Janelle Monae

The song with Prince isn't very Prince-y and also isn't very good.

beg to differ on the latter
what an experience is the major new weak track for me

in the pitchfork feature on her today, it's revealed that prince called the head of BET directly to demand that monae perform at the awards

makes sense, her vocals are about as blank and devoid of personality as the average Prince protege

the new album sounds pretty good to me. "queen" is easily her best song imo, like the solange one a lot. the final track was amazing. nice little album.

now that she's gone ahead and made a pretty normal R&B album i wonder if people will realize they got sucked in by the artifice or if they're still be a lot of writing about her being futuristic or w/e

feel like I like her more in theory than in practice

it's hard for me to STAY excited about any of the tracks on the album. but i like most of em.

I've only heard the tracks on the Pfork preview and Q.U.E.E.N. seemed like the best of the lot - agree that the material is likeable but not jaw-dropping. nothing grabs me instantly the way, say, Badu's best stuff has.

now that she's gone ahead and made a pretty normal R&B album i wonder if people will realize they got sucked in by the artifice or if they're still be a lot of writing about her being futuristic or w/e

― J0rdan S., Wednesday, 4 September 2013 18:38 (33 minutes ago) Bookmark

idk in a funny way i kinda think her straightest moments (like much of the settled second half here, in partic tracks 10-12 and 16-18) are actually when the schtick (perhaps unintentionally) works best - the normality takes on the artifice (instead of vice versa) and the weirdly synthetic effect is like offworld cheap plastic flamingo ersatz exotica, akin to dr buzzards or maybe even the little thread david toop mined with his ocean of sound comps in the 90s

'cant live without your love' especially is like a single tear of saline solution from an optic module, i mean it's not a credible soul ballad or even a musical score, it's just... a sort of cognizant sad pretty thing perfectly observed

don't really add up to much tho this album i agree

the tryhard stuff is only surpassed in wackness by whatever the dull damp squib of the final track is supposed to be

still, impeccably high production value pleasant as ever

now that she's gone ahead and made a pretty normal R&B album i wonder if people will realize they got sucked in by the artifice or if they're still be a lot of writing about her being futuristic or w/e

― J0rdan S., Wednesday, 4 September 2013 18:38 (33 minutes ago) Bookmark

idk I think there's something to be said for how the whole rebel robot in love with a human narrative acts as a weird frame for the queerness at work here. I don't have fully-realized thoughts on it yet, but I don't think it's just gimmicky window-dressing trying to gussy up a simple R&B album. Also helps that the songs are good. I'm all for artifice when it's this fun. Not nearly the slog The ArchAndroid was for me. The back half is kind of lacking though.

was the interlude where a caller says "ROBOT LOVE IS QUEER" helpful at all in forming that insight

Gonna be honest and say I skipped the interludes on early plays.

^______________________________________________________________^

this woman is like catnip to me

even "robot love is queer" or no, there's def. a queer subtext underpinning a lot of the album that didn't feel nearly so pronounced on archandroid

last song is kind of dippy, as others have have mentioned

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2860/9504295145_cb8cd35748_b.jpg

rad, i didnt realise these actually were paintings

http://57821.tumblr.com/

got sucked in by the artifice

I'm not sure what this is supposed to mean. The artifice in the music? The artifice in the music was part of the music. I've only listened to the new album once, but I think the more ballad-like songs on the ArchAndroid were stronger melodically (and gaver her singing more room to stretch) than they are here, and what I like about those songs had little to do with the sci fi genre-smashing packaging (if packaging is what was meant by "artifice").

and the weirdly synthetic effect is like offworld cheap plastic flamingo ersatz exotica, akin to dr buzzards or maybe even the little thread david toop mined with his ocean of sound comps in the 90s

I don't think I've ever heard the Toop compilations (or if I have, I've forgotten what's on them), but there's definitely a continuity between this and some of the 90s exotica/cocktail revival stuff. I specifically thought I heard some borrowing from Esquivel on one of the later more faux Latin tracks. I don't have strongs feelings about it one way or another, but on first listen I'm not to taken with any of it. And next time I skip the skits.

I mean, I'm one of those people who don't normally listen to much R&B (though it's slipping back into my listening more via the UK this year), who like the ArchAndroid, and I don't feel I was "taken in" by anything.

i gotta say that all this android backstory shit is uninteresting
all smells of nth generation retread parliament but with the oily gloss of rock opera
that showiness, more=more sound is the one element of what I guess is afropunk that really doesn't work for me but it's a real live and let live genre
this shit totally capsized the new goodie mob album tho so I'm a bit gunshy.
has anyone talked explicitly about the broadwayization of fringe-now-becoming-pop R&B? I get that it's a massive can of worms with class and racial divisions implicit throughout but it seems like there's got to be a good essay or two on the subject out there.

like i'm sure that the dream gets invoked in there

and right on cue:
http://www.vulture.com/2013/09/jody-rosen-on-janelle-monae-the-electric-lady.html

i kinda sadly agree with the article; none of her later songs has thrilled me quite so much as the first two tracks of the ArchAndroid EP. but damn, she is a lovable spirit and the ideas are super cool. the singles off the new album posted in this thread are OK but don't give me a ton of hope, though I'll definitely pick up Electric Lady next week.

prob my fave janelle monae song is the first one i ever heard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9HqrPj7yqM

even before "ghetto woman" hits the nail on the head, this has a new amerykah 2 vibe to it (while obv still sounding like monae)

rap breakdown on 'ghetto woman' is \m/ tbh

The "It's Code"/"Ghetto Woman" twofer is Stevie as all getout

"q.u.e.e.n." remains awesome and i like "primetime" too but this album reeeeally didn't hit the spot for me, it's still too...busy

the rap breakdown on "ghetto woman" is awesome but i find the song's entire sentiment a bit off-putting, it's like...why would janelle play the #nicewhitelady role?

like it's just so patronising

This is so much better than her previous album.

why would janelle play the #nicewhitelady role?

Not sure where you're getting this from? Esp. since she said she wrote it in tribute to her mom.

Really, it's her version of "Black Man".

are any of these songs as good as "many moons"

I p much love everything she's done except that song :/

>:|

guess u hate dancing

I do.

dance apocalyptic is pretty great, imagine it might be on the radio all over the place the way Hey Ya was a few years ago, but maybe not.

Wow!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_0gMYq6Odw

well that's way better than the studio version

and it sounds way less busy

I love how she slaps her own ass at the end after Letterman's "Hardest working woman in show business" line

that song in the studio version has the same problem i have with 'tightrope' -- its catchy as heck but its so efficient it feels basically done by 1:30 in and then it just goes and does it two more times to hit the single-length mark.

monae would be even more amazing if she had lots of pink-flag era wire funk busts.

bursts, rather.

This starts off really really great, far more coherent and seemingly well thought-through than Archandroid. Have to admit my attention wavers massively after Suite V Overture - the first ten tracks work brilliantly as a short album, nothing after has grabbed me yet.

Probably too long, but take out the skits and the overtures, and I find that this drags less than The ArchAndroid tended to, particularly towards the end. I'm only one listen in, but I expect that I'll end up liking this one a lot.