Reviews (page 7 of 7)
Soothing and pleasant. Dont know if i'd listen again.
Good message, boring music.
Have not heard of this. Let's see. What genre is this? Poetry? Jazz? Electro? Genre-free? A black-centric musical collective, per Wikipedia. Reminds me somewhat of the political soul music of early seventies, not musically, but message-wise. As I'm listening, though, "Wildfires" (cut #5) sort of harks back to that era. Honestly, there's a very low probability that I'll ever listen to this again, but so far it's pretty good. "Bow" (cut #9) great instrumentation and beat. Actually, you could say that about any of the cuts that aren't primarily poetry/spoken word. Production varies track to track...(to my ears, anyway) the highs are kind of fuzzy, especially the synth, snare, and occasional guitar riff. Maybe they want that sound? Vocals always crystal clear though. At almost an hour long, it does get repetitive. About 3/4 through it has become somewhat boring. I admit this was a wishy-washy review, but over the course of this listen, my opinion went through changes. ⭐⭐ __________________________________ 🎧 # of LPs reviewed: 17 🎧 # of LPs left to review: 984 🎧 # of LPs I found great/relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 4 🎧 # of LPs I *might* include in my own list: 7 🎧 # of LPs I will certainly *not* include in mine: 4
The hipster soundtrack to the powerful and quickly faded BLM moment.
repeat
One dimensional
Far more dull, drawn-out and worthy than it has any right to be.
20/100 Based on this scale: 1 star - 0 to 19 2 stars - 20 to 39 3 stars - 40 to 59 4 stars - 60 to 79 5 stars - 80 to 100 This barely escaped 1 star, because every now and then, there'd be an interesting guitar phrase, a beat that was less boring than the rest, even if it lasted too long, or just a moment of near-creativity. Otherwise, very little instrumentation; mostly loops. Maybe I'm supposed to pay attention to lyrics, but if I wanted lyrics, I'd read poetry. I ignore lyrics in music. Honestly, I very nearly decided to give it one star. It's just not very good. Also, there are way too many of those spoken interludes. What part of the word "music" eludes these artists? I was really close to changing my mind and giving it one star, but then I got to the track Monsters. It wasn't great, or even particularly good, but I didn't feel like skipping it as I felt like skipping the other tracks, so it saved the album from the rating it probably actually deserves.
I’m sorry I just didn’t really hit it off with this album. To be honest, I think it was just not my style. I mean I do understand the meaning in the words in the symbolism behind it, however in the sense of it being music that I would listen to I wouldn’t.
Couldn't get into this... Very slow and dragging. I know some people really like this style but I just didn't find it interesting or engaging.
Really struggling to get through this. It's just very, very boring.
Tough listening for Thanksgiving. Really didn't pay attention
nope
Blah
Interesting background/wallpaper music. Nothing exactly compelling or controversial. An album I have to hear before I die? Probably not.
I was clearly not the intended audience. Interesting synths, they made it fun.
Interesting that this album is from 2020. Since its so new it better be powerful enough to displace a lot of other albums from this list that have been around for decades. Unfortunately it's not, it's actually quite repetitive and nothing jumps out, except for maybe Bow which features Michael Kiwanuka (who is a great in his own right). This album would be fine in a hotel lobby but it needs more passion to really resonate and deliver its message.
I don’t think I’m the intended audience
Ik denk dat ik gwn niet zwart genoeg ben om dit te waarderen.
Reads more liberal arts mixed media final project than actual album. Whenever the instrumentation isn’t covered by an overly long spoken word or soul sample, what’s left is bare-bones synth and drums that’s barely reaching Orbital levels (and I didn’t rate their albums highly earlier on in the project either). Just a weird mix of samples and thin connecting tissue that feels like it was thrown together in GarageBand without much thought to the overall experience. Another gripe: this album seems to promise a whole treatise on what it means to be Black but only offers platitudes. I feel like if I asked the group what I’m supposed to get out of this album I would be told that “I don’t get it” or “it’s not for me” in the most condescending tones possible. It’s been shown time and time again by artists like Kendrick and RTJ that you can make damn good and catchy as hell music that carries a social message or societal critique in a racial vein. All in all this album is all looks and no substance, both musically and thematically. Others have said the intended message here before in much more poignant and entertaining ways, so I’m sticking with my impression that SAULT are a gimmick band (see the “limited edition” 99 day album release) who have their heads so far up their own egos to know what good music should be
Viel Message, wenig Musik
Not memorable at all
The most interesting dull album I’ve listened to, can’t really explain what I mean by that though.
