The ArchAndroid

Bra skiva! Första halvan e bättre thou men de va aldrig annat än bra!

I really like it, very interesting and original

Great album, but a tad long.

Who doesn’t love a concept album?? This album is a mixture of Michael Jackson and Prince. Production on this album sounded great. Amazing. 4.5 out of 5 stars

Fine album.

Genre: Pop, modern soul. Review: Another pleasant surprise. I knew of Janelle Monáe from the movie "Glass Onion", but never ever considered the possibility that she was also an amazingly talented musician. Loved the diversity of musical genres within the same album, especially the tracks "Dance or Die" and "Tightrope". Rating: 8/10

Eclictic funky vocalist

Suprising to me how much I enjoyed it.

Love. Tiptoe into magic. SMASH. As children we used pot lids as cymbals and our bodies felt the orchestra truly there - here this sound is the reverberation of the other ships passing through the universe of space and time. Collision as creation art.

ok

Some bangers

I think this was all very well done. Would I necessarily go back and listen to this? No but it’s super theatrical and felt very cinematic. I respect it a lot

4.3 - A wildly creative triumph of afrofuturist funk with a concept that spans across albums (her debut LP "Metropolis" sets the stage). After a symphonic opener, the first half is marked by an onslaught of high-energy dance party tracks broken up by the pretty ballad "Sir Greendown" where the Cindi Mayweather played by Janelle Monae mourns her human lover. Downbeat interludes ("Neon Gumbo", "Suite III Overture") carry the flow through this 68 minute opus. Through the eyes of this android, we explore love ("Mushrooms & Roses"), loss ("Oh, Maker", "57821"), existential ennui ("Come Alive...")...This is a deep and dense record that demands a close listen.

Pop, soul, música clásica... Recuerda a Michael Jackson en parajes. Un 4.

Sorprendida me hallo. Mezcla de R&B, cósmico, música parafraseada.

Fun electro/pop/funk album. Pretty cool concept of the archandroid too.

Njen izdaleka najbolji

Love the thematic album concept. Monae really did this well. Will listen to again

Nice surprise. Especially liked the more soul-oriënted songs.

That was awesome! Large variety in genres, artist has a great voice. Several songs stuck with me after they ended. Wondaland, BaBopByeYa, Tightrope especially.

- Come Alive!, Mushrooms & Roses

Really great. Not my style for sitting and direct listening, but awesome life accompaniment 4/5

favs: BabopbyeYa, Locked Inside, Come Alive least fav: Make the Bus (ft. Of Montreal)

Metropolis Suite: The Chase was a fully realized statement from an artist who arrived confident and ready to change music. The concept was continued into The Achandroid which, unlike The Chase, is not concise and a little half baked. Its one real problem is it’s long. Metropolis feels like the elevator pitch and ArchAndroid plays like the three hour blockbuster and two hours in your bladder is really begging you to do something about the gallon of coke you drank. You kind of have to disengage but you don’t want to. Also like that summer blockbuster it’s a little all over the place. Like Coldwar really fits the concept but does Tightrope? It never lacks in inventiveness or swagger though. Like their idol Prince, Monáe actually does need a little editing and I think Diddy just threw them the keys to the studio. He was probably all like I’ve got this train wreck over here I’m trying to figure out, I don’t have time to edit your whole space thing. I don’t even know what Genorape means but you do your thing.

Basically as good as everyone says it is.

This album is the first one I got and it's actually quite good and has a couple of really strong, catchy songs. I like the vibe~

4.25

Absolute 5 star cover art. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume this is a concept album. Yeah, this is cool. Two thumbs up.

"The ArchAndroid" is the debut album by American singer and songwriter Janelle Monáe. This is a concept album with two parts telling the tale of a messianic android freeing citizens of oppression and stresses themes of love, identity and self realization. It was inspired by the 1927 film "Metropolis." The scope of the music is very impressive incorporating elements of funk, hip-hop, folk, electro-pop, glam rock, big band, jazz, rock and classical music. She carries this off very smoothly too. The first part, Suite II (Suite I is on her first EP) is about self-identity and self-realization. "Dance or Die" adds spoken word of poet Saul Williams. It starts out with a hip-hop beat and an ambient sound which goes to more a Latin pop dance song. The minority needs to speak up (dance); the messiah is coming. "Faster" picks up the pace with a funky melody. "Locked Inside" sounds like Michael Jackson's "Rock With You." More pop with strings. People locked inside society. Big hooks and great production highlight the second single "Cold War." Monáe's voice is front and center. Big Boi joins in on the big single "Tightrope." This is a great song. More funk. Yeah, this is a lot like "Hey Ya." Not a bad thing. Suite III is mostly love songs. "Make the Bus" has a pyschedelic type of groove. The band Of Montreal contributes. Big backing vocals. I have no idea what it's about but it sounds good. "Wondaland" has a easy groove and Janelle sings in a high pitch/tone. More synth-pop. Another guest appearance with Deep Cotton on "57821." Gospel backing vocals. Acoustic guitar. 60's folk sounding. Hey, spacey folk. The android finds out she is an android. This is quite a spread of music. It's very likable and to me she nails what's she's trying to do. I don't know if the concept was the easiest to follow. Definitely not hardest. But, the music and Janelle's singing is worth checking this out for.

Bien, ecléctico, qué lindo canta esta mujer.

I think I didn’t understand what Janelle Monáe was, before.

