (goole), Tuesday, 17 July 2012 16:03 (six years ago) Permalink
I'm actually running a little cold on this one. It's repeats a lot of Armor On's motifs without adding much to them
― Evan R, Tuesday, 17 July 2012 16:05 (six years ago) Permalink
it's even more structureless, which is reading as a plus to me right now
― du. duplass. duplass mich. (goole), Tuesday, 17 July 2012 16:07 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah, strikes me as a refinement if anything
awesome stuff
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 17 July 2012 16:14 (six years ago) Permalink
nice to hear gozilla popping up at the end for the ginuwine cosign too
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 17 July 2012 16:17 (six years ago) Permalink
*dz
O_O holy hell
― PITILESS LIVE SHOW (DJP), Tuesday, 17 July 2012 16:23 (six years ago) Permalink
― du. duplass. duplass mich. (goole), Tuesday, July 17, 2012 12:03 PM (41 minutes ago) Bookmark
lol yes. does anyone do remixes that take all the dance elements of a song OUT?
― some dude, Tuesday, 17 July 2012 16:45 (six years ago) Permalink
If there were a special edition of Usher's new album that did that, I would be all about it
― Evan R, Tuesday, 17 July 2012 16:48 (six years ago) Permalink
O_O this song is amazing
― bitch I'm on the 242 (lex pretend), Tuesday, 17 July 2012 18:26 (six years ago) Permalink
why must it only be in youtube quality
SO MANY amazing sonic and vocal details in this
― bitch I'm on the 242 (lex pretend), Tuesday, 17 July 2012 18:27 (six years ago) Permalink
Here's a Soundcloud link: http://soundcloud.com/rapup/pretty-wicked-things-dawn-richard
― Evan R, Tuesday, 17 July 2012 18:38 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah this is rather massive
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 17 July 2012 18:42 (six years ago) Permalink
this is at least the third really good dubstep r&b song from this year
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 17 July 2012 18:43 (six years ago) Permalink
Wow. Every time I think it can't get any better, it does. It's like one of those videogames where it keeps going up to another level and then another one and then another. The ~sonic textures~ ... this really is just a walking exercise in what ~sonic textures~ are and should be. Also the things her voice does at the end. I don't know if it's digital manipulation (and not even the obvious pitch-shifting) or if she's really singing that but the way the main and backing vocals twine together from 3:00 on - I don't even care if it's manipulated but some of those swoops and especially where she goes up the octave at about 3:25 - the vocal arrangements are like some John Tavener kinda shit.
― Queue de Cheval (White Chocolate Cheesecake), Tuesday, 17 July 2012 18:50 (six years ago) Permalink
xpost what are the other two?
― Evan R, Tuesday, 17 July 2012 18:51 (six years ago) Permalink
the one on the usher album and the one on the bieber album
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 17 July 2012 18:52 (six years ago) Permalink
i care for u & as long as you love me
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 17 July 2012 18:53 (six years ago) Permalink
WCC OTM re: the vocal arrangements, I wish there was more drone layering/vocal line reflection in them to make them go full-on Taverner
― PITILESS LIVE SHOW (DJP), Tuesday, 17 July 2012 18:55 (six years ago) Permalink
it should be noted that putting studs on the underside of fake fingernails is pretty next level
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 17 July 2012 18:55 (six years ago) Permalink
I love how "I Care For U" teases (threatens?) to drop but never does. I think that's my issue with this new Dawn track; when it actually breaks open it's not so thrilling.
But the sonic details on it really are incredible
― Evan R, Tuesday, 17 July 2012 18:59 (six years ago) Permalink
It's just the intricacy of the polyphony that is completely slaying me. There is just such detail, the composition is just staggering.
― Queue de Cheval (White Chocolate Cheesecake), Tuesday, 17 July 2012 18:59 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah the vocals are as mind-blowing as the production details - the sudden space around the whoops at 3:40 is just so...light and airy and clear
― bitch I'm on the 242 (lex pretend), Tuesday, 17 July 2012 19:00 (six years ago) Permalink
lot of overstating dubstep itt
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 17 July 2012 19:02 (six years ago) Permalink
I'm neutral on the dubstep. I just get slayed by the vocal acrobatics on display, that's a hell of a way to pretty up a blahblahbogstandard drop.
― Queue de Cheval (White Chocolate Cheesecake), Tuesday, 17 July 2012 19:04 (six years ago) Permalink
― r|t|c, Tuesday, July 17, 2012 3:02 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark
well i'm just using the very general definition. say edm or whatever, idk.
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 17 July 2012 19:05 (six years ago) Permalink
it really is a tour de force vocal performance - as well as the acrobatics the really subtle touches, like when she murmurs "i ain't ever felt the same since" and you just gasp.
i love how it doesn't do anything as straightforward as just break open from an ominous start - it goes through stages of increasing intensity that culminate in the half-time digital storm.
― bitch I'm on the 242 (lex pretend), Tuesday, 17 July 2012 19:07 (six years ago) Permalink
let's not say edm but also let's not have this argument. it's not "a dubstep song" obviously.
― bitch I'm on the 242 (lex pretend), Tuesday, 17 July 2012 19:08 (six years ago) Permalink
xxp yeah i know, and the song does go halfstep for a bit, but it just seems part of the modern production language now imo and isnt deserving of being bracketed in a kinda passé-loaded way like it was britney five years ago
idk it wouldnt have really crossed my mind if i hadnt read it here is all
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 17 July 2012 19:12 (six years ago) Permalink
and nor did it for the ursh/bieb jams
eh ok maybe the bieb
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 17 July 2012 19:13 (six years ago) Permalink
WOO-OO-OO-OO-OO-OOO-OOOOO @ 3:39 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
― bitch I'm on the 242 (lex pretend), Tuesday, 17 July 2012 19:13 (six years ago) Permalink
kinda felt like thunder, kinda felt like rain kinda felt like him and the storm was the same
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 17 July 2012 19:20 (six years ago) Permalink
This is how amazing this song is: I went and listened to the leaked Thom Yorke solo track just now. And then I turned it off and actually came back and listened to this Dawn Richards track instead. That's right. This song is stronger than lust.
― Queue de Cheval (White Chocolate Cheesecake), Tuesday, 17 July 2012 19:21 (six years ago) Permalink
― r|t|c, Tuesday, July 17, 2012 2:12 PM (24 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
i think i'm realizing that my ear picking this stuff out is from coming up in the midwest hearing shitty post-hardcore bands. so many raggedy ass halftime breakdowns, i can't even explain to you. whether it's dubsep's 'fault' idk, but don't tell me skrlx himself doesn't know!
― goole, Tuesday, 17 July 2012 19:40 (six years ago) Permalink
anyway i'm pretty far afield now, carry on.
― goole, Tuesday, 17 July 2012 19:41 (six years ago) Permalink
no hold on what bands are these, i'm intrigued
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 17 July 2012 19:44 (six years ago) Permalink
cos i am hearing dubstep drive like jehu in my head and tbrr i'm liking it
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 17 July 2012 19:46 (six years ago) Permalink
you say that now...
― goole, Tuesday, 17 July 2012 19:48 (six years ago) Permalink
Oh wow, she's done it again
― chain the color of am0n (The Reverend), Tuesday, 17 July 2012 23:32 (six years ago) Permalink
holy christ the HQ makes it even more amazing
― bitch I'm on the 242 (lex pretend), Wednesday, 18 July 2012 09:37 (six years ago) Permalink
can i just say how remorseful i am that i let the revelation that Dawn studied marine biology come and go without making a "porpoise built" joke
― Barack 2 Chainz Obama (some dude), Wednesday, 18 July 2012 10:25 (six years ago) Permalink
ahhh there it was, staring me in the face
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 18 July 2012 12:33 (six years ago) Permalink
was it you that captioned a picture of chris brown with a dolphin as "you got fins and i got fins" back in the day? hahaha
― Barack 2 Chainz Obama (some dude), Wednesday, 18 July 2012 13:03 (six years ago) Permalink
lol i'd totally forgotten about that! iirc that took an... unedifying length of time to come up with
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 18 July 2012 13:30 (six years ago) Permalink
in the absence of any records of the incident, reproduced here from memory are the lyrics of a young chris brown's song to the stranded thames whale as performed on mtv c2006:
i'm on the london eye, over the river thamessinging to the whalerescued by the officersbut he aint going to jail
the whale later died
― Barack 2 Chainz Obama (some dude), Wednesday, July 18, 2012 6:25 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark
hehe
― J0rdan S., Wednesday, 18 July 2012 14:04 (six years ago) Permalink
that chris brown thing is not real?
― hardhouse banter (tpp), Wednesday, 18 July 2012 14:16 (six years ago) Permalink
love this obv
― Tim F, Wednesday, 18 July 2012 21:02 (six years ago) Permalink
PWT available on iTunes now
― dayo, Thursday, 19 July 2012 00:44 (six years ago) Permalink
Wild N Young/Faith video O_O
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjXt8vksmdw
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 29 August 2012 16:47 (six years ago) Permalink
Why O_O?
I thought it was pretty awesome.
― twinkin' and drinkin' and ready to fly (Alex in Montreal), Wednesday, 29 August 2012 17:25 (six years ago) Permalink
She is ~MAGNIFICENT~
― my god it's full of straw (White Chocolate Cheesecake), Wednesday, 29 August 2012 20:46 (six years ago) Permalink
isn't she!
― The Reverend, Wednesday, 29 August 2012 21:49 (six years ago) Permalink
when "pretty wicked things" came out, ann powers tweeted that it was as though aaliyah and tori amos had had a baby, which i didn't get at first, until i remembered this amos song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aD4egZFxw8
it's the same...percussive/vocal frenzy, that sense of flux and malleability and confusion and something massive at stake but you're not sure what
― lex pretend, Thursday, 30 August 2012 09:38 (six years ago) Permalink
She's great - and intriguing. Pretty typical of her to start the video off with the least "commercial" of the two songs though - as if she's trying to make sure that Faith doesn't become a hit.
― insane in my mansplain (longneck), Thursday, 30 August 2012 11:23 (six years ago) Permalink
the collaboration you've all been waiting for
http://soundcloud.com/stfutia/drake-dawn-richard-where-were
― Number None, Sunday, 16 September 2012 16:55 (six years ago) Permalink
nooooooo
― barthes simpson, Sunday, 16 September 2012 16:58 (six years ago) Permalink
ehh they were already on a song together on Last Train To Paris -- if this is an indication that industry types are taking her seriously as a solo artist then good
― nutrition aziz (some dude), Sunday, 16 September 2012 17:06 (six years ago) Permalink
NNNNoooooooooo
― MikoMcha, Sunday, 16 September 2012 17:10 (six years ago) Permalink
nooooooooo
― lex pretend, Sunday, 16 September 2012 17:12 (six years ago) Permalink
you guys are such babies
― nutrition aziz (some dude), Sunday, 16 September 2012 17:14 (six years ago) Permalink
let's stay positive guys, goldenheart is now only a month away and it will be drake-less and awesome.
― prolego, Sunday, 16 September 2012 17:25 (six years ago) Permalink
I like this song ok except for the rap verse. Singer on the chorus doesn't sound like Drake tho, is this some uncredited Fauntleroy shit?
― tuomas without a nose ring (The Reverend), Sunday, 16 September 2012 21:06 (six years ago) Permalink
http://instagram.com/p/Pri5I9LvJA/
the song titles are officially very exciting
― prolego, Monday, 17 September 2012 15:15 (six years ago) Permalink
damn, a chief keef feature
― J0rdan S., Monday, 17 September 2012 15:17 (six years ago) Permalink
??? where?
― lex pretend, Monday, 17 September 2012 15:23 (six years ago) Permalink
heh
― r|t|c, Monday, 17 September 2012 16:04 (six years ago) Permalink
think i can already hear 'goliath' in my head
he is my david, love is his slingshot, s on my chest yada yada
― r|t|c, Monday, 17 September 2012 16:08 (six years ago) Permalink
"Gleaux"??
― goole, Monday, 17 September 2012 16:09 (six years ago) Permalink
featuring Lonny Breaux
― Number None, Monday, 17 September 2012 16:10 (six years ago) Permalink
93 million, 5000 fleauxand here's one meaux for the heaux
― r|t|c, Monday, 17 September 2012 16:12 (six years ago) Permalink
"Faith" is eh.
― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 17 September 2012 16:20 (six years ago) Permalink
you are "eh"
― wtf where's my chapbook (DJP), Monday, 17 September 2012 16:22 (six years ago) Permalink
Playing "Automatic" twice a day for weeks has that effect.
― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 17 September 2012 16:26 (six years ago) Permalink
I spent a good amount of time playing the shit out of "Bombs Away" and "Automatic" and then "Faith" and "Change" sneaked up on me and are now my favorite things on the EP
― wtf where's my chapbook (DJP), Monday, 17 September 2012 16:28 (six years ago) Permalink
anyway she said on twitter that "goliath" and "war-faire" are interludes
― lex pretend, Monday, 17 September 2012 18:14 (six years ago) Permalink
"Bombs" and "Automatic" are very much my least favorite songs on Armor On. I don't hate them, but they seem so leaden compared to the rest of the album.
― tuomas without a nose ring (The Reverend), Monday, 17 September 2012 19:51 (six years ago) Permalink
^^^^^ totally agree. Hope the album stays away from that whole clappy/sireny sound.
― Evan R, Monday, 17 September 2012 19:57 (six years ago) Permalink
nah the album, and r&b in general, needs to have those massive high-energy shouty bangers right now
― lex pretend, Monday, 17 September 2012 20:07 (six years ago) Permalink
i initially thought "bombs" compared badly to "superman" but i grew to love it just as much. and if "automatic" is sliiiightly clunky in execution it makes up for it in narrative
― lex pretend, Monday, 17 September 2012 20:08 (six years ago) Permalink
nothing wrong with low energy stuff if it's done well
― Number None, Monday, 17 September 2012 20:13 (six years ago) Permalink
how the hell are "Bombs Away" and "Automatic" low energy
― wtf where's my chapbook (DJP), Monday, 17 September 2012 20:14 (six years ago) Permalink
i was responding to lex's comment that R&B needs bangers or whatever. He has an antipathy to a lot of the mopier stuff that's around now but Dawn's take on it is obviously a cut above. I don't think she does the shouty material as well
― Number None, Monday, 17 September 2012 20:23 (six years ago) Permalink
i don't have an antipathy to the slow stuff at all - feels like about a decade ago the critical line was that only r&b bangers were any good and the ballads were just unnecessary gloop on r&b albums, and i had to kick against that a bit - but when i say r&b needs bangers it is because there are SO FEW AROUND RIGHT NOW. jeremih? slow stuff. miguel? slow stuff? and those are the GOOD artists. anyone doing club joints tends to go down the electro road these days which is not the same thing. ciara's "sweat" should not stand out as much as it does in 2012. and, i think dawn does bangers superbly, as evidenced by oh her entire career to date from danity kane through dirty money through "superman", "runway", "bombs" etc
― lex pretend, Monday, 17 September 2012 20:27 (six years ago) Permalink
Tbh, shouty R&B singers aren't really my thing. When I hear K. Michelle or Elle Varner or whoever, I'm just kind of like ehhhh, next. Keyshia Cole is my sworn enemy.
― tuomas without a nose ring (The Reverend), Monday, 17 September 2012 20:36 (six years ago) Permalink
oh well Keyshia Cole is the end of the world, anyone with ears knows this
― wtf where's my chapbook (DJP), Monday, 17 September 2012 20:38 (six years ago) Permalink
elle varner doesn't shout though? and it's not that kind of shoutiness i'm talking about. i'm not even really talking about shoutiness. i'm talking about r&b that would get played in my old street dance class.
― lex pretend, Monday, 17 September 2012 20:40 (six years ago) Permalink
Totally get where Lex is coming from re: the need for bangers, and I agree on principal, I just don't think Dawn's are very good. Also that "I'm going mutant on these niggas / cowabunga!" line is pretty much just a rejected Drake line.
― Evan R, Monday, 17 September 2012 20:41 (six years ago) Permalink
Drake's biggest problem isn't that he says stupid things, it's that his voice is one of the most unpleasant sounds known to man
― wtf where's my chapbook (DJP), Monday, 17 September 2012 20:42 (six years ago) Permalink
ditto xp
― tuomas without a nose ring (The Reverend), Monday, 17 September 2012 20:42 (six years ago) Permalink
cf nicki's success when she says equally stupid shit but it sounds amazing
― lex pretend, Monday, 17 September 2012 20:43 (six years ago) Permalink
I think Drake is actually marginally improving as a rapper, while Nicki is regressing into a louder, schtickier version of what Drake used to be, but that's another conversation
― Evan R, Monday, 17 September 2012 20:44 (six years ago) Permalink
Damn -- I only now read ship's VV piece from a few months ago. Good job, ship!
― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 19 September 2012 02:40 (six years ago) Permalink
aww thanks!
― some dude, Wednesday, 19 September 2012 04:37 (six years ago) Permalink
Cosign the need for those three bangers but at the same time I wish the same level of thought had gone into the production on those bangers as on everything else. The beats feel a lot more off-the-shelf than the rest of the album.
― Matt DC, Wednesday, 19 September 2012 07:37 (six years ago) Permalink
http://www.factmag.com/2012/09/18/dawn-richard-talks-goldenheart-diddy-dirty-money-and-her-no-boundaries-progression-of-rb/
"I’m a huge fan of Phil Collins and I’ll say, how do you incorporate that padding or that tone, and that’s what we come up with.”