Not for me. Quite literally
I thought I would enjoy this listen quite a bit. A 2020 album about black identity seemed as though it would have a lot to say, energized by what was happening around that time. But the end result is just kinda boring. Lyrically it is so surface-level that it borders on self-parody. And while some of the instrumentals are decent, they are so uniformly low-tempo that it makes a 56 min album feel much longer. I just can't figure out how a piece ruminating on such deep topics can come out sounding so soulless. Listen to To Pimp a Butterfly or What's Going On instead.
nah
It was ok, beats were interesting, overall just not something I'd listen to again
Très bien, mais j'ai l'impression que étant un homme blanc je ne suis pas le public cible.
i was expecting some very meaningful/powerful tracks on this one, but the lyrics all seemed pretty shallow. the production was also just okay, got repetitive fast.
I had read another review while listening to this and that person made a great person - there are so many other albums made by black artists who've shared their struggles through masterfully crafted lyrics and beats. And compared to "Untitled", it kind of... fell flat? Nothing really jumped out at me and the songs all somewhat sounded the same? I don't know, maybe it's me but I thought it was just ok. I wished there was more unique and exciting instrumentals. 5/10.
Not really my thing and isn't as varied as it might be to really make a lasting impression. It's only occasionally good, generally middling, not enough for a 3/5.
Easy listening but not for me
Hard Life, Wildfires, and Black (yeah, I’m black). Beginning was the best and it slowly got worse. Too long and too many songs.
Kennelijk hard nodig na de problematiek rond politiegeweld in Amerika jegens mensen met een donkere huidskleur, en dus een protestplaat met oppeppende woorden tussendoor. Muzikaal vond ik het wat dunnetjes, en het is voor een album fijner als de boodschap in de nummers zelf is verpakt dan dat je ermee om de oren wordt geslagen.
Een album met nummers met een toegankelijke opzet. Met helaas veel blikkerig geluid. En net storend vervormde stemmen. Soms past dat ook wel bij het nummer, soms niet. Ik zou ik me nog overheen kunnen zetten. Maar daarbij zitten er soms samples tussen, die muzikaal niets met het nummer te maken lijken te hebben. Zoals het geluid van de reclame tussendoor heel anders klinkt dan het geluid van de film zelf. En zijn er meer opvulstukjes dan echte nummers. Dan wel met een fluisterde dame, dan wel een afwisseling van storende geluiden (june child). De tweede ster krijgt het album voor de opzet/potentie.
Decent political type deal, not very good tho
Didn’t enjoy
Not for me
Brilliant instrumentals. Found the vocals to be all over the place, not quite rap, not quite singing, not quite spoken word. Felt a bit thrown together but really liked the beats, baselines and backing tracks.
This album feels like a corporation covering their bases on the latest social trend. It's absolutely an important message that deserves to be enshrined in culture through music. That's my problem with this album. There are a handful of high, powerful, musically interesting peaks (Eternal Life comes to mind immediately), but most of it just feels bland and no real attempt to make art of the message.
alkoi hyvin...valitettavasti snaan toisto poppi ei ole tarpeeksi laiskaa ollakseen nautinnolist ajoten se meni tylsäksi aika äkkiä.ei ole 2020 luvun elektroninen piipitys semmosta että voisi toistaa kuin kaftwerkki konsanaan..viimeinen kolmasosa odotin että loppuisi. kiva konseptiesque tho wildfires
almost every song is incredibly boring. typically just consist of some short loop and minimal vocal contributions. it's honestly very underwhelming. the lyrical content is also not as powerful as other artists with similar themes
Todella teemalevy. On tullut aiemminkin vastaan. Kokonaisuus, mutta kuinka paljon antaa lopulta musiikillisesti? On lupaava kyllä, vaatii lisäkuuntelun
I'm sure the messages are important/powerful but it's not remotely enjoyable to listen to
Alle sangane handla om kordan da e å væra svart
Pari kuunneltavaa kipaletta ja loppu kuraa.
Näin uudeks (2020?) levyks jäi mietityttää mitä erikoista siinä oli
R&B, with a some hip-hoppy stuff thrown in. Very mellow
This is protest music that leans heavy into Jazz and EDM. I'm not really into any of those 3 things. Wildfires is good.
Simple repetitive beats with the occasional basic affirming message which sounded more self help than fight the power, obviously not aimed at me and thats fine but came for a meal and all I got was a snack. Not convinced to listen again. Favourite track Row but wasnt too clear on the lyrics.
Had some good moments. I feel that it has a message that I need a few more listens to understand a little better. Liked Monsters
Nice.. but I couldn’t bring myself to finish it
Made in the wake of the George Floyd killing and the backlash that ensued. Musically it's ok but a bit bland and derivative. Lyrically it's not subtle at all and I'm not sure who it's aimed at but I'm sure they either already know or will never listen anyway. Dare I say that the only reason this is included in the 1001 is it's historical impact?