Great album. I’ve always admired her work. I own & really like the cd that followed this, but I’d never heard this album before. It’s an absolute knock-out. There are so many styles here & she masters them all. The beautiful lyrics of Oh Maker & 57821, the rip-it-up approach of Come Alive, the gorgeous piano ending to Say You’ll Go, with the nod to my fave Claire de’Lune. Love her voice. Love the disc.

This surprised me. I felt theat every song changed genres. Classical, then salsa, R & B, new pop, grunge, rock, classic rock. This women is super talented. Only one song i was like i could click next, i wont but i could.

Love the grooves and the storytelling is nice. Composure and production are great!

Fun and unconventional blend of soul, hip-hop, pop, and classical elements! Feels like a movie.

Interesting… all over the place… mostly pretty cool though. The constant switching of genres is a little distracting but Janelle pulls quite a few of them off really well. I would’ve liked a few more straightforward pop cuts but can’t complain too much. 7/10

Almost disco like! Enjoyed this a great deal

This one was tough. I really was not a fan, but it grew on me over the course of the hour.

I'm glad I experienced this.

it's the female version of bruno mars. to be fair that's probably a bit derogatory, she's clearly got more to her than he does. i enjoyed this way more than i expected, what a mad hotch potch have a go at every style album this is. produced really well and very easy to listen to.

Funky

Wish I could give this 3.5. Not quite a 4 but definitely more then a 3. What a voice she has!

Not what I expected but I enjoyed it.

4.5/5. Really incredible work, the song transitions flow so seamlessly.

I like this a lot more than I thought I would!

liked it

+retro futuristic sound +strings +themes -interludes maybe bog it down -could be tightened a bit especially in the back half

Alltaf gaman að hlusta á þessa. Snilldar verk!

What an interesting find. This draws inspiration from various genres and combines all of it amazingly to the RnB baseline. Top tier production and ideas for days. Some of the songs try to present more classic RnB sound, and that just falls so flat in contrast. Just nothing new there, mainly the vocals start to fall flat. Also, the fact that this is second (and third) part of something and I had to listen to it without knowledge of the first part (still this being a proper debut while the first segment is in a form of an EP) triggered my anxiety.

Ambitious, eclectic, and thoroughly enjoyable. Standout tracks for me: "Dance or Die," "Come Alive," "Make the Bus," "Wondaland," and "57821."

I recognized Janelle Monae from the album cover as an actor. Was not familiar with her as a singer / songwriter / musician. I was pleasantly surprised by this album and thought it was well rounded and diverse. Well done.

This was actually really good. I’d been meaning to give a listen for a long time.

Fun album, really didn’t know it at all but recognised the lead single. Sort of a prog funk epic and enjoyed it.

Så tajt

surprisingly beatlesy but a light 4

groovy and clever stuff!

Weird and wonderful

I am vibing, I think that the album is a tiny bit too long mostly to listen in one go as I usually do. I feel that I had a bad feeling on my first listening. but it grew to me and there are some pretty catchy songs so I might go back to it in the future. 3.5 / 5

I really liked this, i'll need to listen to more, it's pretty good for cleaning the kitchen to, but what about blasting in the car? I think it would be pretty good then, too, but it's cheerfulness may get tiresome. I have never ever heard of this Janelle Monae, but I get she gets pissed when people email her and they don't use the á. I'd be like, bitch I'm an underappreciated artist, at least you can take the time to google how to insert an a with a comma on top of it, or copy and paste the á from somewhere else. That's how I'd be.

4. Solid RnB, really fun album. Incredibly diverse sounds, good guest appearances. Standouts: Dance or Die, Faster, Cold War, Tightrope, Neon Valley Street, Wondaland.

So, I love surprises. And I was actually legitimately surprised with this album. I wasn't sure if the progressive soul and R&B was going to be something I dug, but I did. Speaking of the progressive soul and R&B genres, they are absolute perfect fits for the futurism (specifically afrofuturism!) and science-fiction concepts that make up this album. Janelle has a clear picture of her goal here, as the music and lyrics perfectly aid in building the concepts for this album. To tie it all together and enhance the concepts, the album permeates with various sci-fi sound effects. Janelle expertly derives inspiration from some of the great futurist music artists of our time and finds ways to adapt and make these sounds her own. Her work here just evokes creativity and originality, and I like her fascination with all things digital, computer, and space age.

A spectacular discovery, love the ecclectism and the beautiful voice.

Usually isn't my favorite genre but I really liked this. Sounds something like an evolution of the 1970s R&B sound.

Really good album. Also loved the Art Deco / Metropolis style album cover. Belter.

20th September 2022 Listened during the day while working from home. Supper at mum and dads with guy, Victoria and Richard. She mixes jazz, funk and hip hop with a big band structure. A real piece of ingenuity and originality with a gorgeous voice.

Very enjoyable. I never knew what was coming next, but "The ArchAndroid" excelled in every genre it touched.

Janelle Monae strikes me as someone exceedingly creative and the album is eclectic and interesting as a result.

Love. Her.

pretty fun. listened to this when going through the pitchfork 200 of the 2010s and should revisit more often (listened previously) 2 albums heard/listened previously

4.5

me encantó y AL FIN un poco de pop y also una mujer!!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼 la segunda mitad del disco me gustó mucho más. 8,5 /10

Funky, loved it

Fantastic concept album. Loved the meshing of styles.