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 19 September 2012 09:41 (six years ago) Permalink
a 'tonight tonight tonight' cover springs easily to mind
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 19 September 2012 09:42 (six years ago) Permalink
^^^ would smash
― Tim F, Wednesday, 19 September 2012 10:56 (six years ago) Permalink
http://i.imgur.com/fWn1V.gif
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 19 September 2012 11:29 (six years ago) Permalink
i was pretty pleased she said phil collins there
Dawn Richard / NEON @DawnRichard#GoldenHeartfacts .... Riot is a sleeper song that wasn't listed in the track listing that will be on the album. *for you dance heads*
Dawn Richard / NEON @DawnRichard“@drewscotty: Heartillery will be on "Blackheart" Album #HEARTS. We made the song a lot darker to fit that theme.”album 2 already bein done!
so excited
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 19 September 2012 17:45 (six years ago) Permalink
that interview was fantastic lex. think I'm going to pre-order this album, which is something I haven't done in years
― rob, Wednesday, 19 September 2012 17:53 (six years ago) Permalink
'86
http://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/exclusive-song-premiere-and-interview-86-dawn-richard/#_
― uberweiss, Tuesday, 25 September 2012 17:06 (six years ago) Permalink
sounds pretty great
― some dude, Tuesday, 25 September 2012 17:11 (six years ago) Permalink
v nice
― Nickelback of folk (Spottie_Ottie_Dope), Tuesday, 25 September 2012 17:18 (six years ago) Permalink
Damn
― Evan R, Tuesday, 25 September 2012 17:25 (six years ago) Permalink
Great interview lex!
― MikoMcha, Tuesday, 25 September 2012 17:40 (six years ago) Permalink
thanks!
"86" is quite gorgeous
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 26 September 2012 08:09 (six years ago) Permalink
great interview
http://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/exclusive-song-premiere-and-interview-86-dawn-richard#_
Goldenheart is like a modern-day Joan of Arc. Think of it like medieval times-cum-2045 or Lancelot and Guinevere in 3025.
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 26 September 2012 09:19 (six years ago) Permalink
86 is lovely. Kind of love how explicit her love for Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel are. And that between he and Wynter Gordon's Stimela that R&B is where their influence is most strongly felt in 2012.
― twinkin' and drinkin' and ready to fly (Alex in Montreal), Wednesday, 26 September 2012 23:22 (six years ago) Permalink
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_Renewal_%28tribute_album%29
― Cap'n Hug-a-Thug (The Reverend), Wednesday, 26 September 2012 23:27 (six years ago) Permalink
D ® U S K I @drewscottyI am not ashamed to admit Britney's "In The Zone" and "Blackout" albums are still dope AF!
^^^^^this dude
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 3 October 2012 15:42 (six years ago) Permalink
Damn, lex, that's a terrific interview. The best part is you can tell she was unaccustomed to being confronted by a reporter who knows and loves her music to such an extent.
― the ones that I'm near most: fellow outcasts and ilxors (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 3 October 2012 16:03 (six years ago) Permalink
Yeah loved that interview and "86" is lovely.
― Tim F, Wednesday, 3 October 2012 20:53 (six years ago) Permalink
The best part is you can tell she was unaccustomed to being confronted by a reporter who knows and loves her music to such an extent.
Yup. What I was thinking.
― MikoMcha, Wednesday, 3 October 2012 21:44 (six years ago) Permalink
http://altavozdistroco.com/2012/10/15/multi-platinum-recording-artist-inks-exclusive-distribution-deal-with-altavoz/
she's signed a physical distribution deal and the album's now being released in january
i think this was a real last-min thing cuz the music is ready to go - i've been sent the promo and tbh i haven't discussed it anywhere because i don't quite feel like i've got my head around it yet - it's pretty massive
― lex pretend, Monday, 15 October 2012 17:15 (six years ago) Permalink
Massive, what do you mean? More info please!
― MikoMcha, Monday, 15 October 2012 17:44 (six years ago) Permalink
the physical promo CD is 3 feet in diameter
― The Owls of Ja Rule (DJP), Monday, 15 October 2012 17:45 (six years ago) Permalink
― MikoMcha, Monday, 15 October 2012 17:46 (six years ago) Permalink
it was actually used as a prop shield in the music video for wild 'n' young
― 乒乓, Monday, 15 October 2012 17:51 (six years ago) Permalink
ahhh i was so excited to hear this tomorrow
― prolego, Monday, 15 October 2012 17:57 (six years ago) Permalink
bummer, i had this all pencilled in for aoty and everything
now three months of the lex hinty hinty game :/
― r|t|c, Monday, 15 October 2012 18:28 (six years ago) Permalink
http://youknowigotsoul.com/?p=27490
― lex pretend, Monday, 29 October 2012 18:02 (six years ago) Permalink
http://dawnrichard.tumblr.com/post/34838984573/free-music-for-my-hearts-on-a-string
― 乒乓, Saturday, 3 November 2012 15:40 (six years ago) Permalink
http://i.imgur.com/NpQet.png
― 乒乓, Friday, 9 November 2012 14:38 (six years ago) Permalink
lmao
lololol
― twinkin' and drinkin' and ready to fly (Alex in Montreal), Friday, 9 November 2012 17:22 (six years ago) Permalink
hahahaha
― thraeds of life (The Reverend), Friday, 9 November 2012 21:51 (six years ago) Permalink
where's the lol, idgi
― Citizen Ship (some dude), Friday, 9 November 2012 23:09 (six years ago) Permalink
We need an appropriate 'white people mourning romney' pic for lex's arrival.
― Tim F, Friday, 9 November 2012 23:41 (six years ago) Permalink
(it's less funny now that we've explained it)
― twinkin' and drinkin' and ready to fly (Alex in Montreal), Saturday, 10 November 2012 02:06 (six years ago) Permalink
if anyone here hates the weeknd more than the lex it's me, and idgaf
― Citizen Ship (some dude), Saturday, 10 November 2012 02:09 (six years ago) Permalink
yes, but you don't tend to get as up in arms about people liking musicians you don't
― thraeds of life (The Reverend), Saturday, 10 November 2012 03:22 (six years ago) Permalink
now hang on rev, I always use some dude as a gauge for lex's likely reactions to things.
― Tim F, Saturday, 10 November 2012 04:36 (six years ago) Permalink
"the weeknd"
― lil dirk (J0rdan S.), Saturday, 10 November 2012 04:39 (six years ago) Permalink
so I think dawn is a secret cosplayer??
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 27 November 2012 01:05 (six years ago) Permalink
lmbo i think u may be right
― these bitches is my sons and i make dad jokes (The Reverend), Tuesday, 27 November 2012 01:05 (six years ago) Permalink
finally bought Armor On & HOLY SHIT
that is all
― Euler, Tuesday, 27 November 2012 15:08 (six years ago) Permalink
absolutely gorgeous song off the imminent xmas ep - the kind of beats that remind me of, idk, that period in the 90s when everything but the girl went d'n'b? http://soundcloud.com/dawn_richard/dr-miles-mix-3
― #YOLO ONO (lex pretend), Wednesday, 28 November 2012 21:27 (six years ago) Permalink
Christmas EP! Yes!
― ILM Communication (seandalai), Wednesday, 28 November 2012 21:41 (six years ago) Permalink
dawn putting out a christmas EP seems so right
― 乒乓, Wednesday, 28 November 2012 21:42 (six years ago) Permalink
i've been trying not to be all hinty-hinty or whatever about the album so i'm just going to leave this here:
the r&b hounds of love.
― #YOLO ONO (lex pretend), Sunday, 2 December 2012 18:15 (six years ago) Permalink
i found a random acapella they uploaded to youtube of one of the best songs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDHLQtq1pLM
― #YOLO ONO (lex pretend), Sunday, 2 December 2012 18:20 (six years ago) Permalink
― #YOLO ONO (lex pretend), Sunday, 2 December 2012 18:15 (43 minutes ago) Bookmark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjt-irRCZEs
― r|t|c, Sunday, 2 December 2012 19:03 (six years ago) Permalink
one of my favourite mean girls scenes :)
― #YOLO ONO (lex pretend), Sunday, 2 December 2012 19:35 (six years ago) Permalink
new ep is out and the first track is pretty gorgeous
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Monday, 3 December 2012 22:55 (six years ago) Permalink
why is she releasing another excellent EP if not to fuck with our year-end lists?
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 3 December 2012 22:57 (six years ago) Permalink
i cooled on armor on a lot but "and the bells" is sort of a condensed version of why i fell in love with it. just this endless build.
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Monday, 3 December 2012 23:02 (six years ago) Permalink
also this is probably a terrible way of describing it but "miles" is sort of d'n'b clams casino and it's amazing
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Monday, 3 December 2012 23:03 (six years ago) Permalink
jesus fucking christ @ "wynter"
okay i guess all of the tracks are great, thanks again dawn
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Monday, 3 December 2012 23:05 (six years ago) Permalink
is "wynter" a diss track
― J0rdan S., Monday, 3 December 2012 23:05 (six years ago) Permalink
seems more of a character-based thing
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Monday, 3 December 2012 23:12 (six years ago) Permalink
ha, I found it interesting that she would title a track "Wynter" too
― these bitches is my sons and i make dad jokes (The Reverend), Monday, 3 December 2012 23:28 (six years ago) Permalink
well 'heaux' seems to be like her #2 most faovrite word
― 乒乓, Monday, 3 December 2012 23:31 (six years ago) Permalink
this is amazing
― #YOLO ONO (lex pretend), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 10:01 (six years ago) Permalink
ep is fantastic
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 16:42 (six years ago) Permalink
loving all this nupostdubsteprnbsoundz
stop trolling
― #YOLO ONO (lex pretend), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 16:46 (six years ago) Permalink
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 16:51 (six years ago) Permalink
"nupostdubsteprnb" kmt
― #YOLO ONO (lex pretend), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 16:53 (six years ago) Permalink
u mad about this instance of REVERSE-GENTRIFICATION RNB??
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 16:53 (six years ago) Permalink
u gonna deny that there is some wubwubwubing on this remix that ms. richard herself included on her new ep??
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 16:54 (six years ago) Permalink
lol you mean "December Sky (EDM Remix)"?
― these markers love soda (some dude), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 16:59 (six years ago) Permalink
yes - if something else is going on here please tell me!
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 17:02 (six years ago) Permalink
I thought Lex would get madder about the Clams Casino comparison
― I loves you, PORGI (DJP), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 17:03 (six years ago) Permalink
does lex even hate edm more than anyone else? he had that cataracs album on his year end list
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 4 December 2012 17:05 (six years ago) Permalink
my objection was your characterisation of it as a new genre, over-emphasis on a particular sound that everyone in pop is using and implication that r&b's worth lies in its "nu"ness
― #YOLO ONO (lex pretend), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 17:05 (six years ago) Permalink
i was just lolling that it's called 'EDM Remix'
― these markers love soda (some dude), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 17:05 (six years ago) Permalink
i'm actually totally fine with EDM (apart from the fucking meaningless term "EDM", fucking hell americans you're so basic when it comes to dance music). "starships" and "pound the alarm" are two of my favourite singles of the year. i'd far rather have "EDM" than wishy-washy gentrified r&b
― #YOLO ONO (lex pretend), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 17:06 (six years ago) Permalink
it was just a meaningless string of buzzwords placed in series, thought you could tell I was being playful by not spacing between 'em but w/e ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 17:07 (six years ago) Permalink
implication that r&b's worth lies in its "nu"ness
Haha wau people will see this implication in anything these days.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 17:08 (six years ago) Permalink
it was just a meaningless string of buzzwords placed in series
yes this was what was annoying!!!
― #YOLO ONO (lex pretend), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 17:11 (six years ago) Permalink
i h8 buzzwords
except for "kmt"
― these markers love soda (some dude), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 17:12 (six years ago) Permalink
well you can relax I was using them 'ironically' or maybe even 'sarcastically'
I thought 'postdubstep' would have been what gave it away, tbh
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 17:12 (six years ago) Permalink
buzzwords and dreadful prose: a necessary evil?
― a Christmas .gif for you from (seandalai), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 17:13 (six years ago) Permalink
Stoked for the witch house revival.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 17:14 (six years ago) Permalink
scared for the witch house revival
― I loves you, PORGI (DJP), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 17:16 (six years ago) Permalink
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51nR89DCOML._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU02_.jpg
― Heterocyclic ring ring (LocalGarda), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 17:20 (six years ago) Permalink
'The Dreams in the Witch House' would be a decent Dawn Richard album title, is it too late to sub out 'GoldenHeart'?
― Tim F, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 19:51 (six years ago) Permalink
I could have sworn someone's SN was 'The-Dream in the Witch House' a few years back, but can't find it.
Anyway this is amazing - is it being marketed as an actual Christmas EP?
― etc, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 21:23 (six years ago) Permalink
was really looking fwd to it but i'm off the bus for this ep tbh, can't be doing with her without the structure
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 21:32 (six years ago) Permalink
it's fine but after a year of "EP in name only" it's funny to get an EP that's really an EP
― these markers love soda (some dude), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 21:50 (six years ago) Permalink
Haven't decided whether I think this is amazing or agree with rtc, so probably some of each.
Sonically there's something very late 90s female pop-electronica about this - Ray of Light in particular.
There's definitely now a clear trajectory whereby each release is getting progressively less rooted in mainstream R&B tactics (although the unclear status of this EP - i.e. is it considered a kind of one-off side project or not - makes this perhaps a not so reliable conclusion to leap to).
I'm interested in whether this is something Dawn has thought about in strategic commercial terms as well as simply in terms of following her muse: it's possible that it really does make more sense to go in this direction and carve out a respected niche than to compete in a playing field where these days many more entrants fail than succeed.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 22:07 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah this doesn't seem to be connected to GoldenHeart like "'86" (or "Pretty Wicked Things" i guess?) so i don't think it's anything more than throwing out some music to the fans. whatever hopes i had for her as a commercial force are pretty much gone now and even if this is getting a little further from my pedestrian mersh tastes already i'm still on board.
― these markers love soda (some dude), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 22:12 (six years ago) Permalink
btw "'86" definitely gets mercy in the "sick of shit named after years from the 20th century" rant from earlier today
― these markers love soda (some dude), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 22:14 (six years ago) Permalink
i know this'll sound like a dickish thing to say but i had wondered how healthy it would prove for an artist's rare interactions with the outside world to only be with very interested, very committed parties
then again dawn is hardly the first case study of this
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 22:52 (six years ago) Permalink
i dunno, i have to wonder if being in the industry and a semi-public figure without attracting great fame nor great scorn is actually a bubble of stanbase positive reinforcement or if someone in her situation faces much more rejection and criticism in their daily life than a boldface name
― these markers love soda (some dude), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 22:56 (six years ago) Permalink
think rejection would only take on a silent form, which leads to the same withdrawal anyway
signed, a long-term ilm poster
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 22:59 (six years ago) Permalink
― Tim F, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 22:07 (45 minutes ago) Bookmark
yeah even for being the most "structured" cut i found the drumnbass number far too close to the bone personally
plus being called 'miles' it should have been a 'children' homage WHAT WERE U THINKING DAWN
basically i can't help thinking that if i were hypothetically scornful of the whole dawn mystique this ep would be exactly my satirisation
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 23:01 (six years ago) Permalink
one of those tracks uses the most famous breakbeat of all time rite?
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 23:03 (six years ago) Permalink
heh well if anyone would know it's these boys
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 23:05 (six years ago) Permalink
It's hard to say this without coming off patronising but there's a sense with music in this vein (i.e. artist working in populist genre mode who starts to branch out in intriguing directions) that it works best when it doesn't sound self-aware. Obv. Dawn is and always has been very aware of what she's doing in this regard but Armor On didn't front-end that in the way that "Pretty Wicked Things" and Whiteout do.
Artists can still do great things after the eruption of their own mystical artistry into self-consciousness, but usually it's like somewhere a clock has started to tick.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 23:08 (six years ago) Permalink
let me just quickly add that you mean "self-consciousness" in a far more innocuous way than lex will duly seize upon
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 23:11 (six years ago) Permalink
I need a link to a standard disclaimer on all my posts I think
― Tim F, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 23:13 (six years ago) Permalink
even still i might reckon that's going too far, and perhaps even that the reverse is the case, that proximity (however miragelike) to commercial r&b lends a corrective awareness that is being lost here
it should be stressed there isnt a general defined black/white binary being made here between mersh and freeform, but it is the case here that dawn has gone all in on the gaseous hymnal this time
plus it's very true (and probably very likely) that this ep is a one-off
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 23:17 (six years ago) Permalink
might be a one-off rather
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 23:18 (six years ago) Permalink
in what sense if any is this a christmas release?
― before and after broscience (goole), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 23:21 (six years ago) Permalink
it's all white
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 23:25 (six years ago) Permalink
Yeah that's also possibly true, though I think in Dawn's case it's really hard to work it out either way (i.e. whether and to what extent any component or quality is more deliberate/aware than any other) which is why I was making more of a general statement of how these things sometimes play out.
But if anything I suspect it's typically a bit of both, because it's not as if the choice is between catering to a recognised demographic or catering to an idea of artistry - in each case there are feedback loops where the people who most enthusiastically embrace what yr doing then articulate that (even if just passively by endorsing certain moves more than others) in a way that makes it convenient to give them what they want in a more intense/pure/deliberate way next time.
I agree though that it's more likely that Whiteout is a one-off rather than a clear harbinger of ever more dreamlike forays to come. And in part this is because I don't think the dialogue around Dawn is as clear-cut or unified as it is around any other artist tarred with the dreamy R&B brush.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 23:31 (six years ago) Permalink
bear in mind that if goldenheart had been released as planned in october i doubt whiteout would exist
― #YOLO ONO (lex pretend), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 23:51 (six years ago) Permalink
it's more of a winter-themed release though i guess bells are kinda christmassy?
the heavy mood suits that, anyway - this ep does feel very...insular in a snowed-in sense? a bit like kate bush's winter album?
― #YOLO ONO (lex pretend), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 23:53 (six years ago) Permalink
Yeah that's a nice point of comparison.
It would indeed be great if this is the 50 Words For Snow to Goldenheart's Hounds of Love.
― Tim F, Wednesday, 5 December 2012 00:02 (six years ago) Permalink
― Tim F, Tuesday, December 4, 2012 2:07 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
iirc she said in an interview that when A Tell-Tale Heart came out, she specifically watched for reaction to "Bulletproof" because she thought if her fans would embrace that song, they'd be ready to take the next step with her
― rap乒 4-tay (The Reverend), Wednesday, 5 December 2012 00:51 (six years ago) Permalink
aw man I love bulletproof
― 乒乓, Wednesday, 5 December 2012 00:51 (six years ago) Permalink
presumably Whiteout was recorded after Goldenheart, right?