Todays album is a fairly recent one, yet an artist I’ve never come across. I also don’t recognise any song titles, so I’m wondering if it just genuinely went under my radar or if it maybe got big in the States but not the UK. Either way, happy to listen to something different! Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Black, Hold Me I appreciated the message of this album. I’m all for equality regardless of skin colour, religion, sexuality, etc. However, I just felt this album wasn’t as good as other albums that preach the same message. It was ok throughout, but there were no songs that blew me away, and I’d occasionally find myself drifting off and losing concentration at times. There were occasional catchy hooks and good beats, but just not enough of them for my tastes. I feel like this album would probably be better appreciated as an art piece rather than a musical piece.
Det här var.. inte så bra
Very new and consistent sound but I didn’t hear any breakthroughs
Prima, niet echt behoefte aan muziek waar het gaat over zwarte die geschoten worden door de popo aangezien dat er al vrij veel is. Verder kon het album ook een stuk korter door alle saaie nummers eruit te halen
Vond het best chill klinken maar na een poosje echt best wel saai en irritant?? Eerder een 2,5 dat wel want soms funkyyyyy
Had deze geluisterd omdat die op ongeveer ieder eindejaarslijstje stond in 2020. Toen viel het al niet echt in de smaak, en nu ik hem opnieuw heb geluisterd nog steeds niet. Het zal vast de tijdsgeest zijn waardoor dit album zoveel lof kreeg, maar het is nou niet echt leuk om naar te luisteren. 2.5
It wasn't great
It was trying to make a statement but really didn’t go anywhere and kinda fell flat. I think this album will age poorly. It probably only got its hype from the BLM movement in 2020. Definitely not one of the 1001 album that I needed to listen to. There’s many others that do what this was trying to do much better.
....Interesting. This choice is very much of the time, which many of the album selections in this list seem to be. This was not made for me, which is probably the whole point. The album was selected for the message instead of the music. The music and spoken word was a bit repetitive and quite simple. I was hoping for a crescendo or destination or to hear something I hadn't heard before. In the end, it was good. Favorite song: Wildfires
Some sour notes, but mostly enjoyable. Last song is the catchiest.
Ok I guess. Nothing special.
There's no shortage of bad albums that shouldn't be in this book, but this one sticks out for the insanely-high user rating. It wasn't a good album, and it's clearly only in the book as a symbolic gesture. It's downbeat and boring, fades in an out of "musicality" (is that a word?) too much, and goes for an hour. 2/5.
Nice message, but I didn’t like the music a whole lot
Feels a bit tokenistic - and is it really worthy of an entry? I wonder what wonderful sixties or seventies album in the original book made way for this collection of meh?
just not my scene...
You know movies that are up for best picture at the Oscars that critics rave about, but you don't know a single person that actually enjoyed. This might be the audio equivalent of that! Not altogether bad. Just not terribly excited, that's for sure...
Righteous and beatwise, you'd have to be musically stunted not to feel these grooves and politically stunted not to feel their message. But I have a hard time believing they'll ever get under my skin (and Ive tried) much less onto the dance floor. Side note: as Homeboy Sandman demonstrated twice on his magnificent "I Can't Sell These" mixtape, they make great beats for a rapper capable of turning them into songs.
Really great drums and bass. Not big on the interstitial dialogue tracks. I definitely understand they're positive and I'm not disagreeing with the sentiment, they just come across a little preachy and break from the music. Not a bad album, really good musicality, just not my favorite type of music, so I don't know that I would ever come back to it for additional listens. Standout Tracks: Stop Dem, Wildfires, Bow, Pray Up Stay Up
sort interesting tracks but can't do a whole album of this
niet zo mijn ding
Non mi è piaciuto. In generale l'R&B non fa per me, ma in questo album non ho trovato neanche un pezzo che mi abbia convinto a pieno. Inoltre alcuni testi sono francamente imbarazzanti (Vedi "Black").
Some interesting beats throughout albeit repetitive at times. Clearly a very emotionally charged album. I think there's far better works tackling the same subject matter. Too many average tracks that are skippable. Could be edited down.
I'm glad this album exists for the people that need to hear its message of hope and resilience. The tracks I enjoyed the most - "Wildfires," "Bow," and "Monsters."
While I can appreciate the relevance of this album, it is not something I would listen to again.
Ok vibes
I understand the concept and themes going behind it, but that is not enough to carry an almost 1-hour album. Lyrically, musically nothing special
I didn’t think it was ~bad~ but I’m just not the biggest fan of abstract/spoken work stuff
While the music is more or less inoffensive, the intruding spoken-word poems are unbearably annoying: “Black is God…you are God”. Cringe!