Eclectic and cool rnb. Lots of great songs and moments. It just lacked cohesion a bit to me.

-Awesome driving bass riff in "Dance or Die" -Respectable catchiness in "Faster" and "Tightrope" -"Tightrope" also has a sweet groovy bass and Big Boi has some cool flows -I really like the punk-ness and intense, screamy vocals in "Come Alive (War of the Roses)" -"Mushrooms and Roses" has a cool, spaced-out type vibe and the guitar jam at the end is solid -"Make the Bus" has cool David Bowie and Prince influences -Overall some really cool and strong stuff. A few calmer tracks that were weaker in my opinion, but a really strong showing for a pop-ish album

Surprising operatic

Would like to listen again. Had some definite bops.

This one surprised me. Never heard of her before and not my genre, but it was very enjoyable. The continuity of the concept throughout was exceptional.

Awesome really new music. Didn't expect that and was pleasantly surprised

Great listen for being in your feeling. Water under the bridge was my favorite.

Kinda good, just not my type

Honestly, very much liked it, though I can't really expound why. Lots of just really good music. Not much else to say

Very interesting album, as is the predecessor. Definitely worth listening to a few more times.

Muy bueno. Ya conocía a la artista de antes.

This was a really fun listen. I had to listen to it more than once to take it all in. Best track: Cold War

Funky, super catchy, very cool pop. The fact that the album has a futuristic sci-fi theme makes it all the more amazing. Get LP.

Very eclectic. This is the kind of album that I'd have never found on my own, but I enjoyed. Almost like a movie soundtrack.

I really liked it, nice, different made me feel good

Sometimes brilliant, sometimes awkward and dorky, this album just barely squeaks into the four star slot. When it's on, it's one of the best R&B albums of the last 40 years. When it's not, Monae still has enough charisma to stick the landing with only mild turbulence.

2010 - Progressive soul; alternative R&B; psychedelic pop; psychedelic soul;

Beautiful, soaring vocals. Interesting instrumentation. Great vibes.

I had heard of Janelle Monae but wasn't familiar with her music. She is a real talent and her music is ambitious and unique. It's like the offspring of Octavia Butler and Prince. I won't give this 5 stars because I felt that it lost steam in the second part.

Never totally clicked for me. Didn’t give it a fair go.

This album was surprisingly enjoyable. I liked the psychedelic aspect of various songs and the concept aspect works great. 8.5/10 Favorite tracks: Locked Inside, Cold War, Oh Maker, Mushroom & Roses

What an eclectic album. Symphony, bangers, soul, rap, pop. Totally enjoyed.

Performance: Great Concept Album: Doesn't feel quite fully fleshed out Music: Exceptional Great stuff!

Vraiment très nice, je m'attendais pas à ça. Un album avec un super bon flow, des très bonnes chansons, très bon vibe.

This I really enjoyed cool upbeat modern soul with a bit of Android thrown in. Listened to it all day.

Lots going on here, enjoyed all of it. Great new discovery

Lots to unpack with this album. It was absolutely not what I was expecting. I enjoyed it, although got a bit lost in the music that I missed many lyrics, will revisit.

8/10

It has a bit of everything. I only knew Tight Rope going in and i was expecting more of a pop/r&b album. This is a lot more then that, i'm not even sure how to define it. Pretty great, i'd listen again.

Heel gevarieerd album. R&B, wat rock soms, wat soul, wat klassiek... Net iets te 'all over the place'. Wel een straffe zangeres en songwriter

4.0

Wow, what a fun album, blending elements of R&B, swing and pop. Definitely will be back for more!

what a great fun album. I've always been intrigued by Janelle Monáe and enjoyed diving into this album. Fave tracks: Cold War, Mushrooms & Roses, Wondaland and Say You'll Go.

This is a required multiple-listen album. I don't even know how to categorize it - it's dense; so many melodies happening within each song. There are elements of alt-rock, modern pop, 70s r&b, traditional folk, psychedelia....all within some odd idea of an android concept throughout? The production and sound are excellent - I don't think it's immediately-accessible enough for it to be a 5 but it's a minimum slamdunk 4 keeper because I feel like each time I've listened I've discovered new favourites (currently: "Tightrope" and "Neon Valley Street"). 8/10 4 stars.

A very interesting experience indeed. Cool concept for an album and it made me listen to her debut ep for suite 1.

What an exciting album to listen to! The use of various instruments such as horns was a nice surprise. Will be listening to more of her music in the future. Standout Songs: Tightrope, Faster, Cold War

not bad. had never heard of Janelle

Only heard good things about Janelle Monáe so I expected this to be decent, but didn't expect to enjoy it so much personally. I thought it might be more straight up funk/soul but there's a smorgasbord of styles and a good mix of invention & bangers. Suite II in particular is a great ride.

listened to again truly a wonderful journey, silky smooth

Eclectic and wonderful. Wonderful singer. Sometimes very reminiscent and familiar, other times strange. Lovely atmosphere, especially the roomy reverb vibe. At some points a little too out there, e.g. the operatic parts aren't really for me. Like a cabaret show in a holographic suite.

This is a great example that good music is still being released after 2010

Amazing voice, amazing beats, a great find

le métro a ouvert ses portes à Gare du Nord sur les applaudissements du premier morceau, et après je me suis endormie dans le thalys

Wow, great! I had heard people raving about this album but hadn't sat down to listen to it before. Definitely starts out stronger than it finishes, but a really creative and artistic set of songs, lots of variety, great musicianship and interesting overall vibes. No wonder it never got the credit it deserves!