― rap乒 4-tay (The Reverend), Wednesday, 5 December 2012 00:52 (six years ago) Permalink
just listened to the armor on EP
it's really fucking great
― the purpose driven trife (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 7 December 2012 20:54 (six years ago) Permalink
i'm super hungover from the public enemy show last nite and the whole thing is pretty dreamy (also this whiteout one too) and i fell asleep at my desk for a minute (in a good way)
― the purpose driven trife (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 7 December 2012 20:55 (six years ago) Permalink
saw freshalina dissing dawn on twitter :(
― D-40, Friday, 7 December 2012 21:28 (six years ago) Permalink
honestly thats a contrived :( i havent listened to any of her post-diddy stuff either. what's the best way to check it out
that's sort of right in her wheelhouse tho as an ex-reality star/gossip figure slumming it on her own
― J0rdan S., Friday, 7 December 2012 21:28 (six years ago) Permalink
Armor On and Whiteout are on Spotify
― I loves you, PORGI (DJP), Friday, 7 December 2012 21:58 (six years ago) Permalink
revisiting some kate bush by way of displaced research
think it's a minor but important distinction that i'd rather goldenheart sound more like 'hounds of love (alternative)' or 'running up that hill (12" mix)' than the album versions
― r|t|c, Saturday, 8 December 2012 12:17 (six years ago) Permalink
At least one tune should sound like Propaganda's "Dream Within A Dream".
― Tim F, Saturday, 8 December 2012 13:02 (six years ago) Permalink
part of the melody on on 'wynter' reminds me so much of the chorus of crystal castles' 'not in love'
― 乒乓, Saturday, 8 December 2012 15:27 (six years ago) Permalink
a really great winter album
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 02:01 (six years ago) Permalink
listening to it now after our exchange and, yeah, it's wintry enough to force the thermometer to drop a couple degrees in South Florida.
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 18 December 2012 02:02 (six years ago) Permalink
sorry: r|t|c.
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 18 December 2012 02:03 (six years ago) Permalink
havent really been drawn back into the ep since
i could still be wrong though, just this once
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 02:17 (six years ago) Permalink
it took a few listens to click--and hey it snowed today--but now I think it's as good as Armor On and couldn't be more excited for the album
― rob, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 02:47 (six years ago) Permalink
"And The Bells" and "Wynter" are as good as Armor On; "Whiteout" and "Miles" are not (though not bad).
― Tim F, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 03:06 (six years ago) Permalink
Hmm, tbh, I'm at the point right now where all the songs gel into a single suite--they could sort into categories later. One thing in Whiteout's favor is that I'm sometimes not in the mood for "Bombs" and "Automatic" (though I like those songs a lot when I'm up for them), whereas Whiteout has so far felt too short each listen.
― rob, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 03:12 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah, whiteout is def a set it and forget it listen
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 03:13 (six years ago) Permalink
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 3:13 AM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
is this really a point in its favour.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 03:15 (six years ago) Permalink
one of dawn's strengths is that she takes advantage of the album format, come on man tell tale heart was all about this
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 03:17 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah but the songs themselves were very memorable which you could never say about "whiteout"; "miles" is memorable mainly because it sounds like it was beamed in from the wrong part of 1998.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 03:23 (six years ago) Permalink
wow, #rare that u are so wrong. do you also dislike Diddy/Brandy's even greater "Thought You Said"!?
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 03:43 (six years ago) Permalink
To be clear it's not that I dislike "Whiteout" or "Miles" but Armor On is far and away my favourite album of the year and I don't think those two particular tunes match up to it, it's actually selling short the album to suggest otherwise IMO.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 03:52 (six years ago) Permalink
Like it's okay we can admit that not everything with based production from Dawn is going to be the best thing in the universe.
"Thought You Said" was great though.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 03:54 (six years ago) Permalink
I agree that the tunes aren't as sharp as on Armor On, but the new EP's atmosphere is amazing.
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 04:03 (six years ago) Permalink
I agree re the atmosphere, and on the two stand-outs it's a win-win IMO.
I guess the thing for me is that it's never just atmospherics with Dawn. Her songs work b/c of their emotional intensity, and particularly what she does with her harmonies. One of the things that feels uniquely Dawn on Armor On but also on "Wild 'n' Young" (arguably "Pretty Wicked Things" but I don't think it feels as unique or distinctive there - great tune though) is this sense of inexorably climaxing intensity, the songs just build and build and build with this unstoppable force.
I think it's that quality, rather than strong songwriting per se, that is really Dawn's killer stroke. Inventive arrangements are necessary but not (by themselves) sufficient.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 04:23 (six years ago) Permalink
Like m@tt I just recently listened to Armor On for the first time (Telltale Heart too) . Fantastic stuff.
― suing murdoch for libel (Drugs A. Money), Tuesday, 18 December 2012 04:44 (six years ago) Permalink
I do think "Miles" is the new set's strongest tune tho.
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 05:19 (six years ago) Permalink
whiteout is excellent and i have no complaints at all, but comparing it to armor on, which seems so obviously the more accomplished work, is odd to me. it's a freebie curio to make up for delaying the album, and dawn seems to have been mindful that these tracks weren't her strongest song-wise (either she wrote them quickly recently, or had them just lying around) and gone out of her way to nail the production and atmosphere to compensate. and she did nail it, it's a gorgeous little winter suite that's really engrossing in a certain mood or on headphones (and it works as a suite rather than a cherrypicking exercise - "whiteout" barely has a hook but it leads into the ep so well).
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 08:22 (six years ago) Permalink
my 50 words of snow comparison was offhand but whiteout is pretty much fulfilling the exact same function in my life atm
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 08:31 (six years ago) Permalink
lex otm
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 11:18 (six years ago) Permalink
The idea that this is as good as Armor On was the only thing I was responding to, though.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 11:22 (six years ago) Permalink
Who said that?
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 11:30 (six years ago) Permalink
Rob upthread
― Tim F, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 11:36 (six years ago) Permalink
Tim, I think re: "Miles" in particular, having never been a dnb head or indeed, really lived through its original existence (I'm pretty sure the first time I heard of it was w/r/t "Bombs Over Baghdad", which was a bit misleading to say the least), I don't have the specific negative association with late-period dnb beats that you have. I can't really even tell the difference between those eras unless I stop to think about it, whereas any use of a dnb beat in an r&b tune is fairly novel to me. I don't even know what '98 era pop-dnb you'd be comparing this to.
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 11:37 (six years ago) Permalink
i think it sounds a bit like when everything but the girl started using dnb beats
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 11:38 (six years ago) Permalink
No it's not at all like late nineties d&b, more like late nineties pop electronica.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 11:38 (six years ago) Permalink
I don't really want to preempt my review too much but there's a big qualitative difference b/w the use of d&b on "Black Lipstick" and the use of d&b on "Miles".
― Tim F, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 11:45 (six years ago) Permalink
― Tim F, Tuesday, December 18, 2012 3:38 AM Bookmark
Sure, but I was pretty much ignorant of this stuff, too. Afaik, "Missing" is the only ETBTG song I've heard.
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 11:48 (six years ago) Permalink
The breakbeat on Miles is just about the only thing I don't really care for on Whiteout. It just sounds wrong.
― dyslectic Christ Brown (longneck), Tuesday, 18 December 2012 12:25 (six years ago) Permalink
It's not the retroness that bothers me, more that the beat isn't really integrated - "Miles" feels like the work of someone who was impressed by d&b but didn't really get it (which is odd because "Black Lipstick" totally got it). That's why I flash on pop-electronica, that sense of people thinking that fast drum loops are impressive in and of themselves. (to be clear I still like the tune a fair bit)
I thought of Madonna's "Little Star" when I first heard it, but on re-examination that is actually way more bass-driven than I remembered (albeit in a Good Looking kind of way). EBTG's "Before Today" is probably a decent reference point though (let's leave alone "Walking Wounded" which is on another level):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYJPGQ9iCNc
― Tim F, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 13:11 (six years ago) Permalink
more that the beat isn't really integrated
i'm relistening now and i don't hear what you mean by this?
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 13:16 (six years ago) Permalink
It feels sellotaped over the top rather than a natural fit with the song.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 13:17 (six years ago) Permalink
Yeah.
The beat on "Black Lipstick" really drives the song, its propulsiveness and its hesitations are what Dawn pivots around.
On "Miles" the beat just loops prettily in the background.
Lack of bass an issue, in part. Which is understandable: "Miles" isn't a song that would work with strong bass, I think. But by the same token if that's the case then a straight sped-up breakbeat is probably gonna sound distracting.
If I was producing it I'd probably drag it closer to Janet Jackson's "Empty": if you're gonna use rippling percussion as unadulterated pretty soundstuff you may as well go all the way.
Of course it's deeply unfair to invoke "Empty" which is as close to perfection as music has ever gotten.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 13:21 (six years ago) Permalink
"black lipstick" just has a fuller arrangement to my ears - those ominous chimes are what drives it most of all, two separate drum patterns (i can hear how one of them drops in and out at pivotal points but the underlying one doesn't seem any more integrated than on "miles"?)
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 13:29 (six years ago) Permalink
Could it just be a function of how the two records are mixed? In "Whiteout", the drums are all panned to one side, which has something of a distancing effect, whereas in "Black Lipstick" they have a more typical balance.
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 13:40 (six years ago) Permalink
err "Whiteout" "Miles"
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 13:41 (six years ago) Permalink
It's partly in the way her verse lines almost seem to set off the pattern, which itself peaks just before the second beat in each bar, so that it almost seems to recede and tumble into its own reiteration.
But saying "the underlying one doesn't seem any more integrated" is also a good way of skirting around my point, because it's not just looping by itself, there's a conscious effort to make the build in the rhythm (through a plurality of rhythms) match the build in the vocals and the build in the song. That's basically what I mean when I say "integrated".
― Tim F, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 13:42 (six years ago) Permalink
btw has anybody gone deep into dawn's itune catalogue and pulled all her collabs, I still think the joint she did with mateo is maybe one of my favorite sappy love songs ever
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 13:47 (six years ago) Permalink
i don't think i actually consciously hear any of this - i have to really pay attention to stuff that's normally just in the wash of the arrangement for me and i'm still not sure exactly what you're referring to
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 13:48 (six years ago) Permalink
It's also that the breakbeat just doesn't QUITE fit on Miles, it feels like it's been fairly awkwardly cropped to fit in with everything else. The whole execution feels slapdash basically.
I'm not really feeling the EP as a whole, the songwriting feels a bit flimsy in comparison to Armor On, it's atmospheric enough but the whole thing gives off major stopgap vibes.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 14:26 (six years ago) Permalink
― sisilafami, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 14:42 (six years ago) Permalink
i got whiteout the same time i finally got a copy of '86 and i must admit to just listening to the latter on repeat
― before and after broscience (goole), Tuesday, 18 December 2012 17:56 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah "'86" is definitely keeping my DR enthusiasm alive far more than the EP
― some dude, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 17:58 (six years ago) Permalink
It's not an either/or proposition! I've listened to both a ton.
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 18:00 (six years ago) Permalink
not saying it is, just saying i'm in the same boat as goole. once you've got one great release under your belt for the year anything beyond that is all gravy imo.
― some dude, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 18:03 (six years ago) Permalink
exactly xp
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 18:05 (six years ago) Permalink
Dawn beating the Destroyer-Bon Iver crew at Best Instrumental Peter Gabriel Track with "86."
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 18 December 2012 18:15 (six years ago) Permalink
huh, I didn't really care for 86 (or Pretty Wicked Things) that much when I listened to them a while back, which might be the reason for slightly overrating Whiteout (agree with Matt about that "sellotaped" beat) once it clicked: relief that she wasn't heading into a direction I wasn't feeling. You all raving about 86 though means I'm going to give it another listen.
― rob, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 02:44 (six years ago) Permalink
heard whiteout once, never bothered to listen to it again
86 pretty much instantly became one of my favorite things this year
― teledyldonix, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 19:45 (six years ago) Permalink
okay 86 is really good. did anyone else notice it's followed on the album by a song called "In Your Eyes"?actually I don't the tracklist was posted here yet:
1. Intro (In The Hearts Tonight)2. Return of A Queen3. Goliath4. Riot5. Gleaux6. Northern Lights7. Pretty Wicked Things8. Frequency9. Warfaire10. Tug of War11. Ode To You12. 8613. In Your Eyes14. Break of Dawn15. [300]16. Goldenheart
I can hear certain posters wincing at "Warfaire" already
― rob, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 20:12 (six years ago) Permalink
ok i've heard this fully mastered now and h.o.l.y.f.u.c.k.y.e.s.
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 20:14 (six years ago) Permalink
i also think it was a very good idea to move "riot" right up front rather than the originally intended bonus track stuck on the end
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 20:15 (six years ago) Permalink
if the world ends Friday, lex will be the only one of us who got to hear this album
― rob, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 20:23 (six years ago) Permalink
at least 3 of those song titles are hilarious
― Rolling "2 chainz" draadje (The Reverend), Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:03 (six years ago) Permalink
some song titles have a kinda kate bush vibe
― Andrew WKRP (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:04 (six years ago) Permalink
"Gleaux"
― GIMME SOME REGGAE (DJP), Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:04 (six years ago) Permalink
i've been wanting to know this for like a decade now, but is the "-eaux" suffix to replace "-o" an actual louisiana thing, maybe referencing french heritage? back in the day on a tennis msgboard i was on, there was a significant contingent of obsessive chanda rubin fans from louisiana, and they'd all say "geaux chanda" instead of "go chanda"
i know this is a big statement but HOUNDS OF FUCKING LOVE is seriously a comparison point for the...grandeur of this thing
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:07 (six years ago) Permalink
"Gleaux" is one thing but "Warfaire"??
Also "Break of Dawn" is kinda like, jeez DR don't put sub-editors out of a job, they've got mouths to feed.
― Tim F, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:12 (six years ago) Permalink
the tracklisting's been out for months hasn't it? i feel like we've all lolled at "warfaire" before
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:15 (six years ago) Permalink
that's the first it's been posted itt
― Rolling "2 chainz" draadje (The Reverend), Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:17 (six years ago) Permalink
wait till blackheart's "heartillery"
― prolego, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:17 (six years ago) Permalink
oh god, you weren't joking
― Rolling "2 chainz" draadje (The Reverend), Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:19 (six years ago) Permalink
WTF
― Tim F, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:21 (six years ago) Permalink
heartillery!!!!! of course
btw if any of the writers itt want to hear the album they should probably just contact http://www.asa-pr.com/about.html about it, i'm sure they'd love to hear from you
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:23 (six years ago) Permalink
"hi, I write for ILX, I would love to hear this album"
― GIMME SOME REGGAE (DJP), Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:24 (six years ago) Permalink
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:27 (six years ago) Permalink
― r|t|c, Monday, 17 September 2012 17:08 (3 months ago) Bookmark
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:43 (six years ago) Permalink
this album is 4real going to be some game of threauxns slash isnt it
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:44 (six years ago) Permalink
D ® U S K I @drewscottyI had a dream I was in a real life version of Mario Kart. I was racing against Mary J. Blige, Prince & Frankie (Keyshia's mom)
D ® U S K I @drewscottyI just remember MJB power was those chicken sandwiches from Burger King. I wish I was making this up.
D ® U S K I @drewscotty@mastamoore89 they would surround her car like the green/red shells.
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:48 (six years ago) Permalink
I do wonder why she didn't go with Lionheart
― rob, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:54 (six years ago) Permalink
So that she can still use "Richard The LyinHeart" on BrownHeart: A Feast For Creauxs.
― Tim F, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:54 (six years ago) Permalink
http://www.rap-up.com/2012/11/26/dawn-richard-pays-homage-to-danity-kane-in-86-video/#more-143659
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:57 (six years ago) Permalink
I love how she's seemingly gone through these anime dork --> superhero comix dork --> fantasy dork periods of her career.
― Rolling "2 chainz" draadje (The Reverend), Thursday, 20 December 2012 00:05 (six years ago) Permalink
i just realized the '86 single artwork has the apostrophe after the number like 86', what a disaster
or maybe it's about her slaying an 86 foot tall dragon i guess
― some dude, Thursday, 20 December 2012 12:20 (six years ago) Permalink
86' 87' 88' hut
― Rolling "2 chainz" draadje (The Reverend), Thursday, 20 December 2012 12:27 (six years ago) Permalink
xp is that really any way to talk about aubrey o'day
― r|t|c, Thursday, 20 December 2012 12:27 (six years ago) Permalink
― r|t|c, Wednesday, December 19, 2012 11:43 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
more like "i face the beast with my bare hands" type stuff
― lex pretend, Thursday, 20 December 2012 19:44 (six years ago) Permalink
http://soultrain.com/2012/12/28/sound-check-dawn-richard/
― lex pretend, Friday, 28 December 2012 18:08 (six years ago) Permalink
"I have a song called “Northern Lights” which is an ode to New Orleans. If you know anything about bounce music it’s quite interesting how we incorporated that in the record. "
:)
― sisilafami, Friday, 28 December 2012 18:18 (six years ago) Permalink
is new orleans on the record tho? she said the remix is a la Save Me From U and SMFU (Remix)
― twinkin' and drinkin' and ready to fly (Alex in Montreal), Friday, 28 December 2012 20:52 (six years ago) Permalink
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 6 January 2013 20:31 (six years ago) Permalink
she's dropped a mix of album snippets if ppl are into that sort of thing
https://soundcloud.com/dawn_richard/dawn-richard-goldenheart-album
kinda had perpetual chills for 20 minutes, this sounds so fucking next level
― prolego, Tuesday, 8 January 2013 08:49 (six years ago) Permalink
oh sweet is the release date still next week? for some reason i was starting to lose hope and think there was another delay
― thomp ynchon (some dude), Tuesday, 8 January 2013 12:39 (six years ago) Permalink
kinda hesitating to listen to a 20 min preview, shall i just wait and savour for once in my life
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 8 January 2013 12:49 (six years ago) Permalink
yes, stand with me and wait. fuck a preview, that's the motto.