Not really my style
Not for me
Discount Little Simz. Some interesting production and blending of genres (I liked Stop Dem) but felt like this tried to be too dramatic and eclectic at the expense of some energy and focus. May be better with more listens but not sure this really belongs on this list.
I really was not a fan of the album, but I loved the song "wildfires"
Under middels
having expectations is my greatest downfall
Liked a lot of the beats, but only a few i’d want to come back to. Stand-out tracks: -Pray up Stay Up -Monsters -Why We Cry
Interesting. I can't say I really liked it that much, but the lyrics are pretty powerful.
A lot of albums that may not have been completely geared towards me as a demographic I can still get something out of. Music is normally an equalizer. This album, which seems to be an inspirational album, is one of the few times I did not feel anything. It just didn't hit me. A lot of the songs seemed very mantra-ish. There wasn't that song structure: verse-chorus-verse. Maybe that was part of it, I was waiting for someone to start singing, when the songs all just seemed to be intros. Not getting it at all.
Enjoyed this far more than I had expected. Didn't fall in love but the vocals were smooth and some nice basslines going on
I mean it's a nice idea a concept album with something to say. It's just not very good and can even be cynically thought of as a cash in on trauma.
2.5/5. Very good. Id like to hear more.
Mezcla de hip-hop suave con toques de jazz. Poco innovador, más allá de ser fácil de escuchar.
British (again) pop album with an interesting background. The performers are unknown/unconfirmed, and the concept is akin to the BLM movement; this album being especially timely. That said, most of it didn't feel fully formed.
Chyba najmlodsza plyta w zestawieniu jak do tej pory, bo rocznik 2k20, oczywiscie brytyjskiego pochodzenia, ale co dziwne plyta z podziemia, pierwsze slysze tytul lub nazwe bandy, jakze tajemniczego SAULT, ktory jest kolektywem prawdziwie indyjskim, nie dajacym zadnych wystepow livowych, nie udzielajacym wywiadow, a jedynie puszczajacym albumy do zycia, za ktorymi stoi pan pod pseudonimem Infolo, ktory wedlug tego co wyczytalem ogarnia strone instruentalna, na ktorej wokalnie slychac glownie panie Cleo Sol i Kid Sister, chociaz pojawiaja sie takze featury, ciezko tutaj o konkretny gatunek, bo prawie godzinny material to az 20 trakow, ktore znaczaco odbiegaja od siebie muzycznie, ale jednak wspolnym mianownikiem jest czarnosc, jak sam tytul sugeruje, wiec pojecie czarnosci jest motywem przewodnim calego krazka, od tego co to jest czarnosc, przez to dlaczego czarnosci jest trudno w swiecie po piekno czarnosci, wiec czarne zycie sie liczy, jak przystalo na rok 2k20 i nadal zaskakujaco aktualny, z jednej strony fajnie ze ma sie az taka chlube z swoich korzeni, ale z drugiej postrzeganie czlowieka tylko przez kolor skory jest tylko bardziej utrwalane, wiec afrobeat na miare naszych czasow, muzycznie dobry odsluch, ale kontent liryczny zachacza atakuje black powerowa filozofia, ktora zamiast laczyc ludzi stara sie budowac nowe podzialy, na plejke dodam najbardziej afrowy utwor w moim odczuciu, wiec bow ktory featuruje pana Kiwanuka, ktory brzmi prawdziwie afrykansko, jak na standardy tego nagrania w ktorym wiekszosc wokali to brytyjski angielski, wiec popularny temat dla niszowej grupy sluchaczy, moze za x lat bedzie wspominane jako cos co bylo ukrytym gemem czasow czarnego zycia ktore jest wazne
Not my cup of char.
2/5 not my cup of tea
I wish the music was as striking and powerful as the album artwork. Love the concept, but the delivery leaves a lot to be desired. Couldn’t get into it.
Interesting….
Interesting. But not for me
2.5
Given the subject matter, I wanted to have high praise. My perhaps too honest opinion is that it is essentially an art project from a decent art school. The music feels like an after thought to "the message." I thought, maybe I could like it as background music but the art house nature keeps it from fading into the scenery. That all sounds harsh because I do appreciate and support the message and think there is some talented drive loops in there.
Meh
Begon wel aardig maar al snel werd het iets te
Ik was erg enthousiast na de eerste paar nummers, maar het werd toch behoorlijk saai allemaal.
SAULT zou volgens de media de Banksy van de r&b moeten zijn en de plaat als een meesterwerk moeten worden beschouwd. Ik hoor het nog niet zo goed. Het kabbelt me teveel voort.
Saaaaaaai.
I did not know that this album even came out in 2020 but a lot was going on that year. This album came out after Georg Floyd was murdered. The music reflects the emotion, however, the music itself is not memorable at least not in the way other protest albums have been.