During the first song I was worried we had another offering from the "soundtrack without a movie" genre. After hearing Barry Adamason's Moss Side Story, I thought that one offering from this "genre" was one too many. Once the Suite II Overture is over the album picks up with Dance or Die and some lovely melodic R&B and other adventurous fusions. Cold War and Tightrope and others are all quite good. The album does drift in and out of the "soundtrack without a movie" genre but generally stays strong.

Highly eclectic and way out of the box. I give kudos to the record company for financing this debut LP with its orchestras and choirs. I was a fan of Tightrope and Cold War, which I used in my spinning classes, but the rest I was unfamiliar with, and wasn't aware that it was a far-out concept album. She reminds me of early Bowie with the SciFi shtick and not being afraid of sound completely different. There's lots of musical influences and moods from classical to James Bond to Gospel to Star Trek. The Vocal arrangements are complex, especially on the second half. Its an ambitious debut LP. The top 12 songs would get a 5 from me.

Wow! Really did not expect to like this album but was pleasantly surprised. Hard to classify the genre as it seems to me to be a mix of lots of different genres. Strangely satisfying and pleasant to listen to. I can see why it's in the list. I'll listen to this album again.

Janelle shows boundless creativity and talent across these 18 tracks and takes ample time to tip her hat to numerous inspirations. The album is a variable periodic table of musical elements; Funk, Rab, R&B, Classical, Latin, Swing, Pop, Samba, Jazz, Psychedelic, Rock, Folk, Ballads and maybe even some Broadway. Stand out tracks for me are 'Neon Valley Street', 'Dance or Die', 'Come Alive', '57821' and 'Tightrope'.

Confusion is a walrus.

Very eclectic and respect to a concept album. it is too long. Yet another from the digital era which would have benefited from a vinyl mindset. When it's good its excellent.

It's a bit of a curio. Walks the line between exhilarating and being a bit too much.

Lucy will be happy this is on the list. I've always meant to pay Janelle Monae more attention after Lucy played her lots. Really enjoyed this. Very different and varied. I really enjoyed it. Will listen again

Viihdyttävän monipuolinen kokonaisuus

An enjoyable listen, an album I would listen to again.

Pretty darn good. Nice variety

It’s a keeper. Futuristic, seamless.

This is exciting and unique, it's easy to understand why she's a star. It has pop hooks but it doesn't feel formulaic.

What a tour de force of creativity. Definitely going to add this to regular rotation. Only downside is weird/bad mixing in a handful of songs.

Enjoyed the mix of classical with r&b.

Upbeat, but not really my style

very very solid album, I already knew some of the songs like Cold war, but I enjoyed the rest of the album very much, really interesting sounds

Saved Prior: None Off Rip: Faster; Cold War; Oh, Maker; Wondaland; BaBopByeYa Cutting Edge: Mushrooms & Roses Overall Notes: The first half is super funky and groovy while the second half is musical theater-er and jazzier. Don't think I'll be returning to it too often because I'm more of an individual songs guy and this album demands you to enjoy the full hour+ experience, but I'm not mad because it's an enjoyable one. (also saw her live and it's an Event)

I’m not sure I’ve ever heard an album in this genre. I’m not even sure what genre this was but it was a good listen. I enjoyed the album and would listen again.

One of the first times I hung out at my wife’s (we had just started dating at the time) apartment, I caught her having a solo dance party to this album. I had loosely heard of Janelle Monáe, but didn’t really know her music. Well, I joined in on this solo dance party and haven’t looked back since. Her voice is beautiful and could stand on its own. But oh no, she decided to throw some amazing background vocals and music into the mix as well. The result is an amazing musical journey that will have you bopping, sliding, spinning and singing likely in public 😂 Excellent album!

Great surprise! Enjoyed the creativity!

Very enjoyable album

Interesting album. I didn't know what to expect (which always makes for a great listening experience) and was surprised to hear how many different musical genres are touched upon. Tight performances from musicians and production too.

Very unique. Not like anything I've ever heard before.

Great album, good beats, great singing

Wow... such a mix of genres. I liked Come Alive and Mushrooms & Roses a lot. It's a neat album well executed. Some of the songs didn't really resonate, with me. I also listenened to Suite I and liked it, but it's mostly more of an R&B sound.

This was a very enjoyable listen! I especially loved the transitions/smooth flow from one song to another. You could tell a lot of care was put into the order and flow of this album

Wow, I was not expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. Her voice is incredible and liked every song on this album I think. I'll be coming back to this one!

Very fun!

This album was a lot of fun and probably not one I would have listened to if it wasn't for this list generator. Hoping for more discoveries like this one as I continue to listen.

The best of this album IMO: - Dance Or Die - Faster - Tightrope - Neon Valley Street I love how fast-paced it sounds. C'est limite big beat. Great voice. Fantastic beats. Colorful! Great variety in the songs with the voice effects and whatnot. 4.3/5

This is an exhaustive album. Janelle Monáe has taken me on a musical history lesson that spans the last century. Eclectic is one way to describe it and in a way I am reminded of Beck who did a similar kind of genre smashing. Needs a few listens to capture what is going on, and no interruptions which has been hard listening to it while working in a busy office. Maybe a bit over long and unaccessible in places but I'm OK with that

This album drips with style and confidence. Great production, vocals, and just a super interesting listen all the way through. 4.5/5

She has an amazing voice and I really enjoyed the more upbeat songs.