― some dude, Tuesday, 8 January 2013 12:51 (six years ago) Permalink
nigga #fap
― Solange Knowles is my hero (DJP), Tuesday, 8 January 2013 15:21 (six years ago) Permalink
djp will you hit me if i say "are there enough ilx posters for that?"
― some dude, Tuesday, 8 January 2013 15:34 (six years ago) Permalink
that's what I get for making a bad Drake joke
― Solange Knowles is my hero (DJP), Tuesday, 8 January 2013 15:37 (six years ago) Permalink
well really you were just finishing the bad joke i started
― some dude, Tuesday, 8 January 2013 15:38 (six years ago) Permalink
dawn no matter how much I love you I'm not gonna buy your steampunk sunglasses
― 乒乓, Sunday, 13 January 2013 13:05 (six years ago) Permalink
so am i going to be able to buy this album in 2 hours? wild
― monotony, Monday, 14 January 2013 11:03 (six years ago) Permalink
stream: http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds#/2
― lex pretend, Monday, 14 January 2013 15:26 (six years ago) Permalink
[dons helmet, straps up bow & arrow, makes tea, presses play]
― r|t|c, Monday, 14 January 2013 16:05 (six years ago) Permalink
oh man appropriate intro or what
hello phil collins
― r|t|c, Monday, 14 January 2013 16:06 (six years ago) Permalink
all these little flutes and shit
i can totally see the dwarves feasting and merrymaking around the pre battle campfire
― r|t|c, Monday, 14 January 2013 16:08 (six years ago) Permalink
Works for me, then.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 14 January 2013 16:13 (six years ago) Permalink
haha can't wait to hear this
― Five days left to vote in the ILM End of Year Poll! (seandalai), Monday, 14 January 2013 16:15 (six years ago) Permalink
Dawn Dick did it again
― some dude, Monday, 14 January 2013 16:26 (six years ago) Permalink
why did rtc stop, i was looking fwd to that liveblog
― lex pretend, Monday, 14 January 2013 16:45 (six years ago) Permalink
he died with 5 seconds left in the intro, RIP
― J0rdan S., Monday, 14 January 2013 16:47 (six years ago) Permalink
"riot" and "in your eyes" work so well as the album's two big, banging peaks; "northern lights" blows my mind the most (swear this needs to be the big single this year, that fucking beat and those fucking vox), "frequency" is gorgeously voluptuous in that "vibrate" kinda style, pretty much every beat in the first half (before it winds down into balladry) is stunning, and i have a huge soft spot for how ludicrously OTT "300" is with the fantasy imagery (has anyone itt actually seen the film 300?)
― lex pretend, Monday, 14 January 2013 16:50 (six years ago) Permalink
heh somewhat shamefully i took recourse to pad & pen
― r|t|c, Monday, 14 January 2013 16:55 (six years ago) Permalink
xp: i tried once. i was watching it at a friend's place and he turned it off cos i was making fun of it too much. true story.
anyway, this is pretty great so far! frequency is beautiful.
― goole, Monday, 14 January 2013 16:55 (six years ago) Permalink
i need to figure out how i feel about these 'rock' drum sounds (tug of war, ode to you)
― goole, Monday, 14 January 2013 17:00 (six years ago) Permalink
The production is stunning, maybe even more so than Armor On, but the songwriting is seriously spotty. With the constant stream of "prepare for battle"/"I gave all I can"/"I'm gonna break down these walls"/"see my scars"/"you did this to me" messaging it's like she's just stealing Linkin Park lyrics
― Evan and I'm Gettin' It (Evan R), Monday, 14 January 2013 17:01 (six years ago) Permalink
i can't get this to stream... doesn't work in canada maybe?
― bish (bosch), don't kill my vibe (rennavate), Monday, 14 January 2013 17:05 (six years ago) Permalink
works for me
the switch-up in "gleaux" >>>>>>
― lex pretend, Monday, 14 January 2013 17:10 (six years ago) Permalink
i have seen 300 but role models was the first film that came to mind initially
nah joeks i'm being cruel
evan r is the enemy of r&b, pour boiling oil and fire catapults at this bitch
― r|t|c, Monday, 14 January 2013 17:10 (six years ago) Permalink
listening party : http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds#/2
― rusty_allen, Monday, 14 January 2013 17:16 (six years ago) Permalink
^^ repost. sorry - must have been the excitment or something...
― rusty_allen, Monday, 14 January 2013 17:21 (six years ago) Permalink
I WANT TO CRY
― sisilafami, Monday, 14 January 2013 17:24 (six years ago) Permalink
ok somebody jog my memory: Goldenheart (Outro) -- what is that piano piece?
― goole, Monday, 14 January 2013 17:29 (six years ago) Permalink
― goole, Monday, January 14, 2013 12:00 PM (28 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
not really very rock and not a problem at all either way
― some dude, Monday, 14 January 2013 17:29 (six years ago) Permalink
thank you for the help
― goole, Monday, 14 January 2013 17:30 (six years ago) Permalink
Claire De Lune - Debussy
― DJP, Monday, 14 January 2013 17:30 (six years ago) Permalink
eh i'm just sayin you had me expecting some session player bombast and instead i just heard drum machine snares that sound like actual snares xp
― some dude, Monday, 14 January 2013 17:31 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah well drum machine snares that sound like actual snares get me wrinkling my nose instinctually
thx DJP -- i was off hunting for ryuichi sakamoto youtubes lol
― goole, Monday, 14 January 2013 17:32 (six years ago) Permalink
love "Break Of Dawn," so shamelessly gooey
― some dude, Monday, 14 January 2013 17:44 (six years ago) Permalink
Four tracks in and this is already such an ridiculously well sequenced album!
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 14 January 2013 17:44 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah sequencing is great
― sisilafami, Monday, 14 January 2013 17:49 (six years ago) Permalink
Seriously, flows like no tomorrow. Currently on "Gleaux."
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 14 January 2013 17:50 (six years ago) Permalink
300 is so good
― sisilafami, Monday, 14 January 2013 17:50 (six years ago) Permalink
this is kinda cheesy in parts. i cant deal with 'in your eyes'
― rap steve gadd (D-40), Monday, 14 January 2013 17:53 (six years ago) Permalink
― some dude, Monday, 14 January 2013 17:44 (3 minutes ago) Bookmark
no air, air
― r|t|c, Monday, 14 January 2013 17:55 (six years ago) Permalink
haha that is what i was trying to figure out what it reminded me of
― some dude, Monday, 14 January 2013 17:55 (six years ago) Permalink
woah, good ear!
― Evan and I'm Gettin' It (Evan R), Monday, 14 January 2013 17:57 (six years ago) Permalink
doesn't work in canada and i am SO UPSET.
― twinkin' and drinkin' and ready to fly (Alex in Montreal), Monday, 14 January 2013 18:08 (six years ago) Permalink
This album's length really works in its favor; this is a satisfying one to lose yourself in. So much beautiful empty space, especially in that final stretch
― Evan and I'm Gettin' It (Evan R), Monday, 14 January 2013 18:13 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah it's not quite as sprawling as Last Train To Paris but it's probably more immersive.
― some dude, Monday, 14 January 2013 18:19 (six years ago) Permalink
we could have parted seas just / to walk on the floor of oceans / ohhhh
― r|t|c, Monday, 14 January 2013 18:26 (six years ago) Permalink
like damn yo
hah classic example of the alleged iffy songwriting that actually sounds rad i guess
― r|t|c, Monday, 14 January 2013 18:29 (six years ago) Permalink
and this love could've built up armies / of nations unstoppable / ohhhh
so apt that the album ends with dawn actually forming her own nation state
― lex pretend, Monday, 14 January 2013 18:32 (six years ago) Permalink
xp eh, I still think her battle motifs are tacky and not very imaginative, but I can let that slide since that's not really the hook here, and it's carry-over criticism from Armor On
― Evan and I'm Gettin' It (Evan R), Monday, 14 January 2013 18:34 (six years ago) Permalink
the opening line of "300" is "i feel like leonidas / battling the titans / a thousand soldiers against one sword" which appears to be a reference to either the film or to some sort of role playing game
the more OTT the battle motifs the better, i don't know how you can have an issue with this
― lex pretend, Monday, 14 January 2013 18:35 (six years ago) Permalink
It's the film, yes.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 14 January 2013 18:36 (six years ago) Permalink
(Strictly speaking the comic but anyway.)
battle motifs: Tacky? or tactical?
― Drugs A. Money, Monday, 14 January 2013 18:37 (six years ago) Permalink
a comic, of course it is
― lex pretend, Monday, 14 January 2013 18:38 (six years ago) Permalink
strictly strictly speaking Greek history and legend
― some dude, Monday, 14 January 2013 18:39 (six years ago) Permalink
i cant be the only one who finds this a lil samey relative to LTTP
― rap steve gadd (D-40), Monday, 14 January 2013 18:40 (six years ago) Permalink
xp the greek king leonidas (historical) never fought the titans (mythical) though
― lex pretend, Monday, 14 January 2013 18:46 (six years ago) Permalink
Dawn's stuff feels pretty distinct from Dirty Money to me at this point -- if any 2 records risk crowding each other's space it's Golden Heart and Armor On
― some dude, Monday, 14 January 2013 18:48 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah i'm not pretending to be an expert. did frank miller invent that part of the myth though? xp
― some dude, Monday, 14 January 2013 18:49 (six years ago) Permalink
i think she threw those together just for the rhyme.
― goole, Monday, 14 January 2013 18:51 (six years ago) Permalink
like that she interpolates both phil collins and peter gabriel over the course of the record, so i can just think of it as prog
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Monday, 14 January 2013 18:59 (six years ago) Permalink
at a couple of points there are these almost old-agey computer music stabs, an ancient-future music, then with the 300 deal, yes, what a progger would be mining these days, if they existed.
which they don't.
― xyzzzz__, Monday, 14 January 2013 19:04 (six years ago) Permalink
30 seconds in and I CANNOT WAIT TO DROP MONEY ON THIS ALBUM
― ;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝ (乒乓), Monday, 14 January 2013 19:48 (six years ago) Permalink
oh thank god. i have finally found a way to make this work.
and In the Hearts Tonight ALONE ugh wow ugh wow what
― twinkin' and drinkin' and ready to fly (Alex in Montreal), Monday, 14 January 2013 19:57 (six years ago) Permalink
Proggers exist, but they think Dream Theater is hip and cutting edge.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 14 January 2013 20:09 (six years ago) Permalink
(Obviously not every one but...too many.)
really happy how much clapping there is on here
― ;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝ (乒乓), Monday, 14 January 2013 20:20 (six years ago) Permalink
that's why i fux with you bb
― ;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝ (乒乓), Monday, 14 January 2013 20:25 (six years ago) Permalink
midtempo clapping, too!
― twinkin' and drinkin' and ready to fly (Alex in Montreal), Monday, 14 January 2013 20:27 (six years ago) Permalink
i.e. frequency!
also, never stop with the c0rny spoken word interludes dawn <3
woah @ all of this. brb picking my jaw up from the floor
― prolego, Monday, 14 January 2013 20:32 (six years ago) Permalink
man. i liked 86 but didn't love it in the context of it being the first single post-armor on.
but 3/4 of the way through GoldenHeart oh my goodness it's fucking devastating.
― twinkin' and drinkin' and ready to fly (Alex in Montreal), Monday, 14 January 2013 20:40 (six years ago) Permalink
just finished and I'm not gonna play it again til it's released
but I will say that 'whiteout' seems to have been more predictive than we had thought, so allow me to say
i told u
― ;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝ (乒乓), Monday, 14 January 2013 20:54 (six years ago) Permalink
ok listening finally
― bish (bosch), don't kill my vibe (rennavate), Monday, 14 January 2013 21:08 (six years ago) Permalink
EACH SWING I COUNTER I LOOK TO MY FATHERI ASK HIM FOR FAVOUR TO TAKE DOWN THIS MONSTERALL FOR THE HONOUR IT GAVE ME THE POWERTO DO LIKE NO OTHER TO SAY I HAVE CONQUERED
― lex pretend, Monday, 14 January 2013 21:24 (six years ago) Permalink
the outro's really pretty as are other parts of this album but especially the outro
― The Reverend, Monday, 14 January 2013 21:26 (six years ago) Permalink
it's p hard to fuck up claire de lune tbh, probably the greatest song ever written (no lie)
― ;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝;⃝‿⃝ (乒乓), Monday, 14 January 2013 21:27 (six years ago) Permalink
outro is wonderful, seriously one of the most affecting and satisfying finales to an album i can recall i think
pure pure pure after-the-curtain-falls lonely spotlight schmaltz but so good
even its borrowedness is meaningful
― r|t|c, Monday, 14 January 2013 21:30 (six years ago) Permalink
the 'pretty wicked things'/'goldenheart' suite p much completely rejects this reading of dawn as mildly autistic fantasist
the sorrow for the "fallen tales" of the former, then the yearning once more for "white knights, white horses" of the latter is a prism you can read the entire album through
― r|t|c, Monday, 14 January 2013 21:45 (six years ago) Permalink
The final third of this album is fantastic, although I'm a bit underwhelmed by the rest, especially the first third. Think it's something to do with Dawn's vocal presence, like she's gone for for stateliness over the snap of Armor On and Tell Tale Heart. Like she sounds like she's floating over the top of the battle surrounded by a disc of light when on previous records she'd have been right in the fray.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 09:43 (six years ago) Permalink
'86 video. danity kane tribute or shade?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-C_NAt6uHY
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 11:44 (six years ago) Permalink
the album actually took several listens for me to really get my head around/into it (partly because i only had an unmastered copy for ages) but it was def the less in-your-face final third that took the most time for me to fall for.
i loved "bombs" and "automatic", but even on armor on, by the end of the ep you'd pretty much left them behind, and it would feel odd for similar songs with that hip-hop snap to be on goldenheart...
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 11:47 (six years ago) Permalink
Yeah I'm definitely prepared for it to open up before me, but the final third clicked immediately, maybe because the vocal melodies are stronger. I'm kind of missing the rhythmic tricksiness of Armor On as well, a lot of this one is very... hymnal, even over the bangers. Northern Lights is great though.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 11:57 (six years ago) Permalink
there's so much going on rhythmically here though - all those handclaps interacting with the main rhythm line in so many of the tracks...
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 11:59 (six years ago) Permalink
does anyone else have the problem that 'gleaux' just makes you want to go and listen to Last Train To Paris another eleven times? (i can only assume that's why pretty wicked things comes next, to keep you from wandering away)
― my chemtrails romance (c sharp major), Tuesday, 15 January 2013 12:20 (six years ago) Permalink
it would feel odd for similar songs with that hip-hop snap to be on goldenheart...
Why? There are some pretty in-your-face beats on the first half of the album, it's full of battle imagery.
I suppose the chorus of Pretty Wicked Thing encapsulates the sort of thing I'm getting at, there are several moments here where her vocal presence and melodies don't quite do justice to the force of the track (and the production is great throughout).
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 12:30 (six years ago) Permalink
this album is fucking nuts, and also completely incredible
― monotony, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 12:45 (six years ago) Permalink
kind of curious to see how reviewers approach it, especially with the full-on commitment to the warrior motif, and the lack of pop / calling-card track to rally around
but like, the gauntlet for AOTY 2013 has well and truly been thrown down
― monotony, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 12:51 (six years ago) Permalink
lol that our mutual love of dawn has turned us all into LARPers
― Ξ̿̿̿̿̿̿Ξ̿̿̿̿̿̿̿̿̿̿̿̿̿̿Ξ̿̿̿̿̿̿ (乒乓), Tuesday, 15 January 2013 12:53 (six years ago) Permalink
LARP&B
somebody needs to cut the 86 video to just the fight scenes and dub MORTAL KOOOMBAAAT over it
dawn is seaux pretty~~~ my heart is gonna expleauxde
― Ξ̿̿̿̿̿̿Ξ̿̿̿̿̿̿̿̿̿̿̿̿̿̿Ξ̿̿̿̿̿̿ (乒乓), Tuesday, 15 January 2013 12:54 (six years ago) Permalink
if any reviewers cover it at all (apart from already known fans) it'll be a minor victory
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 12:55 (six years ago) Permalink
lmao @ the actual golden heart she picks up from the forest floor, I wonder if she bought it on etsy
― Ξ̿̿̿̿̿̿Ξ̿̿̿̿̿̿̿̿̿̿̿̿̿̿Ξ̿̿̿̿̿̿ (乒乓), Tuesday, 15 January 2013 12:57 (six years ago) Permalink
my goal in life is to go to a comiccon w/ dawn
that 86 video is really lame
― queef ka queef (Spottie_Ottie_Dope), Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:34 (six years ago) Permalink
― lex pretend, Tuesday, January 15, 2013 6:55 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
its getting near universal love on my twitter feed anyway im sure its just a thinkpiece away from being called the most brilliant record ever made or w/e
― rap steve gadd (D-40), Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:35 (six years ago) Permalink
i like it but think its sounds kind of same-y
lol @ anyone who thought the chief keef album displayed wildly varying styles thinking this album sounds same-y
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:37 (six years ago) Permalink
you have to be kidding me
― rap steve gadd (D-40), Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:37 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah tbh I'm trollin u a lil bit
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:38 (six years ago) Permalink
haha 乒乓 otm
― some dude, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:38 (six years ago) Permalink
only a lil tho
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:39 (six years ago) Permalink
kinda trolly but also true
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:40 (six years ago) Permalink
i mean if you think an album that contains "riot", "gleaux" and "300" sounds samey, uhhh
i should have known better than to challenge the great consensus record of january 2013 but while i like individual tracks over the course of the record this sounds way more of a piece than a rap record that had what 5 different producers that included tracks recorded for three different projects
― rap steve gadd (D-40), Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:41 (six years ago) Permalink
its getting near universal love on my twitter feed anyway
well ditto but i can pretty much name every critic who loves it, which is not the same thing as people outside this twitter circle giving a fuck, which they didn't about armor on
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:41 (six years ago) Permalink
nahhhh it's not a consensus record. a bunch of people love it but there are certain people i follow who are kind of bellwethers for consensus hype records (more industry-focused journalists etc) and they don't care at all
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:43 (six years ago) Permalink
yes but you being able to name everyone who likes it doesnt mean that ppl wont all be loving it in 2 mo. after the guilt-tripping thinkpieces about why this is being slept on. i mean, it just went #1 on itunes R&B/soul
to me, this record is cool but in a faint echoes of LTTP way, but where that record had variety, this one sticks to pretty much one overarching feel, imo. LTTP is the record w/ which by comparison this feels 'samey'
idk like i said ... i like it. it just feels premature that everyone is so completely on board from jump
― rap steve gadd (D-40), Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:44 (six years ago) Permalink
if we're gonna fight about this album i'm gonna need some sandals and a shield, brb
― some dude, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:45 (six years ago) Permalink
nah all you need is love on your armoured chest
a thousand soldiers against one sword
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:45 (six years ago) Permalink
kinda soon to be running your mouth on this album tbh deej
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:47 (six years ago) Permalink
i already have a sword, it glows when trolls are near
― some dude, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:48 (six years ago) Permalink
I am pretty sure all of Dawn's releases go to #1 on iTunes
― DJP, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:49 (six years ago) Permalink
armor on went #1 on itunes r&b too, no?
i've been kinda nervous about what others would think because i've had it for so long w/o being able to talk about it, and it def was not immediate for me, so it's really gratifying that people are on board immediately
it's not really similar enough to LTTP in its aims/sounds/scope for the comparison to really mean much imo - also the whole point of LTTP was the theatrical multiplicity of voices and sounds and perspectives, whereas this is an album from a singular singer-songwritery pov that's specifically designed to be a cohesive work
xps
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:49 (six years ago) Permalink
I was about to say, isn't the whole idea the fact that it's one overarching presentation? It even feels like it, thus my sequencing comments.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:50 (six years ago) Permalink
the thing about iTunes is they update their sales ranks constantly (hourly?) so if you get a cult rushing the gates when something first drops, that doesn't necessarily mean it'll sell enough throughout the week to do major damage on the Billboard charts. although it would be pretty cool if she does crazy numbers for an independent R&B release.