I really want to like this. I appreciate the Black affirmations. Sorry Ain’t Enough and Bow were great. The rest was just sleepy ☹️
Good enough. Fitting for 2020
This was released in 2020? I thought this list was older than that. Good to know. I like how this album sounds and there are moments that ring out through the sameness, but lyrically it felt a bit like how PHILADELPHIA is a gay movie made for straight people. It's a tad on the nose, isn't it? There's obviously power in the repeated simplicity of saying something like "black is beautiful," but I guess I was kind of hoping it would dig deeper than that. (Not that it has to.) Maybe it does and I'm just tuning out due to the relatively relaxed nature of the music behind the lyrics... God knows I'm the last person to pretend to have any authority in this arena whatsoever. But if I want a glimpse into the black experience I feel like I could do better by reaching for a Kanye album or that last Stevie Wonder double-cheeseburger we just listened to. And those would have the added benefit of having some, you know, honest to god good songs.
It was fine. All in all it wasn't really for me and the songs all just blended together.
Didn't super enjoy it.
Chill background music
Chill
Interesting
A little too new agey and strange for my tastes. Might hit right for some people but nothing very interesting to my ears
Monsters is a great track. The rest were repetitive and genuinely boring.
For the topic that the record was covering, it just felt uninspired. Most of the album had the underlying feeling of someone in their late 50s figuring out how GarageBand works and quickly churning out a cheesy mess of sounds that they thought would change the world. I picture a group on public access TV embarrassingly pressing buttons to play the same beat over and over and over with soft voiced narration of cliched Black power lines that have been repeated in poetry for over a century. This unfortunately feels like a group taking advantage of a movement in time, not contributing anything meaningful to it. Repetitive, cliched, and boring. One of the few albums on the list that I turned tracks on after 45-60 seconds due to said boring repetition. Last five songs are where it started to pick up but could not save the album. I listened to some of the groups other music and liked it though.
Complete shite
This one feels like it could have done more at pretty much... everything. It could have been more observant, more creative, more unique... Instead, this reminded me of two things: the short story I tried to write in 10th grade where I repeatedly spelled out its central theme while desperately trying to build any kind of compelling world around it, and the worship music I sat through in Chapel every week that made the same few observations about God that were neither interesting nor profound. My favorite tracks here sonically are mired in near-cringeworthy lyrics that say things that have been said much more creatively before (e.g. "Don't shoot, guns down / Racist policeman"). Basically, I just feel like you'd be better off spending your time reading/listening to/studying anything more observant or revolutionary about the racism Black people face in our world. Or listen to this, who cares.
The exact kind of political music that ineffectual libs can embrace. Which, if you are going to pick a record to represent 2020 on this list, that's pretty much exactly what you need. That this can be legitimately taken seriously as a radical polemic shows how neutered political art has become. Surface level observations, tired and stale aphorisms, boring and inoffensive music that prioritize vibes over everything else. The only people this music could possibly challenge are not going to be listening to this anyway, and that means we are left with a bunch of well-meaning listeners falling over themselves to praise this for fear of looking like they are not allies. When you can't even be as radical and challenging as a song like "Strange Fruit" over 80 years later, that says it all.
No soy lo suficiente negro como para que me gusté este disco xd.
No me gusto
One for the white wokists to own. Not me, I’m just a lawnmower, you can tell me by the way I walk. 1/5 11/5/26
Not bad vocals, and music. Not my cup of tea.
Mildly inoffensive R & B, such as you might hear piped over the speakers at Poundland! Shan't be back for any more.
Not sure what to say So it’s best to say nothing at all
One of the most racist albums I’ve ever heard
Not my thing at all tbh. Fav song is ‘Miracles’.
wtf is this crap
lo único bueno que tiene es que es un álbum todo de canciones así como antirracistas
No me gusto nada, muy raro todo. Salvo alguna que otra cancion, no le encuentro el ritmo, flojo flojo
muy buen ritmo. album protestista y liberal
Horrible. First I thought I was listening to a kids Choir. The moment it went from kids choir to gospel choir I turned it off. I made it through halfway the third song.
1 decent song and didn’t listen much to the rest of it.
Ei
The album cover pulled me in. Every other aspect pushed me away.