I guess this album was influenced by a lot of artist, like Prince, Kate Bush and Lauryn Hill. A concept album that marked a quantum leap forward in musical ambition. (8/10) FT: Say You'll Go, Come Alive

This started very strong with jam after jam but it lost me towards the end. There were a few that just didn't quite hit for me. Still a strong enough album for me to rate a 4/5.

So very very close to a 5 for me. I did not expect to love this album as much as I did, what a JAM. There's a lot of weird experimental stuff going on, her voice is absolutely AMAZING and the beats I can't help but bop along to and the orchestra is just... Fantastic. The reason why I won't give it a full 5 is because it fell a bit flat for me after Suite III Overture (except for maybe Wondaland). I think if it'd stopped there it'd have gotten a full 5 stars. And tbh had a bit of an off day as well so might actually have given it a 5 if I was feeling more generous. Adding to my regular album rotation.

Un album très sympathique et varié de la part de notre Janelle préférée. On notera toutefois une outro complètement chapardée à l'ami Debussy. J'ai prévenu les ayants droit du compositeur qui m'ont confié leur intention de porter plainte dans les prochains jours. Affaire à suivre.

Janelle commet ici une des erreurs élémentaires du générateur: nous proposer un album bien trop long. Ceci est la preuve d'une arrogance la plus absolue, Janelle pensant pouvoir nous tenir intéressé pendant une heure. Cela n'est evidemment pas le cas, mais le grand début d'album lui assure tout de même un 4/5 bien mérité. A noter que mon camarade d'écoute robteillère fait preuve de la même arrogance vis a vis de sa propre musique, ce dernier se permettant de donner des concerts payants. En effet, ce dernier s'est reproduit en Pologne ce week end, devant un auditoire d'environ 4 personnes. La non plus, impossible pour rob de tenir son auditoire pendant une heure, mais cela va même plus loin, puisque 3 des 4 spectateurs ont quitté le concert dès le premier refrain entamé par rob. Un fiasco pour la salle de concert, qui ejectera rob sans même lui payer son cachet.

Eine wirklich interessante Künstlerin. Weiter beobachten. 06.12.2021

Very experimental

Great album, first half stronger than the second.

Sometimes it’s really cheesy but you gotta respect the boldness of this album

Very Theatrical with a variety of styles throughout and fascinating lyrical content to dig into. Favorites: Faster, Tightrope, Oh Maker

solid 4.5. Her albums are so good, great sound peppered with theming you don't tend to find in non-electronic music.

The scope and range are very impressive. Special album. I love this app. Has shown me some excellent music I would never have gone near otherwise.

It's a lot different feel to what I normally listen to but I liked it.

it ate my review but the short of it is that this is some kind of prog r&b i didn't know existed and it's cool as hell

When this came up it wasn't one that I expected to enjoy, just that it would be one to get through to tick off. But you know what, I enjoyed it. It's a really complex and varied album. The production is brilliant.

Wow. This was really surprising, in a good way. I've never heard of Janelle Monáe, and didn't know what to expect. I certainly didn't expect something super eclectic ranging from pop/R&B to songs that were reminiscent of David Bowie, Prince, Bjork, even one that reminded me of Enya. I need to listen to this a few times to totally get it, and I plan to. 4 stars.

This one was good, but hard to describe. I'd like to listen to it again sometime. 0RS

Enjoyable if not a little weird. I don’t know her stuff all that well but it’s always entertaining.

What a surprise from someone I only know as an actress. Great almost cinematic concept album. Reminds me of the great pieces of art from the 70s album greats. Massive respect to Janelle, and what a voice!

Looks like I am in for a real ride on this one. Yea this is all over the map in terms of genres and feels. Locked Inside is a groove at the end of the universe. Cold War is a great track made mediocre by too much heavy handed mastering compression. Tightrope is a banger. Come Alive is a another one. yea all of Suite II is good, lets see Suite III. I don't get Make The Bus. I like the vocal texture on Wonderland. I got lost about halfway through Suite III. It launches into these lavish soundscapes, and if you haven't been locked into the story, you will feel lost. But Monae's voice is so rich and plays so nicely with the the elegance of the soundscape.

Not sure what i listened to. A lot of different types of music, but it was good.

very cohesive, very good fave tracks: faster, tightrope, locked inside

Another pleasant surprise

Right between a 3 and a 4, but trending toward a 4 for the sheer variety and ambitiousness. So many genres are here, and such virtuosic singing.

i'm hella late on this album. janelle really cultivated a beautiful and lush soundscape with this one.

13.75 7.639/10

Nearly gave this 5*, went back for a second listen. It gets muddled and shabby after the second overture but in general very enjoyable.

First impression: looks like comercial pop, not big expectations. First song is a classical overture. Already had a big start, probably will have to take my prejudice to the garbage. Love how the first songs flow like it's a single song. It just follows from a song to the next and you don't notice it.