― some dude, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:51 (six years ago) Permalink
idk after the last year encouraging critics to get stoked about an R&B record feels like a downhill battle, like, not that miguel & frank arent good but after that jeremih nonsense im kind of like, critics will buy anything
― rap steve gadd (D-40), Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:53 (six years ago) Permalink
notice im using the word 'battle' in keeping w/ the record's theme
i'm a little mystified by how people who slept on Jeremih's albums bumrushed the mixtape, but i mean it was good music
― some dude, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:56 (six years ago) Permalink
mmm we already discussed the kind of r&b record critics refuse to get excited about though didn't we
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:56 (six years ago) Permalink
sure well enjoy your cheerleading i feel like this record wont withstand the long term SUPERENTHUSIASTIC CLASSIC scrutiny but more power to you b/c it is a good record. dont feel like its turning my head upside down or anything
― rap steve gadd (D-40), Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:57 (six years ago) Permalink
nobody even used the c-word you c-word
― some dude, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 15:58 (six years ago) Permalink
i would never, ever use the word "classic" about an album in its week of release lol
save that for the kendrick stans
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 16:00 (six years ago) Permalink
is there a mordy thread you can do this on
― goole, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 16:01 (six years ago) Permalink
imo only lex will have heard this enough by now to validly declare whether it's samey or not, let alone start jumping off into how it relates to its barely embryonic place in the critical landscape
in other words put a sock in it lunatic
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 16:03 (six years ago) Permalink
@somanyshrimpreasonably confident that finally rich will ultimately be considered a classic tbh
― some dude, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 16:03 (six years ago) Permalink
4:16 PM - 15 Dec 12 ·
yes lex is definitely going to be the voice of reason here
― rap steve gadd (D-40), Tuesday, 15 January 2013 16:04 (six years ago) Permalink
― some dude, Tuesday, January 15, 2013 10:03 AM (22 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
fwiw this was about how i think others are going to perceive it at a future date & wasnt my own take on the record
― some dude, Tuesday, January 15, 2013 7:51 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
fwiw, Armor On placed at #145 on the BB200. I think this will do better than that just on account of her having solidified her fanbase but not exactly knocking down the top ten.
also, lol at "LARP&B"
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 16:07 (six years ago) Permalink
― lex pretend, Tuesday, January 15, 2013 9:00 AM (9 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
no but you said "MASTERPIECE" same thing
― bish (bosch), don't kill my vibe (rennavate), Tuesday, 15 January 2013 16:10 (six years ago) Permalink
on a more substantive note, it's "the proof was in the flood"??
― goole, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 16:11 (six years ago) Permalink
the flood of pudding, obv
― some dude, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 16:11 (six years ago) Permalink
i guess that makes sense next to "hurricane"
― goole, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 16:12 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah, I'd always heard that as "in the blood" and still do
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 16:13 (six years ago) Permalink
"classic" has connotations of standing the test of time, "masterpiece" is a more subjective thing
xp "the proof is in my blood"
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 16:15 (six years ago) Permalink
lyrics - http://www.slideshare.net/Dawn_Richard/dawn-richard-goldenheart-lyrics
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 16:16 (six years ago) Permalink
the beginning of the video says "chapter one: the proof was in the flood" though
― some dude, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 16:17 (six years ago) Permalink
oh weird so do those official lyrics - the lyric docs the PR sent me say "in the blood"
WHO KNOWS
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 16:18 (six years ago) Permalink
her lip-syncing looks like "flood" to me. kind of.
― goole, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 16:20 (six years ago) Permalink
abiguity!! 10/10 classic!!
haha
― DJP, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 16:21 (six years ago) Permalink
you mean Masterpiece
― rap steve gadd (D-40), Tuesday, 15 January 2013 16:22 (six years ago) Permalink
I always thought she was talking about katrina and the resulting flooding.
― prolego, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 16:22 (six years ago) Permalink
yeah that makes sense, with the line about hurricanes coming before it. duhhh @ me
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 16:25 (six years ago) Permalink
I’ve been searchingTrying to find my way backMy way back to the throneAnd I know If I couldclimb, crawl, fallBreak these wallsThen maybe I’ll get homeI’m building it upTo break it back downWe’re building it upTo burn it downWe can’t waitTo burn it to the ground
― Evan R, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 16:38 (six years ago) Permalink
Listening again and the Riot - Gleaux - Pretty Wicked Things section is a real drag, which is weird given they're the bangers, but they've got the sort of dead-eyed detachment you expect from lesser artists/complete hacks.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 17:51 (six years ago) Permalink
From 86 to the end is unfuckable with though.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 18:08 (six years ago) Permalink
86 heart heart heart
probably the song I'll direct Dawn newcomers to from now on
― Evan R, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 18:19 (six years ago) Permalink
just the song, not the video
― queef ka queef (Spottie_Ottie_Dope), Tuesday, 15 January 2013 18:20 (six years ago) Permalink
haha yeah
― some dude, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 18:20 (six years ago) Permalink
The intro to "Gleaux" is gorgeous.
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 15 January 2013 18:21 (six years ago) Permalink
hahah, there are so many landmines to tip toe when trying to sell Dawn. "no, no, I swear, it doesn't sound like Danity Kane." "Yeah, but that Dirty Money was actually really good though, for real." "Just ignore the Xena warrior princess shit."
She doesn't make it easy.
― Evan R, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 18:22 (six years ago) Permalink
why would anyone think there's anything wrong with danity kane, dirty money or xena warrior princess?
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 18:24 (six years ago) Permalink
you already KNOW that most of the people listening to her solo records never checked for Danity Kane, what's with the act
― some dude, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 18:25 (six years ago) Permalink
i mean i get they're not the ~trendy~ buzzwords du jour and if she was all 80s reverb triangles self-pitying melancholy seapunk chillwave hanging out with grizzly bear you could sell her way easier but why would you want that?
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 18:25 (six years ago) Permalink
did danity kane even have a big enough profile to put anyone off?
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 18:26 (six years ago) Permalink
― goole, Tuesday, January 15, 2013 11:11 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
the f is actually an old-timey s, she's singing the proof was in the slood, like you know how a slood is... wait
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 18:37 (six years ago) Permalink
Danity Kane weren't unavoidably huge but i mean two #1 albums ain't bad as public profiles go
― some dude, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 18:38 (six years ago) Permalink
I don't think Danity Kane was very good. But the bigger problem with that reference point is that Danity Kane was the quintessential manufactured band—literally pieced together on television. Dawn's solo albums, though, are defined by her autonomy.
I'm not assigning values to either approach or saying one is better than the other, but it makes the Danity Kane reference point doubly misleading
― Evan R, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 18:39 (six years ago) Permalink
Ahem anyway going back to talking about the album - I think the fact that exactly the same vocal treatment is used on every single track goes some way towards explaining accusations of samey-ness. I'm not really that keen on the autotune that's all over this, she's evidently got a great voice and it just flattens everything out, especially the high notes and melisma when she should be sounding her most expressive. It gets kind of frustrating after an hour. I mean she used the same trick over most of Armor On so maybe I wouldn't care if the songs were better but I can't help but feel a lack of joie de vivre here.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 18:42 (six years ago) Permalink
http://youtu.be/JqQ-vL2AinQ
― Evan R, Friday, 18 January 2013 15:46 (five years ago) Permalink
OK, I'll bite the bullet and admit I don't know how to embed YouTube videos on this site anymore. What am I doing wrong?
― Evan R, Friday, 18 January 2013 15:47 (five years ago) Permalink
Don't do the short version of the address. Do the full version.
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 18 January 2013 15:52 (five years ago) Permalink
the URL (without spaces) should look like:
http:// www.youtube.com/ watch?v=[videoID]
URLs that start with that pattern will autoembed. Don't use the shortened share URL and don't use secured (https) URLs
― Bel-Air the Fresh Prince, sitting in a chair (DJP), Friday, 18 January 2013 15:55 (five years ago) Permalink
Thanks! OK, lemme try this...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqQ-vL2AinQ&feature=youtu.be
― Evan R, Friday, 18 January 2013 15:58 (five years ago) Permalink
Terrible. Sorry everybody.
― Evan R, Friday, 18 January 2013 16:00 (five years ago) Permalink
Dope
― queef ka queef (Spottie_Ottie_Dope), Friday, 18 January 2013 16:03 (five years ago) Permalink
Wow I really like this whole album.
I will contribute this which I feel has some sonic similarities to Goldenheart (mostly the hand claps).
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 18 January 2013 22:14 (five years ago) Permalink
confused as to how there somehow isn't a pop track to rally around. like, actually mystified. how is "Riot" not blatantly, completely that? does it need to cram in *more* radio trends (house beat, 4/4 handclaps, squelchy synth, vocal stutters, the MELODY FROM MOVES LIKE JAGGER EVEN)? (n.b. I really like "Riot" but ffs) "Pretty Wicked Things" has a fucking dubstep drop! I mean, sure, this probably is not going to go anywhere near radio, any format, but those are marketing factors, not anything in the music. (and I've love to be proven wrong)
oh, and I really, really like this album, a lot more than _Armor On_. which I did hear and wasn't as impressed as others. "Frequency" probably most slept on track.
― katherine, Friday, 18 January 2013 23:44 (five years ago) Permalink
Love this album.
― MikoMcha, Saturday, 19 January 2013 04:21 (five years ago) Permalink
"'86" is the single, makes sense to me as the most accessible song on the album even if i don't see it helping her odds of ever getting on the radio.
― the legend of bigger yansh (some dude), Saturday, 19 January 2013 04:25 (five years ago) Permalink
Not sure if 86 is especially the most accessible - it is one of my favorites - but my only complaint about this album is that there's a lot to take in And that I could have probably done without the title track...
― MikoMcha, Saturday, 19 January 2013 04:28 (five years ago) Permalink
Agreed re title track. As a general rule Dawn is better when the music is honed in on rhythms so it stands to reason that a piano ballad would be a stretch.
Mind you I've only gotten this in the last few hours and listened to it once. What did strike me though is that in some ways this reminds me more of #A Tell-Tale Heart than Armor On - that sense of consistency of vibe and the flow from track to track being more important than the individual songwriting.
"Frequency" hit me hardest on the first run through.
― Tim F, Saturday, 19 January 2013 04:35 (five years ago) Permalink
'accessible' is kind of subjective, i guess, i just meant a slow jam like "'86" has a little more mainstream potential than most of the stuff on the album. she's good at those kinds of songs but hasn't done them much since A Tell-Tale Heart xp
― the legend of bigger yansh (some dude), Saturday, 19 January 2013 04:35 (five years ago) Permalink
"86" does sound amazing on this though, it just feels so relaxed and open.
― Tim F, Saturday, 19 January 2013 04:39 (five years ago) Permalink
for it, I have lifted my embargo on 21st century records named after years from the 20th century
― the legend of bigger yansh (some dude), Saturday, 19 January 2013 04:41 (five years ago) Permalink
i love "86" (so, so much) but actually for me it makes less of an impact surrounded by the rest of the album than it did as a standalone single
― teledyldonix, Saturday, 19 January 2013 04:53 (five years ago) Permalink
This album reminds me a lot of Kylie Minogue's 'Impossible Princess' (sans the latter's rock tracks), oddly. It would have been tremendously important to me at fifteen I suspect.
― Tim F, Saturday, 19 January 2013 07:31 (five years ago) Permalink
Cumulatively it's wearing, hence not as effective as Armor On; at times her vocal melodies are barely there.
Keepers so far: 86, Return of a Queen, Frequency, In Your Eyes, Pretty Wicked Things.
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 19 January 2013 13:14 (five years ago) Permalink
Wiki: "86","86'd", "86ed", or eighty-sixed when used as a verb in American English, is a slang term for refusing service or getting rid of something.
i just meant a slow jam like "'86" has a little more mainstream potential than most of the stuff on the album
i'm still used to thinking of the bangers as potential crossover tracks - "riot" and "in your eyes" are the most obviously mainstream-friendly but they kinda play the function that "faith" did on armor on, ie they sound amazing because they come at those junctures and nothing surrounding them sounds like them. in terms of slow jams, "86" took a while to grow on me as a single (maybe because even though dawn hasn't exactly hidden her imogen heap influences, the vocal treatment brings home the similarity maybe a bit too much?) but in album context really opens up. "frequency" seems like the stand-out slow jam - just completely gorgeous and silky, and hearing her natural head voice amidst all the vocal treatment elsewhere makes it stand out even more.
― lex pretend, Saturday, 19 January 2013 14:03 (five years ago) Permalink
the melodies are there, they just take a while to grow on you - i didn't find this immediately hooky. but not hearing them on first/second listens isn't a reason for dismissal.
― lex pretend, Saturday, 19 January 2013 14:04 (five years ago) Permalink
I don't actually like "Pretty Wicked Things" all that much, I've decided. It's definitely the most heavyhanded song on the album.
"Frequency" is amazing though, agree that it's the vocal naturalism that really makes it, she should have done a few more tunes like that i reckon.
I don't feel like I'm gonna be as attached to this as I was to Armor On (or indeed #A Tell-Tale Heart, which remains underrated), but it's not about melody which mostly seems quite striking to me. Maybe it is the heavyhandedness, maybe I just want more obvious sensuality (i.e. maybe i'm just being unadventurous in what I want from dawn).
Only four listens in though, so who knows.
― Tim F, Saturday, 19 January 2013 14:08 (five years ago) Permalink
Never noticed the title actually being in the lyrics before, I admit. I suspect the title is meant to be ambiguous and/or have multiple meanings, though -- the apostrophe in front of '86 in the title certainly makes it look like an abbreviation for 1986, it sounds more '80s than anything else on the album, and directly precedes a cover of a song first released in 1986.
― the legend of bigger yansh (some dude), Saturday, 19 January 2013 14:10 (five years ago) Permalink
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pquBVIN_6Jk
just me that was instantly reminded of this then :/
― r|t|c, Saturday, 19 January 2013 14:14 (five years ago) Permalink
Cumulatively it's wearing, hence not as effective as Armor On; at times her vocal melodies are barely there
I agree with this I think, I must have played this six or seven times through now and I'm still finding it a slog from start-to-finish. Kinda think the preponderance of stately widescreen walking-pace epics leads it feeling a bit ponderous as a whole (Goliath ffs). Armour On, whichever mode Dawn and Druski are in, is so much more limber an album. It's stronger as a piece and the individual songs are better throughout as well. I doubt Goldenheart would suffer at all from culling a third of the songs, rhythmically it feels kind of square a lot of the time, melodically it's workmanlike rather than sublime more often than not.
The outtro is a really brave move but also kinda shows up Dawn's melodic limitations. It's beautiful because Clair de Lune is a beautiful piece but its melodic and harmonic scope is so much vaster than anything here. I'm not going to hold not being Debussy against anyone but Dawn sounds dwarfed by the piece and content to wander round a tiny fraction of its melodic landscape.
My favourite bits here are when Dawn is at her most unashamedly soppy - Break of Dawn, In Your Eyes, 86 - or showing a bit of spirit (I want at least two or three more songs like Northern Lights).
― Matt DC, Saturday, 19 January 2013 14:15 (five years ago) Permalink
lol the wiki for her 2005 album as "Dawn Angeliqué":
The featured guest as composed by alternative singers and rappers, are them the rapper Jon Jon, the ragga singer B'Shipe and the signed in DJ Khaled's Terror Squad, Pooh Bear, who also handle the production of album. The album was not widely recognized, nor had decent sales, but it leveraged her musical career, which was later expanded with Sean Combs.
― the legend of bigger yansh (some dude), Saturday, 19 January 2013 14:16 (five years ago) Permalink
Also I should rep for 300 as the stately walking-pace epic that works because its upward sweep is so great.
― Matt DC, Saturday, 19 January 2013 14:17 (five years ago) Permalink
Yes "300" is another highlight for me.
― Tim F, Saturday, 19 January 2013 14:35 (five years ago) Permalink
This record sounds sooo good, girl's engineer is some kind of genius.