I wish I had enough integrity to finish this. Maybe later, but I can't right now
Vamos começar pela superfície. A capa já se mostra pomposa ao extremo, o título um dos mais pretensiosos que já vi (que escrotidão chamar um disco de Untitled e dar a ele um título mesmo assim), e claro, a arma fumegante, a data de lançamento: 2020, um ano recheado de inúmeras psicoses coletivas. De fato tudo estava apontando para um destino terrível a este disco. Dito e feito. Batidas rudimentares, vocais básicos e produção quase que amadora. Tudo isso como veículo de uma mensagem vazia, que já foi entregue de maneira infinitamente mais eficaz por verdadeiros artistas que realmente tinham algo a dizer. Falta alma. Falta garra. Falta emoção. Falta trabalho e atenção aos detalhes. Estou criticando o fato que este disco exalta o negro? Obviamente não. Estou criticando o fato que este disco é ruim, entediante, vazio e impotente. Uma grande perda de 56 minutos. 0.5
not my jam
Groupe inconnu. Aucun intérêt, beaucoup trop long, répétitif et ennuyeux. Arrêt en cours de route. =>1/5
I love music that has a meaning, but this is a bit much. I did not enjoy listening to it. I want to feel good when listening to music, but this just made me feel meh.
1:5
geschreeuw
Not my thing
Im sorry but this is kind of ass.
#805. The white devil is the source of all my problems, not my own actions. Nah, couldn't be. I don't want accountability or self reflection, I just want someone to blame for all my shortcomings. 1/5: miss me with this shit
Straight up cheeks. Goofy ass title
israeli
The way to get on this list is clearly to be wildly eclectic and a little batshit
it was dull and monotonous. pretty crap.
How can something so purportedly Black be so Beige? Mostly boring, often repetitive, and a bit of ASMR. Weird. (But not in the good way.) What can I say nice?? Um.. the production is pretty good. Sounds polished. Not enough music with instruments here to report on. A few different voices that are OK, I guess. There's no passion behind this. The things I need in music are technical prowess and passion. One can make me like a thing, while getting both is a godsend. This though, fails in both areas. Would never listen to this on purpose and I can't think of anyone else that would. Not sure who this is for really. I want to give it a 1.7 because it's not HORRIBLE, but given the system we have here, I am going with a 1.
🖕
Not good
This Soul album builds its grooves on deep basslines, steady funk-inflected drums, sparse guitars, gospel-tinged keys, and layered percussion. The vocals shift between intimate whispers, soaring gospel-like choruses, and urgent spoken word, while the lyrics focus on Black identity and empowerment, giving the record undeniable meaning. Musically I found it unappealing and it failedt to leave a lasting impression.
* Boring, does not fit to my taste of music.
If the album name and cover art didn't give it away, the opening track does ...
I remember all the fuss about their live shows and the mystery surrounding them, and thought for a nanosecond at the time, I must find out about them. I didn't, but i wished I had to prepare me for this. It was truly dreadful, but could have been so much better. Basic level songwriting at its worst. Those lyrics, talk about some sort of paranoia regarding their race. Credit to all the rappers out there, I may dislike their songs, attitude etc, but at least they nail their point home in a much more straightforward and mostly forceful way. This had the equivalent force of being hit around the face with a wet lettuce leaf. Over hyped twaddle.
I was put off by the first song saying 'black is beautiful' over and over - the second song saying back black black over and over - imagine if the first and second song said "white is right" and "white white white" over and over. This tainted the third song which is just a list of countries in Africa, and the four about police violence. Song odd matters, people! There's songs about god too. *coughs like Gollom eating elf bread* Ignoring the first two songs - and the lyrics generally - the vocals are nice but nothing special and the instruments sparse to the point of void. I suppose if your lived experience is being subject to prejudice in a overtly racist society then this may speak to you. In my patented -100 to 100 rating system where -50 is being preached to in a closed space on a hot day is -50 then this is -30 because at least i could get away.
Found it a bit dull. One song only contained the title as lyrics, I don’t know, but it’s just not my taste. I gave up after 6 songs
WTF??
Rating: 3/10 Instrumentally and vocally this was okay, Wildfires is an amazing song and the only standout on this album. My main complaint is the lyricism: just stating "black is beautiful" or "black is powerful" is not saying anything meaningful, insightful, or interesting. Other artists have covered this theme in a way that's a 1000X more interesting: Public Enemy, NWA, Kendrick Lamar, Mos Def, etc. This theme is consistent with every song on this album, so that is why I fault it so much. I understand the intention, but the execution is horrible.
You know, it really had its moments I enjoyed, but I really felt most of this was pretty bad. Looking into the group, it seems that it's some sort of anonymous collective. I think I just like some of the musicians involved significantly more than the other ones. I'm just not the target audience for this record. Also, those ASMR interludes were borderline unlistenable lol.
One word. Awkward. Perhaps I lack the relevant cultural background, but there wasn’t a single aspect I enjoyed or could relate to.
Untitled (Black Is) by Sault feels bloated and hard to follow, with production that leans more boring than adventurous despite its ambitious ideas.
Unknown band. One subject only. Being black. Repetitive lyrics. Boring.