Musically really in interesting pulling from upbeat swing tunes to classical samples and other influences, really took me off guard

Primer disc majestuós de Monae. Ja quan va sortir es va convertir en un secret a veus i des d'aleshores no ha perdut un bri de la seva frescura. Hi ha temes immediats, com 'Faster' o 'Cold War' i d'altres que requereixen més atenció, però com a estrena discogràfica és molt meritòria

Never heard this before, am not super familiar with Janelle Monae in general. But man this album goes all kinds of places. This album has what feels like a dash of everything. R&b, Funk, Electronic, Rap, Jazz, Orchestral, Disco, Film scores, Even like some psychedelics rock and like some like British Folk influence. Like this mash of Some David Bowie and outkast. Just so much weird stuff it's pretty neat. Especially with the whole using metropolis as a foundational idea. It's really good.

Really a 4.5

I don't listen to much "pop" music, full albums almost never. This is the best pop music album I have heard in a long time. So varied in musical genres and always interesting. It plays like a concept album but with changes of mood and style that keep it interesting. Changes of style are nothing if the music isn't interesting and this album held my interest throughout. I was shocked at how the album flew by so quickly. I am tempted to give it a 5, but 4.5 is all I can muster. A discovery! 4.5 stars

I consider this a bit of a modern classic but had to downgrade it to a 4, i'd forgotten how much it loses steam near the end. Still a great variety of sounds and layers

A great album with some really electrifying tracks

Takes its time to get going but encompasses a wide swath of well-blended influences at its end. Swing, acid house, a touch of Tropicana and more are blended into unique pop operas that have a life all their own. The interludes could be trimmed (even in the context of the narrative) and some fat cut from overlong arrangements, but a great concept album over all.

Way better than I thought coming into this. Adding her to the rotation.

Oh, Maker is a good one. Say You'll Go. 57821. Mushrooms & Roses.

Pretty good, although Dancing Queen is the obvious standout.

Bombastic. The backing band is great throughout, and she goes all-in the whole album. The first couple tracks are a rough start but once it gets going it never hits the brakes.

Sounded very theatrical, big. There we’re some parts where I wanted the song to end but it went a little longer, but overall a great album with a lot of different and unique songs.

Muy bueno, algunos de los temas no fueron para nada de mi estilo y probablemente no elegiría escucharlos de nuevo. Sin embargo, overall, experiencia positiva. Difícil encasillar lx artista en un género musical. Increíblemente versátil.

My first listen, so taking it with a grain of salt. Album felt all over the place, no two songs similar but overall the sound was great. Not something I’d return to frequently but I would listen again.

I've heard such good things about this record, excited to listen to it! Shit was dope.

An amazing album containing some of Janelle Monáes all time great songs, let down only slightly by the run length.

"Tightrope" might be the only track I've heard from this album, but it's not the only track I've heard from Monáe. This album was a happy surprise, with and overall happy sound and several tracks that I really enjoyed. Monáe frequently reaches back to earlier say close enough.

Интересный альбом. Необычный жанр. Талантливо.

So much variety! It's as if she is an artists trying diverse genres until she finds one that lands on a hit. Loved cold war, tightrope, oh maker, the overtures, and the surprise inclusion of Of Montreal. This album is one to spin when you're tired of boring music!

Eclectic! Very interesting and enjoyable. Haven't even had a chance to take in the lyrics and themes to see the project as a concept album. So many influences and I think I even heard some Smiths on Oh, Maker! Unfair to just say she is "like Prince". Her ambition is quite different. Impressive.

Unexpected delight! Great album; really upbeat.

miks svega ali sve ide do jaja zajedno

Sweet

This was a wild entry, and now I'm curious about Janelle Monáe.

Mushrooms and Rose's, Sir Greendown, Neon Valley Street, 57821,Babopbyeya all make for a very interesting album. Having not heard of the artist I was really impressed. Something different.

This was an eye-opener. I knew her name but had not listened to her. Excellent stuff - good songs and great production. Good diversity in styles. I liked it.

Another great album. Enjoyed the Suite II tracks much more than Suite III. Upbeat tracks. I think Emily talked about this at some point, but the fact that an album from 2010 made the list shows how standout it is.

This was more constantly upbeat than most albums I listen to so I was a bit overwhelmed by the end, but it was good! I really liked Tightrope and tbh it was nice to have a female artist. Awesome sounds, loved her voice. I didn't listen as hard to the lyrics as I'd have liked so no comment there. 4/5 stars

Oops I'm really behind in this. Good album! I really like the sci-fi vibe and Monaé has a great voice.

Ruchira: 3.5.

Glad to see Janelle take the spot of most current album on this list. And what an album this is. I’ve grown to love Janelle more and more over the years especially with her most recent album, Dirty Computer and her film roles. I’m glad I’m getting to hear her on this album as well because this is a kaleidoscope of different songs and styles that fits her so well. Her whole persona has always felt so otherworldly and that is on full display in this album especially with the gorgeous cover art and title. She really is an android in the best way. I really enjoyed Faster, Locked Inside, Cold War (which was sampled by a super underground musician named Santoma). I’m still listening to it and just hit Oh, Maker which at the start could have been a Carpenter’s song. She breezes through so many different genres and even though the album is listed as R&B it could be hip hop or pop or electronic. I would also equate her to a more sophisticated and technologically advanced (keeping with android theme) of Nikki Minaj where she does voice changes and quick verses along with serenades. But most of Janelle’s songs are focus on very different things than Ms. Minaj. The best compliment I can give this (along with her other albums) is it always feels like I’m listening to the future.