― friday goodness thank it's (flamboyant goon tie included), Saturday, 19 January 2013 15:41 (five years ago) Permalink
First listen today. Gorgeous! Melodies out the ass imo.
― abcfsk, Sunday, 20 January 2013 05:39 (five years ago) Permalink
this album is kind of inscrutable to me. i haven't really found a way in yet.
― The Reverend, Monday, 21 January 2013 06:08 (five years ago) Permalink
The more I listen to this the more I think the best comparison pts aren't LTTP or any r+b records but auteurish singer-songwriters like Kate Bush and Tori Amos at their most sonically adventurous - not just in terms of songwriting loftiness but also the internal logic of how various sounds are used. Even the obvious references - the 80s stuff, the house stuff - feels more like Dawn bending external influences to the needs of the world she's created. And songs like Gleaux, the beats wow you not so much in terms of reminding you of anything else but in terms of how emotionally in sync they are with the song.
― lex pretend, Monday, 21 January 2013 11:04 (five years ago) Permalink
And Rev is right that this is an inscrutable album to an extent; so were Kate and Tori, both of whom made songs I don't feel like I've got tothe heart of decades on.
― lex pretend, Monday, 21 January 2013 11:05 (five years ago) Permalink
Agree with Tori and Kate Bush, also reminds me at times of 90s vocal dance music, possibly progressive house or breaks (sorry)...
― MikoMcha, Monday, 21 January 2013 11:10 (five years ago) Permalink
Also a really pertinent cf point: RAY OF LIGHT
Same impermeable stateliness even on the bangers, same sense of amniotic winding down/expanding into space as the album progresses, same sense of trying to capture something ~beyond~ the artist themselves (indulgence, yes, but in such a way that the indulgence is key to what makes the album great)
Druski was raving about the production on Frozen on twitter recently too
― lex pretend, Monday, 21 January 2013 11:43 (five years ago) Permalink
Oh it's late 90s to a tee. The first imogen heap album, happy rhodes' 'many worlds are born tonight'...
― Tim F, Monday, 21 January 2013 12:31 (five years ago) Permalink
Late nineties yes, ROL no. Madonna wrote nearly a whole album's worth of hooks. Goldenheart is like a whole album of "Mer Girl"s.
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 21 January 2013 12:45 (five years ago) Permalink
you really can't hear the hooks in this? it's not the most immediate album, but i assure you they're there.
― lex pretend, Monday, 21 January 2013 12:51 (five years ago) Permalink
Surely hooks are immediate by definition?
― Matt DC, Monday, 21 January 2013 12:54 (five years ago) Permalink
have you never heard a song you didn't remember the first couple of times but after a while you couldn't get out of your head?
sometimes i think "hookiness" is THE most subjective musical quality
― lex pretend, Monday, 21 January 2013 12:56 (five years ago) Permalink
(esp as it's treated as the most objective)
I always think of the hook as the bit that first gets your attention, rather than the bit that burrows its way into your head after a few listens, although they can often be the same bit of the song. The bits that stick out immediately on Goldenheart tend to be musical rather than vocal - the opening bars of Gleaux are way more immediate and memorable to me than the chorus.
― Matt DC, Monday, 21 January 2013 13:05 (five years ago) Permalink
I'm not dismissing this yet! I'm living with it for a few more days.
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 21 January 2013 13:06 (five years ago) Permalink
I agree with that general principle.
This album is not at all like "met girl",other tunes on ray of light though sure -maybe "nothing really matters", "sky fits heaven".
― Tim F, Monday, 21 January 2013 13:06 (five years ago) Permalink
That was in response to lex
question: wikipedia's credits are wrong, yeah? b/c they list druski as sole writer, give dawn no credits and don't seem to list peter gabriel as a co-writer on 'in your eyes'
i saw an interview with dawn where she said 'in your eyes' isn't a cover b/c they'd get sued, and the lyrics are all different (and the verse melody too, I think) but isn't the chorus obviously enough lifted from the original that they'd need to give some credit? i'm confused.
― twinkin' and drinkin' and ready to fly (Alex in Montreal), Monday, 21 January 2013 16:00 (five years ago) Permalink
which - when we're talking catchy/singleworthy/etc. 'in your eyes' just keeps growing on me. the house productino works so damn well and it's got just as much propulsion as anything on armor on
― twinkin' and drinkin' and ready to fly (Alex in Montreal), Monday, 21 January 2013 16:01 (five years ago) Permalink
if we're talking catchy, I seem to be the only one who thinks "86" isn't hooky at all, could name at least 6 more immediate entry points
― katherine, Monday, 21 January 2013 17:51 (five years ago) Permalink
("Riot" for the obvious "Faith" radio bait, "Northern Lights" for the banger, "Frequency" or "Tug of War" as slow jams (the latter is mostly a slow jam, just in disguise), "Pretty Wicked Things" just because, I'm sure some people might find "Gleaux" immediate though it took a while...)
― katherine, Monday, 21 January 2013 17:55 (five years ago) Permalink
"PWT" was immediate for me as a standalone single, "86" was not (took ages to open up for me, and only really broke open in album context)
"riot" and "in your eyes" are the most obviously immediate but like "faith" there's a bit of...this straightforward house stuff isn't what dawn's about, even if they're superior takes on it (all that percussion going off like fireworks in "in your eyes"!). like, is the fact that i find them incredibly transportative and exultatory based on the album sequencing?
i'd choose "northern lights" as an entry point for people who want mind-blowing production, "frequency" for people who want something more sensual
― lex pretend, Monday, 21 January 2013 17:58 (five years ago) Permalink
"Gleaux" basically rules, that synth kora + footwork intro is my favourite sound
― friday goodness thank it's (flamboyant goon tie included), Monday, 21 January 2013 18:19 (five years ago) Permalink
reminds me a bit of a Vespertine track
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 21 January 2013 18:20 (five years ago) Permalink
I'm not a fan of Vespertine but I can see what you're saying
― friday goodness thank it's (flamboyant goon tie included), Monday, 21 January 2013 18:21 (five years ago) Permalink
A lot of this genre experimentation reminds me of what Dirty Projectors tried-- successfully, according to many-- on Swing Lo Magellan. Different playbooks but the same sort of hilarious cross-genre splicing. I like that Dawn and Druski do it so effortlessly, though, it feels like a single universe despite its detours
― friday goodness thank it's (flamboyant goon tie included), Monday, 21 January 2013 18:25 (five years ago) Permalink
xps I've never been at all into Kate Bush or Tori Amos tho *shrug*
― The Reverend, Monday, 21 January 2013 18:27 (five years ago) Permalink
Also, last thing, sorry, but I ~love~ the lack of hooks. The albums works so well as a single listen because all the melodies are simpler, less showstoppy. The only hooky track imo is "Ode to you" and it's the low point for me, feels cloying instead of eternal
― friday goodness thank it's (flamboyant goon tie included), Monday, 21 January 2013 18:28 (five years ago) Permalink
This producer is my favourite producer and I want hear everything he's ever done
― friday goodness thank it's (flamboyant goon tie included), Monday, 21 January 2013 18:29 (five years ago) Permalink
I don't know of anything he's done outside of Dawn!
― The Reverend, Monday, 21 January 2013 18:32 (five years ago) Permalink
he won a Grammy, did he not?
― flag posts in the dust (Drugs A. Money), Monday, 21 January 2013 18:33 (five years ago) Permalink
you shrug like we shouldn't be talking about them?
druski interview: http://www.carltonjordan.com/2012/11/07/breaking-dawn-part-ii-how-producer-druski-helped-reinvent-dawn-richard/
― lex pretend, Monday, 21 January 2013 18:40 (five years ago) Permalink
personally I don't hear the tori comparison at all, the kate comparison I can maaaaaaaaaaaaaybe see with the caveat that it's only the sliver of her career when she was trying to be peter gabriel. (which I guess means it is really a peter gabriel comparison, which is obvious but I can see, say, some stuff on Melt being reference points)
― katherine, Monday, 21 January 2013 18:51 (five years ago) Permalink
xp ok so he was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Gospel Album category
― flag posts in the dust (Drugs A. Money), Monday, 21 January 2013 18:54 (five years ago) Permalink
― lex pretend, Monday, January 21, 2013 10:40 AM Bookmark
Did I say that?
― The Reverend, Monday, 21 January 2013 18:55 (five years ago) Permalink
it was just quite a dismissive shrug.
personally I don't hear the tori comparison at all
circa to venus and back? like, not the exact same sounds, but the way in which she uses those sounds - really out-there, WTF production, really effective emotionally, but you can't seem to trace it back to anywhere. inscrutable, as rev said.
― lex pretend, Monday, 21 January 2013 18:59 (five years ago) Permalink
You're reading way more into that shrug than was there.
― The Reverend, Monday, 21 January 2013 19:12 (five years ago) Permalink
i didn't know you'd even checked out much by kate or tori
― lex pretend, Monday, 21 January 2013 19:22 (five years ago) Permalink
Well, no, I haven't. The few songs I've heard by either haven't enticed me.
― The Reverend, Monday, 21 January 2013 19:26 (five years ago) Permalink
I feel like I could possibly get into Kate Bush at some point given the right conditions tho. I don't understand the appeal of Tori at all.
― The Reverend, Monday, 21 January 2013 19:27 (five years ago) Permalink
oh, that's what i thought. i guess i took umbrage b/c they both have such vast & diverse discographies that it seems a bit off to dismiss either on the basis of a couple of songs, but no problems
― lex pretend, Monday, 21 January 2013 19:27 (five years ago) Permalink
Yeah, I wasn't really trying to dismiss either artist or their fans. It was just an "oh well".
― The Reverend, Monday, 21 January 2013 19:29 (five years ago) Permalink
Hell, what KB album should I download right now?
― The Reverend, Monday, 21 January 2013 19:30 (five years ago) Permalink
I don't hear Tori in this, but listen to anything off "Goldenheart" except the clubby tracks and then listen to "A Deeper Understanding", it's uncanny (and that's a good thing)
― friday goodness thank it's (flamboyant goon tie included), Monday, 21 January 2013 19:30 (five years ago) Permalink
Christ Rev listen to Hounds of Love and Sensual World right now
I'm not a Kate Bush fan myself but those records are impressive
― friday goodness thank it's (flamboyant goon tie included), Monday, 21 January 2013 19:31 (five years ago) Permalink
I'd assumed the 'R&B Hounds of Love' thing was a vague parallel about overarching thematic content and/or dressing-up games rather than any musical similarities.
― Matt DC, Monday, 21 January 2013 19:31 (five years ago) Permalink
OH fuck I typed "A deeper understanding" and I actually meant the PG/KB duet "Don't give up", I was distracted by something
― friday goodness thank it's (flamboyant goon tie included), Monday, 21 January 2013 19:32 (five years ago) Permalink
hounds of love and the dreaming
xp NOT THE SENSUAL WORLD NOOOOOO not even k8 fans love that one! apart from all-time classic "this woman's work" obv
― lex pretend, Monday, 21 January 2013 19:32 (five years ago) Permalink
yes
― lex pretend, Monday, 21 January 2013 19:34 (five years ago) Permalink
NOT THE SENSUAL WORLD NOOOOOO not even k8 fans love that one! apart from all-time classic "this woman's work" obv
you mean The Red Shoes obviously (which I prefer to TSW). Lots if K. Bush fans adore TSW.
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 21 January 2013 19:35 (five years ago) Permalink
but also, i think rev would like aerial a lot (and maybe better: hardly any of the things that code as wacky)
― lex pretend, Monday, 21 January 2013 19:38 (five years ago) Permalink
you mean The Red Shoes obviously (which I prefer to TSW)
agreed! nearly updated the red shoes thread to talk about it but
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Monday, 21 January 2013 19:38 (five years ago) Permalink
Despite best-ever song "Sat in your lap", "The Dreaming" is an ugly record to listen to production-wise and has a lot of silly accents. I mean, I like it, but it's not really tangentially related to Dawn Richard xp
Lex OTM re Aerial that record storms
― friday goodness thank it's (flamboyant goon tie included), Monday, 21 January 2013 19:39 (five years ago) Permalink
ok going with Hounds of Love
― The Reverend, Monday, 21 January 2013 19:40 (five years ago) Permalink
That is the correct choice.
― Matt DC, Monday, 21 January 2013 19:41 (five years ago) Permalink
I must confess that aside from "Aerial" (which I always forget about but is my actual favourite KB album) I suspect "Goldenheart" matches and betters a lot of Kate's stuff
― friday goodness thank it's (flamboyant goon tie included), Monday, 21 January 2013 19:42 (five years ago) Permalink
anyone know what the sample is on "Northern Lights"? Those bleeps sound very familiar
― Number None, Monday, 21 January 2013 19:45 (five years ago) Permalink
!!!!
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 21 January 2013 19:48 (five years ago) Permalink
both artists include songs that drift and bob rather too much for my taste, but even if Kate Bush isn't in my pantheon -- I'm an admirer not a fan -- Dawn Richard's modest vocal and emotional range can't compete.
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 21 January 2013 19:50 (five years ago) Permalink
Dawn Richard's vocal range is pretty good actually (cf "Frequency") but even besides that I don't know why we are trying to say either is better because that is a) pointless and b) apples to oranges. Goldenheart is drawing from completely different reference points -- like, just to pick the most obvious, very little that Kate Bush has ever done has much conversation with R&B, at all.
― katherine, Monday, 21 January 2013 20:19 (five years ago) Permalink
(if we're doing the comparison thing, then you really have three choices, two that work and one that doesn't: TSW for sonic similarity, which works but only because it's also half a Peter Gabriel album; The Red Shoes for pulling in other sounds, one of which was theoretically mainstream [even though the remake of "Rubberband Girl" makes it pretty clear what she was actually aiming for was blues/even country) -- which works, even though the sounds are different and Goldenheart is way more cohesive in every way, even if you cut out the obvious filler; then Hounds of Love / Aerial / etc for being concept albums, which doesn't work because you could say the same about literally any other concept album)
― katherine, Monday, 21 January 2013 20:27 (five years ago) Permalink
yes exactly. I was going to write "It's like comparing Tom Petty to Merle Haggard"
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 21 January 2013 20:27 (five years ago) Permalink
Just because KB hasn't been influenced much by r&b doesn't mean r&b can't be influenced by KB tho.
― The Reverend, Monday, 21 January 2013 20:29 (five years ago) Permalink
true, but when you're judging an R&B album on "does this equal this Kate Bush album the artist might not even be referencing" it's losing the plot a bit.
plus, and everyone knew this was coming, every single female artist who is doing something "arty" inevitably gets compared to Kate Bush on rather flimsy reasoning. not that this is how lex meant it, or that Dawn Richard *didn't* intend it (though I've yet to see her show up in Druski or Richard's lists of influences.) but, I mean, this is showing up in more and more Goldenheart reviews with either the text or subtext of "it's sorta R&B but really it's more like Kate Bush, you know, ~*innovative*~!" which, yeah. also has the "no more loverman cliches and bottle service grooves!" thing going on.
― katherine, Monday, 21 January 2013 20:36 (five years ago) Permalink
no one's mentioned Angela Winbush, also good at projecting longing over aqueous synthesized tracks and hard beats.
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 21 January 2013 20:39 (five years ago) Permalink
I tweeted Druski asking him about other stuff he's produced and he tweeted me back with some stuff
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7OO1ur8lPs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4lWMnynd9Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNyEBYKaUDQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-Fql5_NYg0
― The Reverend, Monday, 21 January 2013 20:43 (five years ago) Permalink
@ Rev that is exciting and I am gonna listen to them right now
Comparisons to KB began because this album sounds exactly in tone and production like The Sensual WorldWhich is totally crazy! because Dawn Richards and KB sing differently, write differently, have different schemes of producer-writer-performer hierarchies, and yet the similarities are so striking that it's Very Interesting
― friday goodness thank it's (flamboyant goon tie included), Monday, 21 January 2013 20:50 (five years ago) Permalink
Three people I've played this for has exactly said "wow this sounds like Peter Gabriel" and specifically cited The Sensual World and "Don't give up"
― friday goodness thank it's (flamboyant goon tie included), Monday, 21 January 2013 20:51 (five years ago) Permalink
So yes I guess Katherine this is one of those points of comparison that work
You haven't heard Kate's cover of Sexual Healing, then
― friday goodness thank it's (flamboyant goon tie included), Monday, 21 January 2013 20:54 (five years ago) Permalink
it's been years since i actually listened to the sensual world but someone who checked it out based on my KB comparison said that the intros to "gleaux" and "heads we're dancing" are, like, nearly identical
haven't pulled out the latter to compare for myself yet
― lex pretend, Monday, 21 January 2013 20:55 (five years ago) Permalink
it was Katherine who asserted that, not me xp
― The Reverend, Monday, 21 January 2013 20:56 (five years ago) Permalink
I know I was jokingHer version of Sexual Healing is not exactly a masterstroke of genre synthesis
― friday goodness thank it's (flamboyant goon tie included), Monday, 21 January 2013 20:58 (five years ago) Permalink
pretty sure I've heard that cover, yes. and one stray cover falls under "very little" imo.
I can hear "Heads We're Dancing," sort of, but surely "Gleaux" owes as much if not more to the clapper trend?
― katherine, Monday, 21 January 2013 21:01 (five years ago) Permalink
while we're on comparisons, there is something very obvious that "Tug of War" is evoking and yet I can't think of the name at all, and it's been bugging me for the past three hours.
― katherine, Monday, 21 January 2013 21:04 (five years ago) Permalink
Bitches everybody knows the correct 80s art pop reference is Nona Hendryx's 'Skindiver'.
― Tim F, Monday, 21 January 2013 21:20 (five years ago) Permalink
!
― The Reverend, Monday, 21 January 2013 21:21 (five years ago) Permalink
Also this was sounding really ace to me on the way into work this morning. Except "Pretty Wicked Things" still and also "Warfaire" which I think isn't bad just kinda nothingy but in a way that I supect tends to infect my recall of the other tracks to suggest they were more nothingy than they are.