Absolute Shite
Not for me.
I would rate lower, if I could. There has to be a better way to discuss real or perceived racism than to create a racism rant against racism, especially in a format as repetitive and artsy as this tried to be.
Some parts were decent but overall kind of boring for me.
Ret ekstremt eksempel på en slut-10er bølge af plader som ikke kunne have mere end 3 sange uden et lille ASMR-interlude, jeg kan godt forstå hvorfor det er vigtigt men det virkede aldrig for mig. Egentlig ret groovy og gode beats, men alle sangene har samme tema og jeg synes pladen endte med at føles meget lang. Er det ikke lidt try-hard at kalde sin plade for Untitled (Black Is)? Så er den jo for helvede ikke untitled...
This was a long and hard listen. I found it very uninteresting. Both its themes and the music in general.
I wanted to like this one because the atmosphere and production kind of intruiged me, but I found it to be relentlessly boring. Every single song is a basic endlessly repeating drum beat and bassline with bland, repetitive vocals and instrumentation dropped on top of it. I just couldn't do it.
Considering the topic I felt no real impact, no power, and no emotion. Where TPAB is the gold standard on albums taking on black power, this album is at the opposite end of the meter. Sonically uninteresting and lyrically trite.
rubbish
Not into it.
sorry not for me
Not my thing
Black, bla, bla, bla
Interesting!
good beats, no substance. gimme something to sink my teeth into. this is mall store music.
A cool sound but so repetitive
It's like Solange Knowles was tasked to make aThe Go Team boring and succeeded
I didn't know the music can be so woke!
Did not enjoy. Not even a little bit. Annoying if anything. 1/5
I get the message but it’s not something I would listen to
I am very against albums with more interludes and poetry than actual music. Best Song: Bow Rating: 2.0/10 1 Stars
Inte för mig
A bunch of beats on a loop and slam poetry
I can appreciate this album for its cultural impact and overarching message. I would never listen to it again for pure enjoyment purposes, but it’s nice to know something like this exists out there.
-_-
I found this to be quite boring...
extremely bad album. the female vocalists aren’t bad either. the songs are wanting to be seen as having a bunch of meaning but they really don’t they’re just words repeated over and over again. instrumentals suck. also some narcissism in the lyrics. calling yourself god? really? the artists should really look into kendrick lamar to see how you actually empower black people whilst also making a song good and, not dragging down other races when doing it.
Ok, you lost me. Never heard of them or this album. Please share the reason this album made the Top1001 list? It has to be based solely on the message, which isn't a valid reason in my opinion to include an album in the Top 1001, or every Bob Marley album would be on here. That decision should be focused on entire package - the choice to include it was not based on the music, not the delivery, maybe the vibe, not the influence, not the hits, & not the underwhelming vocals. The message is necessary today, but much of this is like spoken poetry with a beat. I believe it was created to wake people up and see the light, noble and needed, but the album is not "essential listening", unless the goal is to open eyes. Even the "hit", "Wildfires" (with 154M listens) was average & went nowhere. "Why We Cry Why We Die", another popular listener track, was boring, repetitive & also went nowhere. "Monsters" felt like it could have been on the radio with a bit more polish, or at least used in a movie, it felt modern & had some urgency. I missed the point I guess, but I'm a music first listener, I'm not reading into the lyrics or message for enjoyment. If it makes me bob my head, dance, play air guitar, bang on invisible drums, get a rush or feel like I need to move then the music has done its job, this album had none of that.
lol
Congratulations to myself for surviving through the very end.
Too generic.
This NPR-ass bullshit is example infinity for why Brits can’t do hip hop. Wish I could give it zero stars.
There was nothing soulful or funky about this album. I suppose the message behind the music is meant with good intentions but this blows. The production is shit, the mixing is horrendous, and it felt so damn long for 56 minutes. The attempt at being "unapologetically black" is laughable. Piggybacking off the BLM movement this misses the mark so bad. A weak effort at trying to make something radical and inspiring. Best - Wildfires Worst - most of the album 1.50/5
Did nothing for me. I found it boring a flat.
Langweilig Langweilig Langweilig Fazit: Langweilig
This is the LaCroix of R&B, and maybe even music in general. This is muzak that thinks it has something to say. Repeating the words “Don’t Shoot Guns Down” over and over doesn’t make it meaningful. An annoying experience that unfortunately I can’t rate higher than a 1.
Truly terrible. Boring and pretentious.
If it weren't for the godawful speaking in certain songs, this album would be great. Unfortunately though, the speaking voice smothers any chance this album had of being remotely good...
No one in this group knows how to write lyrics. Bit of a cringefest tbh. "Black, black, black, black etc" is not saying anything of any worth. I absolutely support equality for everyone but this was just fucking dull with extremely cliché lyrics.