Pop, soul, música clásica... Recuerda a Michael Jackson en parajes.

Sounds good. Production reminds me of Pyramids throughout a lot of the album which is, of course, great.

Sympatyczne

This was a really cool album. Musically, it moved all over the place between things that were straight R&B to English Folk to borderline Punk Rock. Big Boi's influence on the album was pretty apparent to me as it sounded liked Janelle was channeling Outkast at times. Good listen

Very nice

Love her. Great record.

Interesting. R&B is not my cup of tea, but this is nice.

like most critics I can heap high praise upon the concept and musical range. i can imagine Fela Kuti really enjoying this

Knew great album

Was pretty great, like a more soul inspired bjork type deal. Favorite tracks were war of roses, neon gumbo, mushroom roses

Definitely kept me entertained, I liked the first half of the album better than the back half. It felt like a Broadway play how it flowed through the entire album.

Nice album, cool beats and baselines, beautiful singing.

I can tell it's a good album, but it's not my taste.

This was way more nuanced than I was anticipating, and while I didn't keep track of individual songs, I loved it as a collection. Absolutely going back in for a relisten.

Didn’t know janelle went hard like this some tracks were weak but really enjoyed it

This is pretty fire, although I'm not sure if the extreme diversity of styles quite holds together to support it as a Concept piece. A few more listens might bring me around on that though.

Fucking sick, but I’m also a Janelle stan.....it loses me in the middle just a tad

1 funky

A really solid neosoul record. Had some great grooves and the singing was on point. I’d say it’s downfall would be some of the songs aren’t that memorable and the length is a bit daunting for this music but overall enjoyed this one. Favorite track: Dance or Die Least favorite track: Neon Valley Street

Not what I expected. I’ll have to check this out when I can pay more attention.

Some real cool songs mixed in this album, featuring Of Montreal & Big Boi pushes this from solid 3 to a 4

Loved it! Seemed to fluctuate between a number of different genres (rap, alternative, one other I can't recall at the moment). Saved a few songs!

So many sounds on a single album!

Afrofuturist

Thought this was great. Much better than the more recent album. All over the place, but in a great way.

Really cool, interesting, soulfull, poppy... and long.

This album is such a ride. It's got vibes ranging from 90's euro pop to 60's folk to soul to classical to trippy futuristic sci-fi (looking at you, Neon Gumbo). As a whole it feels very experimental, but it's the kind where I can't tell if it is done as a result of genuine artistic choice or as a result of wanting to be unique. Wondaland is one of those songs that I find catchy and am secretly into but don't want to admit the fact. Ngl, the percussion reminds me a lot of the Futurama theme. Oh, Maker has the chill yet melancholy overtone in its instrumental I'm looking for this autumn, but I think the vocalising ruins that. So I'm torn between a 3-star and 4-star rating but since I find Wondaland good enough to go ahead and admit I'm fond of it, I'll give it that 4.

Nice, but some highlight is missing.

It's great to see this much innovation in popular music and hearing an artist explore a concept album like this. She obviously put a lot of work into this. Some of the tracks individually don't connect with me, but others definitely do, especially when she explores styles that aren't quite so obvious as in "Come Alive" and "Mushrooms and Roses". Very ambitious! This is one that I wish was more popular among popular music even if it doesn't always speak to me, it still shows what amazing things can happen if people break the mold of popular music and explore, leaving behind the cookie cutter world.

I have a feeling that if this album had been released 20 years earlier, it would be much better known. It's very good, but it sounds like thousands of other albums. 3 stars

This is a real case of my recency bias, this may be a good newish album, I think it is but I just struggle with pops production now, it's so shiny, so formulated when the actual songs here aren't, well after the homogeneous first few where I didn't know we had changed tracks and actually shut it off for a few hours, and was going down the 1 star route. I came back and This is a good album I can hear that but it just leaves me cold, and that's production and all those algorithm-friendly choices that are so safe. If i was as said into modern music this would be higher but I am not but it's still good, 3 star

*2010. R&B, soul. *Never a dull moment in this album - R&B, pop, funk, classical/opera, psychedelic... we're all over the place in an interesting way. *She has a very nice voice. *I wouldn't listen again, but she's an obvious talent and I get the appeal. RATING - 6/10

Cold War Tightrope

No idea who this lady is, unless she's one of the Cosby kids? Lots of invention and styles which is good. On first listen, no single song stood out for me but I imagine I'd enjoy it more if I listened and followed the lyrics and the concept.

Every genre, style, & type of music all mixed together in one album, sometimes even in one song! It was a bit much for me. It was everything mixed all together in unique ways, but I didn’t love it. I don’t think I’d ever give it another listen.

crazy vocals, catchy, not my regular genre but could get behind it. didn't finish the whole album. nb queen

I remember listening to this when it came out and kind of bouncing off of it. I liked it much more this time. It may be a bit long but the songs I like I like quite a bit.

Nice voice. Some songs reminded me of the lead in songs for James Bond movies. She also threw in done disco and rap tainted songs. Was wort a listen.