BUT how awesome were "Northern Lights", "Frequency", "Ode To You" and "86" sounding. "Ode To You" may be obvi but i'm an obvi kind of guy and Dawn can ride gated snares to kingdom come and back IMO.
― Tim F, Monday, 21 January 2013 22:19 (five years ago) Permalink
The second time the pre-chorus comes round on "Northern Lights"
Love is on our tongues, boy can’t you taste it?Tonight up on the shines, don’t need to chase herI want all your love, swear I’m all wastedSmoke you right on up, let’s take a space trip
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
― prolego, Monday, 21 January 2013 22:24 (five years ago) Permalink
*"swear I won't waste it" rather
i was like "what does the opening percussion of "goliath" remind me of, nine inch nails?"
nope, "liquid diamonds"
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Tuesday, 22 January 2013 01:34 (five years ago) Permalink
haha yes!
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 02:01 (five years ago) Permalink
Brad I had that same exact thought exactly exactly fuuuck
― friday goodness thank it's (flamboyant goon tie included), Tuesday, 22 January 2013 02:05 (five years ago) Permalink
January 15, 2013Genre Alternative R&B[1]Length 63:42Label Our DawnProducer Andrew "Druski" Scott, Deonte, The Fisticuffs
― fiscal cliff paul (k3vin k.), Tuesday, 22 January 2013 02:07 (five years ago) Permalink
but surely "Gleaux" owes as much if not more to the clapper trend?
― katherine, Monday, January 21, 2013 4:01 PM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
dawn was kinda at the forefront of the clapper trend w/ 'me myself and y'!
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 02:08 (five years ago) Permalink
Yeah I was thinking that the other day when listening to #A Tell Tale Heart again.
Still such an underrated record. The rhythms on that tune and on "Broken Record" are so next level.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 03:05 (five years ago) Permalink
Still getting to grips w/this; as well as various bits'n'pieces already mentioned, I'm getting vague flashes of Valerie Dore's post-The Mists of Avalon Arthurian concept album The Legend:http://www.recordsale.de/cdpix/v/valerie_dore-the_legend.jpg
and maybe it's just the Tim Burton vibes or w/e, but Kelis' "Get Along With You". Need to dig out Skin Diver!
― etc, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 07:50 (five years ago) Permalink
ha, that druski interview lex linked says he produced for lil b
― the legend of bigger yansh (some dude), Tuesday, 22 January 2013 17:39 (five years ago) Permalink
"Ode To You" officially my jam now. It actually maddens me somewhat that Dawn evidently feels that tunes like that and "86" and "Frequency" aren't tarnished by sharing album space with lesser material like "Break of Dawn".
― Tim F, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 22:21 (five years ago) Permalink
OTOH I will forgive everything if she repackages the album with bonus track "System of a Dawn".
― Tim F, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 22:22 (five years ago) Permalink
haha "ode to you" and "break of dawn" are the only songs on this i don't consider essential
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 22:29 (five years ago) Permalink
"Warfaire" and the title track also inessential. Given I still can't remember "Tug of War" in order to know how to characterise it I suppose that goes in there too. I'm not into PWT but I see how it is memorable etc.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 22:31 (five years ago) Permalink
i adore "warfaire", its sudden switch from mournful piano ballad into avenging fist of justice is one of the best moments on the album. WARFAIRE / ALL GOOD / RIGHT HERE / WHATCHU WANNA DO
its sequencing is perfect as well.
love "tug of war", sex-as-power jam set in space. "baby loooooooove is waaaaaaar" is such a sweeping melody, so much empty space in it too.
as rtc noted upthread the title track is about the only way the album could actually close.
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 22:35 (five years ago) Permalink
Oh I get the idea behind all of dawn's military-relationship-complex epics, I just think they sometimes sound like they've only benefited from the precise amount of thought and effort required to allow them to be immortalised in lex all-cap lyrics posts.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 22:39 (five years ago) Permalink
i am not one to defend long albums in general, but honestly when you've only had a record for a week i don't think it's possible to say if all 16 songs earn their keep or are memorable or not. just takes a little longer for it all to sink in as good or bad, in my experience.
― big yansh theory (some dude), Tuesday, 22 January 2013 22:40 (five years ago) Permalink
I'm with Al. I'm only lukewarm on Goldenheart—the songwriting sometimes seems thin, and at worst goofy, to me—but even the relatively short Armor On was loaded with growers, so I'm still hoping this will reveal itself to me. Well, maybe not hoping anymore, but at least not eliminating the possibility that it might.
― Evan R, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 22:45 (five years ago) Permalink
Also, for whatever reason, I always prefer the back half of Dawn Richard albums to the front half. It's a bit confounding, but it gives them longevity, I guess
― Evan R, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 22:46 (five years ago) Permalink
cosigning 'ode to you' adoration
casting a hex on 'pwt' criticism
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 22:53 (five years ago) Permalink
"Pretty Wicked Things" is one where I'm hesitant to be sharper than to say "it doesn't work for me" because I don't even really know why it leaves me cold (and it's been around for long enough that this isn't some first week snap opinon thing).
― Tim F, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 22:58 (five years ago) Permalink
YOU CAN BE MY BLACK KATE BUSH TONIGHT
― jaymc, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 22:59 (five years ago) Permalink
'warfaire' isnt so terrible on its own but it badly derails momentum and the sense of meandering that subsequently arises is dawn's great enemy
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 23:01 (five years ago) Permalink
yep
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 22 January 2013 23:01 (five years ago) Permalink
presumably the people who like the second half better credit "warfaire" for ushering it in?
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 23:02 (five years ago) Permalink
warfaire' isnt so terrible on its own but it badly derails momentum and the sense of meandering that subsequently arises is dawn's great enemy
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 11:01 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
yeah this exactly.
I don't think anything on the album is actively bad.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 23:04 (five years ago) Permalink
i credit 'frequency' for that xp
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 23:04 (five years ago) Permalink
It doesn't help that "Warfaire" might be the worst case of Linkin Park Lyrics Syndrome on the album
― Evan R, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 23:21 (five years ago) Permalink
a syndrome that exists to no one except you
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 23:23 (five years ago) Permalink
Yeah, that's fair. But any song written exclusively in accusations and declarations of defiance sets off that alarm for me. It's such a black/white worldview: I am strong but you failed me; you let me down and you weren't there for me, etc, etc, etc. Any song that positions the songwriter as the hero and an unspecified "you" as a scourge just isn't that interesting to me. Real relationships are more complicated than that.
― Evan R, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 23:50 (five years ago) Permalink
hahaha i like "warfaire" y'all. one of the few hooks that immediately grabbed me.
album is finally opening up to me but it is a long sleepy thing
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Tuesday, 22 January 2013 23:53 (five years ago) Permalink
xp srs question what did you think of "soldier of love"?
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 23 January 2013 00:02 (five years ago) Permalink
it's called "warfaire," how subtle precisely do you expect it to be
― katherine, Wednesday, 23 January 2013 00:08 (five years ago) Permalink
(fwiw I think it's one of the weaker tracks, but I also massively prefer the first half of the album, so what do I know)
"warfaire" and "goliath" were intended as interludes, too (see the original track listing)
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 23 January 2013 00:10 (five years ago) Permalink
yeah but i always basically thought of "Intro (Call To Hearts)" and "Outro (The Battle)" as full-on songs too
― big yansh theory (some dude), Wednesday, 23 January 2013 00:13 (five years ago) Permalink
It's such a black/white worldview: I am strong but you failed me; you let me down and you weren't there for me, etc, etc, etc. Any song that positions the songwriter as the hero and an unspecified "you" as a scourge just isn't that interesting to me. Real relationships are more complicated than that.
― Evan R, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 23:50 (Yesterday) Bookmark
you have much to learn young grasshopper
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 23 January 2013 00:35 (five years ago) Permalink
i can only repeat what i said about 'pwt' and 'goldenheart' being the key tho, their very acknowledgement of fantasy itself (in an implied thwarting world of reality) frames the entire album and imbues these seeming platitudes with huge self-critical pathos
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 23 January 2013 00:38 (five years ago) Permalink
and all the pretty little things that heldus together now are fallen talesturned to wicked little things that can'tseem to find the beauty in the bad
all love's lies, and which is the cruellest but that of the redeemer and his/her and your enjoined destiny? the song realises not only a specific sorrow but a greater one where all life's hero narratives become known to be as inescapable as they are ultimately invidious
"passion is the mob of the man, that commits a riot upon his reason", the girl done quotes it herself
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 23 January 2013 00:53 (five years ago) Permalink
but what do love's lies have to say about meh vocal melodies?
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 23 January 2013 01:00 (five years ago) Permalink
I really liked it. I guess there's a similar lyrical motif there, but Sade doesn't finger-point in that song. Anyway, I think Dawn can sell that kind of imagery pretty well sometimes, too, but I feel like she really exhausts it on this one
― Evan R, Wednesday, 23 January 2013 03:09 (five years ago) Permalink
since when is finger-pointing a flaw?
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 23 January 2013 07:49 (five years ago) Permalink
http://instagram.com/p/U3_ECjLvLB/
― twinkin' and drinkin' and ready to fly (Alex in Montreal), Thursday, 24 January 2013 18:11 (five years ago) Permalink
Top 10 R&B albums on Billboard
― twinkin' and drinkin' and ready to fly (Alex in Montreal), Thursday, 24 January 2013 18:12 (five years ago) Permalink
Does Goldenheart even exist in a physical format?
― HAPPY BDAY TOOTS (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Thursday, 24 January 2013 18:13 (five years ago) Permalink
it apparently does
― lex pretend, Thursday, 24 January 2013 18:19 (five years ago) Permalink
yes but only at FYE with two bonus tracks
and FYE doesn't exist in Canada.
:(
― twinkin' and drinkin' and ready to fly (Alex in Montreal), Thursday, 24 January 2013 18:21 (five years ago) Permalink
one of the bonus trax is "wild n young" which we all have already, the other is apparently a remix of "northern lights" called "nlx" - haven't heard it though, don't think it's emerged online yet
― lex pretend, Thursday, 24 January 2013 18:23 (five years ago) Permalink
she had just been talking about NLX hadnt she? in some interview...?
― flag posts in the dust (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 24 January 2013 19:02 (five years ago) Permalink
xpI got this on CD from Amazon (US)--fwiw, it sounds pretty fucking great on bigger speakers. I'm not sure what I would have thought if I'd listened to it on headphones first.
― rob, Thursday, 24 January 2013 20:53 (five years ago) Permalink
http://www.allmusic.com/album/goldenheart-mw0002449362
nice work kellz :)
― lex pretend, Monday, 28 January 2013 12:00 (five years ago) Permalink
seconded!
"Tug Of War" sounded great to me while doing the housework (housework is a good pairing for Dawn, I attacked the vacuum cleaning with an unusual amount of all or nothing vigour), it helped to think of it as part of a darkness-into-light trilogy with the next two tracks rather than the part two of "Warfaire".
― Tim F, Monday, 28 January 2013 12:11 (five years ago) Permalink
seriously like why is "warfaire" there? "tug of war" makes so much sense following straight from "frequency" - both sex jams that feel like dawn's fucking somewhere in the middle of space amongst the stars
I DON'T GIVE A FUCK NOWI'M GONE BE ON TOP NOW
― prolego, Monday, 28 January 2013 14:27 (five years ago) Permalink
dunno if this happens to everyone else, but when "Riot" starts I think Ne-Yo and Pitbull's "Give Me Everything."
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 28 January 2013 14:31 (five years ago) Permalink
congrats dayo, you're a "message board wag"
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/01/behold-dungeons-dragons-rb/272535/
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Monday, 28 January 2013 18:39 (five years ago) Permalink
this reminds me that I was going to offer cash to any of you pros who could get all of the following words into a review: strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom, charisma.
― rob, Monday, 28 January 2013 18:43 (five years ago) Permalink
lmao!! xp
― 乒乓, Monday, 28 January 2013 18:46 (five years ago) Permalink
haha that is excellent
― Bel-Air the Fresh Prince, sitting in a chair (DJP), Monday, 28 January 2013 18:49 (five years ago) Permalink
lol probs to this editor on a completely disingenuous subhead
Diddy ex-affiliate Dawn Richard's fantastic full-length debut, Goldenheart, follows in the unheralded tradition of black musicians drawing emotional power from Tolkien tropes.
― d'eejban (J0rdan S.), Monday, 28 January 2013 18:53 (five years ago) Permalink
props*
just gonna post that here for posterity
http://i.imgur.com/vKaczXd.png
― 乒乓, Monday, 28 January 2013 18:53 (five years ago) Permalink
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 28 January 2013 14:31 (4 hours ago) Bookmark
katherine upthread nailed it with 'moves like jagger' (and in truth i really wish she hadn't)
― r|t|c, Monday, 28 January 2013 18:56 (five years ago) Permalink
Dawn incites a riot like it's a tedious but necessary admin task that she might as well get out of the way before concentrating on something more interesting.
I've not been particularly motivated to go back to this over the last week or so although I do actually prefer Warfaire to Frequency. That middle section leading up to 86 doesn't really leave an impression on me at all though.
― Matt DC, Monday, 28 January 2013 19:21 (five years ago) Permalink
idk it's not really focused on working on eurodance banger terms though, it's an r&b album track (not a single) that appropriates dance signifiers and interprets them through dawn's worldview
for me they're a welcome and necessary expansion of the frame dawn explores the themes of this album in - opening out from the internal personal/private by showing how the same often platitudinous emotional constructs power life outside (LET'S riot, WE gleux), or more specifically clubland with the semiology of club redemption (djs saving lives) dressing for battle, warlike build and release, and the subsequent legends told to inspire the future and rewrite the past
i'd probably agree this sort of thing worked better on armor on but then that was a much more upfront record in personal terms than this is, which gave it a degree more specificity and oomph
― r|t|c, Monday, 28 January 2013 19:55 (five years ago) Permalink
(they're = the "banger" cuts)
― r|t|c, Monday, 28 January 2013 19:56 (five years ago) Permalink
Previous post feels otm to me.
I think albums with such heavy-handed (which i think it is fairly undeniably - which is not to say that that is a weakness or failure or anything), super-personalised aesthetics (in an overall sense - the shimmery electro-dance r&b plus the glossy denatured vocals plus the sci-fi/fantasy/historical tropes - speaking of which I like to think "northern lights" is a phillip pullman ref and if it was that would support r|t|c's interpretative angle for this more than just about anything else possibly could) often have this sense of either being compelling or off-putting, but more than that, they switch from one to the other between listens, or you can feel both reactions simultaneously, like you can be really enjoying a tune and then suddenly it's like the sun disappears behind the clouds as you reframe what you're listening to in a less attractive interpretative light (or vice versa).
So I think on the one hand it's (too) easy for boosters to glibly dismiss criticisms with "you haven't listened to this enough" but on the other hand I think this is an album for which snap judgements are particularly ill-suited and likely to be unfair - because in accounting (word chosen deliberately) for that sense of discomfort and (literally) "mixed feelings" we will punish this album over something less impressive and interesting but more unambiguous in hitting the smaller targets it aims for.
― Tim F, Monday, 28 January 2013 22:18 (five years ago) Permalink
see if you'd just said "this alb has its weaknesses but will always be miles ahead of some basic bitch album by [insert wholemeal artist]" we coulda had some hearty squabbling going, have u learned nothing from rolling goon
― r|t|c, Monday, 28 January 2013 23:35 (five years ago) Permalink
Tim plainly didn't take the chorus of "Riot" to heart.
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 28 January 2013 23:37 (five years ago) Permalink
"this alb has its weaknesses but will always be miles ahead of some basic bitch album by [insert wholemeal artist]"
this too
― Tim F, Monday, 28 January 2013 23:44 (five years ago) Permalink
does anyone else kinda hear 'northern lights'/'frequency' as a heavily abstracted molly suite
― r|t|c, Monday, 28 January 2013 23:53 (five years ago) Permalink
i'm gonna have to defend the basic bitch canon here
― some dude, Monday, 28 January 2013 23:54 (five years ago) Permalink
yeah I don't really mean that in general but OTOH has there been a better basic bitch album in the past twelve months? There have been good ones but not better ones I think.
― Tim F, Monday, 28 January 2013 23:55 (five years ago) Permalink
xxp well ok not that heavily i guess
― r|t|c, Monday, 28 January 2013 23:56 (five years ago) Permalink
do you mean that's the part of the album where dawn and some dude are seriously high
― Tim F, Monday, 28 January 2013 23:59 (five years ago) Permalink
"some dude" in the general rather than specific sense
nah we blazed
― some dude, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 00:00 (five years ago) Permalink
yeah that part of the album. i kind hesitate to say so actually cos once u have it in mind then listening to 'frequency' suddenly becomes fairly hilarious
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 00:07 (five years ago) Permalink
yeah it does give the lyrics a certain... precision that was not present before
― Tim F, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 00:08 (five years ago) Permalink
oh! btw sorry can i just do this, tim (and all) u have to hear this recent find
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-InRBr2rc_4
http://www.discogs.com/Angel-Moore-Ecstasy/release/3117035
some sort of local south florida radio minor hit from 94 apparently
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 00:14 (five years ago) Permalink
Surprised that nobody here has made anything of the elements of the album that tend more towards deep house.
Sonically it plays as an updated version of what Gaelle was doing.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTdKU2pNjh8
― tsrobodo, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 02:35 (five years ago) Permalink
cannot listen to youtubes at work (also on that note sorry rtc I will revert in due course) - pray tell what are the deep house elements on Goldenheart.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 02:36 (five years ago) Permalink
How on earth did you uncover that, rtc? Amazing.
Any sort of radio exposure happening w/any of this over in the US? Curious as to how tracks off this wld sit outside of the album, &c.
― etc, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 02:38 (five years ago) Permalink
<3 that Gaelle album, never stopped listening to it.
― Plasmon, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 02:39 (five years ago) Permalink
pray tell what are the deep house elements on Goldenheart.
Well it rings pretty clear to me on the first half of the album and crops up elsewhere (Though the dub elements may to an extent overshadow it on Pretty Wicked Things). In terms of tonality, mood and the steady insistence of the beats, there are pretty clear parallels.