I didn't enjoy this album at all. Lyrically and musically, it's not there. Couldn't get past Wildfires.
Gemiddelde: 4,2 Album als geheel: 4,5 EINDCIJFER 4,3
Racist nonsense. "I'm not the asshole, everyone else is!"
What the fu)$ is this??? Is this sex music or protest music. Im confussed. Experimental speak easy music that is not great for either. This album could easily be erased from this list
Forgotten it already,
I'd rather pick the dried shit out of a dead sheep's fleece and use it as a toothpick than listen to this utter wank again.
Garbage
Not my kind of music
Not for me. She has a nice voice, but there's not much to the music.
Awful.
I could not wait for this to be over. So many of the songs were insufferable. Did this make it just to have something from 2020 on the list? There had to be better albums. Even the songs that started out alright went on way too long. “Wildfires” and “Pray Up Stay Up” are the only two songs I didn’t absolutely hate, but it was a low bar.
Horrendous.
Preachy church synth with too much talking, mostly unlistenable. Albums 5 & 11 are more musically interesting. Zero adds to Kaizen Project.
Victim.
Boring
I get it. There's a message. But it has the lyrical complexity of a thirteen year old's essay. Boring lyrics and repetitious music don't do it for me.
Surpreendeu por aparecer um disco de 2020 na lista, e negativamente por ser de hiphop.
Sabes cómo a veces uno encuentra ese disco, ESE DISCO que es como si hubiese sido escrito sólo para ti? Es como una terapia musical, cada canción, cada frase te llega justo así (meme de Pacha). Bueno, estoy seguro que este disco es eso para mucha gente, pero resulta que no lo es para mí.
Go ahead, tell me I didn’t get this album. I didn’t finish it, nor did I enjoy it. Some of the songs are pretty decent, but they seem to break off in weird ways as soon as I even start to enjoy it. It feels unorganized and all over the place. The whole message is hard to take in when it’s presented like an ASMR video every other track.
wildfires instrumental
While I can appreciate music that does not aim to appeal to the masses, this album had little or no emotion, repetitive instruments, bland lyrics, no creativity, the whole album felt like filler
Weirdly bland and also jarring.
Litteän harmaa mukautuva kulttuuri. Ei kiinnosta että albumi kuulostaa hyvältä kokonaisuudelta, jos en aio kuunnella sitä uudestaan. Tässä pelleily on viety astetta pidemmälle ja raivattu tunne pois pelistä. Vaikka kappaleet kuulostavat hyvältä, ei niillä kavuta kovin korkealle. Miksei tänään ole saman verran tilaa olla originaali kuin -90 ja -00-luvuilla? Jokin, joka yrittää ilmaista kauneutta, mielikuvitusta, merkityksen etsimistä, oman erikoisosaamisen hallintaa, tarkoitusta, alkaa kilpailla asian kanssa, joka on huomion kääre, mutta ei ymmärryksen. Sitoutuminen sisältöön, mutta ei tutkiminen tai uuden luominen. Tämä sisältö on post-Internet aikakauden ongelma, joka on ruokkinut ja kasvattanut tämän albumin, siinä lempeydessä ja rakkaudessa mitä ennalta määritetyn massasisällön tuottaminen on.
Bland, repetitive, uninteresting, unappealing, I could go on
One track does not an album make! Wildfires the only track of substance, the rest was protest rhetoric of no quality. I'm trying to up my game and be polite in my review of this album, because normally I'd have just said its a load of shit.
Tehnyt viimeisen parin vuoden aikana noin kymmenen tunnin pituista levyä. Kiva juttu, mutta eihän tässä hyvistä biiseistä ole kysymys.
Not sure what this was. It seemed to be some nice beats with little rhythmic vamps and some speeches over top. Nothing really interesting.
"Finally we reach the end". Yep, that's exactly how I feel about this album. Whinging set to a drumbeat. Where's the music?
Genre: Contemporary R&B
This is not for me. I liked bits of some songs but not all of any song. The closest was Monster. Disjointed and distracting. I’ve never heard this album (or group) before and heard nothing that compels me to listen again.
Sorry. Didn't get it. I guess I'm too old.
Blah
not for me
I feel like there was probably a message in this album, but I was bored as fuck and tuned out. Somehow this is only an hour long - it felt like 2. I just wanted this shit to end after song 5. IM SAULTY 1/10
Pretty easy to listen to. But if you like this type of music, then go listen to Moby, whom they mimicked, and get your money's worth.
This didn't talk to me.
Not keen
Just terrible. Would have sounded derivative in 1996, now just puzzling why anyone would make something so dull. Couldn't even finish it
Meh