The problem with vocal deep house is that the sample size is relatively small in terms of artistic output so there is a lot of room for mischaracterisation. But looking at Richard next to Gaelle, Lisa Shaw and Lysa Aya Trenier I do hear undeniable similarities.
Listening to the tracks would probably illustrate the point better than reading anything I have to say about it.
― tsrobodo, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 03:15 (five years ago) Permalink
http://i48.tinypic.com/xptsed.gif
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 09:32 (five years ago) Permalink
Perfect
― Tim F, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 12:18 (five years ago) Permalink
holy fucking shit that angel moore song
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 12:24 (five years ago) Permalink
also lol it's totally obvious how rtc found it
it doesn't seem to exist in mp3 form. maybe it never has!
also if tsrobodo's gonna introduce me to artists like gaelle let's hold off on the clowning gifs this once
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 12:26 (five years ago) Permalink
never
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 12:43 (five years ago) Permalink
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 12:24 (10 minutes ago) Bookmark
alas this deduction is incorrect as i already have a youtube of 'moments in love' permanently embedded in my soul
furthermore, http://www68.zippyshare.com/v/98805385/file.html
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 12:52 (five years ago) Permalink
YASSSSSS, hq and everything
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 12:54 (five years ago) Permalink
Okay woah @ Angel Moore.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 13:01 (five years ago) Permalink
Forgot about that Gaelle record!
― queef ka queef (Spottie_Ottie_Dope), Tuesday, 29 January 2013 14:48 (five years ago) Permalink
The snarky bitchcraft is kinda lost on me.
― tsrobodo, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 19:17 (five years ago) Permalink
IMO that gif expresses something rather more complex and ambiguous than snarky bitchcraft
Basically, I want to believe that you might be onto something tsrobodo, but the idea that "in terms of tonality, mood and the steady insistence of the beats, there are pretty clear parallels" works only at such a level of remove that I think it becomes meaningless.
Even with the artists you mentioned the similarity strikes me as one born of the fact that vocal deep house takes its cues from R&B, and there is a lot of other R&B I'd choose before Dawn to characterise that relationship of proximity.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 21:58 (five years ago) Permalink
Tim you so are good at explaining things nicely, I would send my kids to your school
― formed arses (flamboyant goon tie included), Tuesday, 29 January 2013 22:42 (five years ago) Permalink
I'd be interested in learning more about the "clapper trend" that was mentioned upthread. I hear dry, plug-and-play claps and hats and think "this sounds like footwork" but could somebody elaborate?
― formed arses (flamboyant goon tie included), Tuesday, 29 January 2013 22:44 (five years ago) Permalink
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2012/03/clapping_songs_rihanna_birthday_cake_big_sean_dance_ass.php
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 22:46 (five years ago) Permalink
gif selection is a fine art yo don't ever get it twisted
that said, "bitchcraft" is totes going on my cv
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 30 January 2013 01:11 (five years ago) Permalink
bonus track
http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/1536269/dawn-richards-nlx-exclusive-song-premiere
― prolego, Wednesday, 30 January 2013 17:18 (five years ago) Permalink
keep feeling like tsrobodo has a point about something, just not necessarily this album (yet)
praps if the q was like, what is it that makes zaki ibrahim sound like an eclectic house diva traveller but not ever really like an r&b singer despite notional similarity
― r|t|c, Thursday, 31 January 2013 01:45 (five years ago) Permalink
yeah zaki is def. a better fit for this idea
― Tim F, Thursday, 31 January 2013 02:44 (five years ago) Permalink
Much of the rhetoric I've seen in the R&B and hip-hop threads here can be distilled down to "snarky bitchcraft" and while I haven't been around long enough to know if that's the norm, you guys do seem to love talking 'around' each other.
I'll concede that my characterisation was clumsy and lazy, but I wasn't implying that she took direct cues from deep house or even that they operate within the same frame of stylistic reference. I just feel that considering the extents to which popular motifs in dance, electronic and R&B music have shifted over the past decade, there is a notable sonic correlation between the two.
Curious as to what R&B you'd choose from the mid 00's that better characterises that parallel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwNx5kuxxV4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZlC3vaOr6Y
― tsrobodo, Thursday, 31 January 2013 05:01 (five years ago) Permalink
Why are the mid 00's particularly relevant here? (that's a non snarky bitchcraft q)
― Tim F, Thursday, 31 January 2013 05:09 (five years ago) Permalink
Why are the mid 00's particularly relevant here?
Nothing inherently special about the 00's in regards to this but the artists I referenced all released albums between 04 and 05. We could draw parallels with artists working concurrently but where's the fun in that?
Just to clarify I'm not implying a linear evolution from one to the other but speaking more in terms of how they incorporate prevalent trends into their music.
― tsrobodo, Thursday, 31 January 2013 05:32 (five years ago) Permalink
http://i.imgur.com/lH3Clvq.gif
― r|t|c, Thursday, 31 January 2013 10:36 (five years ago) Permalink
^^^ not getting mixed up in that
I got the physical v of this yesterday, am a little surprised at how...low-budget the art & layout are. no problem! I bought it this way since I'm willing to pay a $3 premium for the "artifact"; but I guess they're thinking this'll sell primarily digitally so why try very hard with the physical one. obv I don't really care because THE MUSIC MAN
― Euler, Thursday, 31 January 2013 12:02 (five years ago) Permalink
obv i like that gif
― Tim F, Thursday, 31 January 2013 12:27 (five years ago) Permalink
u like the bitchcraft now but just wait til season 6
― r|t|c, Thursday, 31 January 2013 12:47 (five years ago) Permalink
I wasn't implying that she took direct cues from deep house or even that they operate within the same frame of stylistic reference. I just feel that considering the extents to which popular motifs in dance, electronic and R&B music have shifted over the past decade, there is a notable sonic correlation between the two.
how long do i have to stare at this before something happens
― r|t|c, Thursday, 31 January 2013 12:58 (five years ago) Permalink
so like, there's some dance elements... like house... and there's some moody vibes... like deep house...
― r|t|c, Thursday, 31 January 2013 12:59 (five years ago) Permalink
female vocals too
― Tim F, Thursday, 31 January 2013 13:00 (five years ago) Permalink
to be really real in a boring way jill scott and angie stone have already got that deep house shit locked down, dawn missed a trick by not being around to get on some prog house extravaga biz back in 1994 or so.
Like you could see her and the drum club just ~vibing~
― Tim F, Thursday, 31 January 2013 13:03 (five years ago) Permalink
i will never understand why bitches never summon quentin harris
― r|t|c, Thursday, 31 January 2013 13:12 (five years ago) Permalink
b/c it's like staring into the real of their careers
― Tim F, Thursday, 31 January 2013 13:16 (five years ago) Permalink
oh i see what u mean, cos the r&b diva ego resists being as entwined with the music as house makes it
― r|t|c, Thursday, 31 January 2013 13:25 (five years ago) Permalink
yeah
quentin harris remixes of jill or seriously next level
― Tim F, Thursday, 31 January 2013 13:26 (five years ago) Permalink
*are
― Tim F, Thursday, 31 January 2013 13:27 (five years ago) Permalink
especially "hate on me" >>>>>>
― lex pretend, Thursday, 31 January 2013 13:27 (five years ago) Permalink
man I even like that jill scott / 4 hero collabo.
― Tim F, Thursday, 31 January 2013 13:34 (five years ago) Permalink
http://www73.zippyshare.com/v/66448497/file.html
did you guys ever hear his adele 'set fire to the rain' last year? removed from soundcloud now so here's the re up
― r|t|c, Thursday, 31 January 2013 13:40 (five years ago) Permalink
wait, so were jill and angie gettin it in with the hauskru back in 90-something frealz and if so where do I hear that?
― The Reverend, Friday, 1 February 2013 03:08 (five years ago) Permalink
Not back in 90-something, and not frealz (to my knowledge).
Discussion above is in oblique reference to Quentin Harris remixes of "Whatever" and (less obliquely) "Hate On Me", both of which are - what - 5 years old? Harris seems to have Scott jones and remixed a billion other tunes as well but I can't vouch as to their quality.
Obv. Angie ruled clubland with several remixes of "Wish I Didn't Miss You Anymore", though that's not deep house.
But vocally and musically both have a kind of summer-tinted warmth that is just more in keeping with deep house reigning principles than Dawn.
Teedra's another vocalist who'd be queen of the scene of if she deigned to go there.
― Tim F, Friday, 1 February 2013 03:20 (five years ago) Permalink
http://youtu.be/SNEeWYUwgd8
not to overly prolong the halfbaked house diversion but i'm belatedly feeling the hell out of this simply correction right now - marsha you are very much in the wrong game
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 5 February 2013 12:08 (five years ago) Permalink
oh wow this latest thread revive looks interesting. mouth watering in anticipation of listening later
― fiscal cliff racer (bernard snowy), Tuesday, 5 February 2013 14:04 (five years ago) Permalink
house marsha!!!!
there were some good remixes of floetry back in the day iirc? (sadly my itunes does not rc)
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 5 February 2013 14:13 (five years ago) Permalink
http://youtu.be/BnDQ_T9NP-Uhttp://youtu.be/5Kis5RHIV3E
there's these
tangential but i remember when i felt "soulful house" circa 2009 was particularly fecund thinking there were so many nice standalone songs, i wonder what it'd be like if someone like monique bingham (more skilled and charismatic a performer than so many popular nu-soul divas) did an album. realised it probably wouldnt really work in any useful way― r|t|c, Friday, 6 July 2012 13:11 (6 months ago) Bookmark
― r|t|c, Friday, 6 July 2012 13:11 (6 months ago) Bookmark
posted on the zaki ibrahim thread fwiw
all this talk and the l phonix & yllavation mix i posted on the bubblers thread (which is in practical terms a 12 track acid jazz nu-soul album in the vivifying form of a 20 track freewheeling partymixx) got me musing in general
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 5 February 2013 14:33 (five years ago) Permalink
as for poor dawn i find i haven't too much to say, but then i suppose i've already done my bit
it probably should be noted that missy 'hit em wit da hee' remix video is a towering larp&b forebearer
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 5 February 2013 14:37 (five years ago) Permalink
― Matt DC, Tuesday, January 15, 2013 1:42 PM (3 weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
this is pretty much how i feel about this after one listen :(
― manti 乒乓 (k3vin k.), Thursday, 7 February 2013 03:32 (five years ago) Permalink
all of dawn's work has been like this for me though, even LTTP took weeks to fully work its way into my heart. it does feel unfair to criticize as 'samey' what is clearly the work of an artist with a very specific and rather unique voice ("voice" in the narrative sense). the autotune does seem to keep me at army's length though, and does sort of flatten its emotional range a bit. but again, only one listen in. and i suspect the car is not the ideal place to listen to this, particularly initially
― manti 乒乓 (k3vin k.), Thursday, 7 February 2013 04:31 (five years ago) Permalink
I'm in the same boat. I don't see myself ever listening to this album again :/
― Evan R, Thursday, 7 February 2013 15:22 (five years ago) Permalink
Dawn's voice is great and the production is pristine, but it exhausts its tricks so early and keeps repeating them. And like Matt said, that wouldn't matter so much if the songs carried any weight, but a lot of them sort of suck
― Evan R, Thursday, 7 February 2013 15:24 (five years ago) Permalink
what tricks are even repeated?! sonically there's something distinct about every song here. i'm sorry it doesn't have the wide-ranging variety of eg the weeknd though
― lex pretend, Thursday, 7 February 2013 15:25 (five years ago) Permalink
I like that the vocal treatment stays the same, it sounds like she's personally taking your hand and leading the listener through a changing environment, to my ears anyway
― dry rub come save beef (flamboyant goon tie included), Thursday, 7 February 2013 15:28 (five years ago) Permalink
I mean, the stylistic shifts from song to song are so huge that by the time Clair de Lune starts up I feel like she's "covered all possible bases".
Also, the Clair de Lune outro jeeeez I can't even deal with it, it's so I-don't-give-a-fuck to just sing along to the most famous piano solo ever that I actually get the sensation that this woman has successfully connected her human experience to the length of my musical consciousness and gave that overplayed piece new life in my headspace
― dry rub come save beef (flamboyant goon tie included), Thursday, 7 February 2013 15:33 (five years ago) Permalink
My reaction to that was to be reminded of Janelle Monae and think "does Diddy make all of his protégées sing over Claire de Lune or does he gravitate towards protégées who would think ending their album by singing over Claire de Lune is awesome?"
― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Thursday, 7 February 2013 15:38 (five years ago) Permalink
A big part of Armor On's appeal was the surprise; it introduced such a well-defined aesthetic and kept doling out twists on it, some little some big, throughout its entire playtime. I don't get that sense at all from this one, though. So much of it felt familiar from the start; it doesn't have the same sense of invention that Armor On did.
― Evan R, Thursday, 7 February 2013 15:42 (five years ago) Permalink
Oh, I didn't get very far with Janelle Monae. Did she do something similar?
― dry rub come save beef (flamboyant goon tie included), Thursday, 7 February 2013 15:43 (five years ago) Permalink
nm I looked it up
― dry rub come save beef (flamboyant goon tie included), Thursday, 7 February 2013 15:50 (five years ago) Permalink
It's a different thing to my ears, singing a naked, solo single voice over a complete performance of the most famous piano piece? It's akin to those moments when a song can't contain the limits of the singer's conviction and they slip into "Amazing Grace"
― dry rub come save beef (flamboyant goon tie included), Thursday, 7 February 2013 15:58 (five years ago) Permalink
lol I was just about to post it
― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Thursday, 7 February 2013 15:59 (five years ago) Permalink
I have to give that Janelle Monae album another shot. I only listened once and thought it sounded like she'd grafted her vocals onto a pre-existing album, like, there was very little interaction between track and voice. (And this is the case, apparently?) Seeing her live was so amazing tho, such a great band, I can't wait for new stuff from her
― dry rub come save beef (flamboyant goon tie included), Thursday, 7 February 2013 16:04 (five years ago) Permalink
if it doesn't sound like t-pain i basically have no idea what people are talking about when autotune gets invoked
― r|t|c, Thursday, 7 February 2013 16:10 (five years ago) Permalink
I see myself listening to this album again, but the first listen didn't quite knock me out like I'd hoped it would on the basis of "'86" and her 2012 singles. The uniformity is definitely going to be the obstacle; the only songs I have any clear memory of right now despite having first listened to the record last night are "'86" and the one that covers/samples/whatever Peter Gabriel. I dunno, I need spend more time marinating in it.
― Public Brooding Closet (cryptosicko), Thursday, 7 February 2013 17:54 (five years ago) Permalink
It's finally starting to open up to me after about five or six listens, but it's taken that long for the individual songs to separate themselves.
― The Reverend, Thursday, 7 February 2013 19:58 (five years ago) Permalink
For me the album actually got less interesting the more I listened to it. It was around listen five that I realized lots of the potential I heard in my early listens wasn't going to be realized; probably around listen six that I realized, ok, I'm done
― Evan R, Thursday, 7 February 2013 20:05 (five years ago) Permalink
There are obviously a few standout tracks that I'll return to, and a few more that I hope grow on me or reveal themselves to me over time. But this is a seriously padded album
Aside from "Ode to you" I love every track on this album and I think the only thing I don't have in common with a lot of naysayers here is that I didn't love "Armor On", I mean, it's great! but I only listened a couple times and don't think it's a major work. Considering how highly "Armor On" placed on that poll last week maybe some other listeners are a little oversaturated with Dawn? I'm hoping so and that public opinion rallies somewhat
― dry rub come save beef (flamboyant goon tie included), Thursday, 7 February 2013 20:12 (five years ago) Permalink
well, it's very different from armor on, which was very concise and relatively immediate - this one def took 5-6 listens before i could even start finding a way into it and is the opposite of concise. really, it was only when other people started raving about "break of dawn" and "ode to you" that i fully came round to the second half.
― lex pretend, Thursday, 7 February 2013 20:16 (five years ago) Permalink
I have noticed that my favorite song on this is whatever the last song I happened to listen to was; I am not yet sure if that means that I love every song on here or if I don't actually care about any of the songs.
― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Thursday, 7 February 2013 20:40 (five years ago) Permalink
I think the "it's too samey" complaint is both correct and unfair. The sameyness actually works really well IMO except that the album is so long that the appearance of lesser tracks gives the whole album the vibe of being a slog (although again this almost feels intentional - swap "slog" for "marathon").
― Tim F, Thursday, 7 February 2013 21:31 (five years ago) Permalink
― dry rub come save beef (flamboyant goon tie included), Thursday, February 7, 2013 10:28 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
this is a very good way of putting it imo
― dirty drone barack boy (some dude), Thursday, 7 February 2013 21:46 (five years ago) Permalink
Yeah, with Armor On, I was immediately like OH HOLY FUCK THIS IS AMAZEBALLS right off the bat.
― The Reverend, Thursday, 7 February 2013 21:58 (five years ago) Permalink
Yeah this album would get more love if people couldn't remember what it was like to listen to Armor On the first time.
― Tim F, Thursday, 7 February 2013 22:06 (five years ago) Permalink
i liked Armor On right away but it still took its time really getting under my skin. i'm glad i had like 9-10 months til the end of the year to sort out my feelings for it, and i'm glad i have 11 months for this one, i'm in no rush.
― dirty drone barack boy (some dude), Thursday, 7 February 2013 22:08 (five years ago) Permalink
Listening to and thinking about the Mano Le Tough album unexpectedly shed light on some of how I feel about Goldenheart. I had already noticed that there was a big difference in how I felt about the songs when I actively engaged with them vs when I just let them wash over me. In both cases, if I try to listen while doing anything else, the music quickly recedes to the background of my consciousness.
What both share is this sense of very intricate, internally restless but consistent-in-tone arrangements whose sense of balance and proportion can actually work against them catching your attention if you're not already giving it - i.e. it's very easy to just take for granted how successfully each sound leads into the next and let it become a pleasant blur.
― Tim F, Thursday, 7 February 2013 22:20 (five years ago)