Is it bad that I didn't know Janelle Monáe was a singer? 🫣

Dance or Die

Really weird experience

Beautiful voice, excellent production, varied and inventive arrangements, big scope and ambition ... this album has it all. It just doesn't click for me. There are parts I like (the bass on Neon Street, the bubbly marimba synth on Wondaland), but ... it's just not doing it for me. It often sounds like something between tribute and pastiche lies at the heart or seed of many songs (Make the Bus ... Prince meets Queen ... ? Before giving way to ... something else, not sure what ... ?) The energy level picks up notably on Come Alive, though that sounds like it might have a working title of Grunge Song, and the grungy guitars are a little much. I can admire this, but not very interested in listening to it.

really interesting and varied, 3 stars for me but may try and revisit it. i want to watch the movie now!

Enjoyable but a bit too out there for repeat listens.

First impressions! Nice as background while reading. Didn't care too much for the first half, but it got catchier later on. Fave songs! "Make the Bus" "Come Alive"

I wasn't looking forward to listening this album but I was pleasantly surprised. Well worth a listen and id happily listen again.

variato e variegato

not bad.... interesting...

Tämä oli aika hyvä, vaikkakin kokonaisuutena vähän epätasainen. Joitakin biisejä voisin vielä joskus kuunnella uudestaan.

not a bad album, I enjoyed a number of the songs. A few were duds for me but overall a nice album

This was the first time I ever heard of this artist. I enjoyed her album. I liked that you never really knew what the next song would sound like. One of my favorite songs was "Oh, Maker".

Tenía mucha expectativa de este álbum porque me lo vendieron como una obra majestuosa. No es malo, pero tampoco me pareció una maravilla. Sí me gustó como mantiene a lo largo del álbum ese sonido androide/futurístico, pero lo combina a su vez con géneros actuales e inclusive antiguos, eso me da la vibra de utopía retro. Probablemente lo vuelva a escuchar en un futuro y quizás me guste más.

Ça tire dans tous les sens, c'est bien exécuté, mais sans jamais vraiment être excellent. C'est impressionnant mais je vois pas le jour où j'aurai envie de donner une deuxième écoute.

I thought I was gonna hate this after having the (lesser) Portishead, and then the Goldfrapp album, but this was a pleasant surprise. Much better than I expected based on what little knowledge I have of Janelle Monae and the godawful album title.

Number: 167 Date: 06/20/26 Artist: Janelle Monáe Album: The ArchAndroid Year: 2010 Style: Neo Soul Familiarity: Aware (2) Rating: 3 Before: ======= Never heard of this one either. Or maybe I have. Some of her album covers look familiar and it looks like I've previously Liked one of the songs on this album, Mushrooms & Roses. During: ======= 3 Suite II Overture 3 Dance Or Die 3 Faster 3 Locked Inside 4 Sir Greendown 3 Cold War 3 Tightrope 3 Neon Gumbo 3 Oh, Maker 4 Come Alive (The War Of The Roses) 4 Mushrooms & Roses 3 Suite III Overture 3 Neon Valley Street 3 Make The Bus 3 Wondaland 3 57821 3 Say You'll Go 4 BabopbyeYa ----------------------------------------------------- 3.29 WEIGHTED AVERAGE (accounts for song lengths) After : ======= Interesting album but most songs are a 3 for me. My favorite was Come Alive, followed by Mushrooms & Roses. 3 my personal rating 5 suitability for this list 4 impact ----------------------------------------------- 4 composite rating

the vocals on "come alive (war of the roses)" are insane. this was my first time listening to Janelle Monáe and i like the variation, range and vocals. will def listen to some songs again. absolutely in love with "57821".

3 stars Half this album is pretty damn good. The first half. I actually first listened to this in 2013. But I never made it more than halfway through. Like I legitimately had no idea there was an of Montreal song on this album. But in listening to it all, I caught the better half already. I know the album is long because it’s supposed to be cinematic and all. But it’s just too long. Cut it down to 40 minutes and you’ve got a nice album. But this was a double album for no reason. Still, the good is good.

Todella mielenkiintoinen levy ja todella hieno tunnelma. Alkusoiton aikana tuntui niin kuin alkaisi katsomaan elokuvaa, konseptialbumistahan oli kyse. Levyssä on todella hienosti yhdistelty erilaisia genrejä ja Monáe on taitava laulaja. Kuitenkin levyn pituus alkaa jossain kohtaa väsyttämään ja erilaiset genrekikkailut alkavat tuntumaan itseääntoistavilta eikä varsinaisia huippukohtia jää kovin montaa mieleen. Kokonaisarvio voisi vielä parantua, jos levyn kuuntelisi kiinnittäen tarkempaa huomiota lyriikoihin. Arvostan kuitenkin levyn musikaalisuuttaa, tarinan juonta ja mihin lyriikoilla pyritään ottamaan kantaa.

Cool variety of music in this album. A good pop alternative to regular top 40

This is a very average album

I know this deserves more of my more attention and is at least worthy of another listen. It's good. But realistically, I probably won't come back to it. File under, "music I would happily listen to with a friend." 3.49 stars, just barely scraping a round up to 4.

enjoyable

It was a very good album. It is not really to my taste, but I really enjoyed the last track. Perhaps I could grow to appreciate this genre more.

++: Dance or Die, Locked Inside, Tightrope, Oh, Maker, Come Alive ( The War of the Roses), Mushrooms & Roses +: Faster, Suite III Overture, Neon Valley Street, Make the Bus, Wondaland, Say You'll Go +-: Sir Greendown, Cold War, Neon Gumbo, 57821, BabopbyeYa -: Suite II Overture 6,9/10

Enda bedre live. Kult. 3-4

Beep. But also sometimes boop.

Good 3. It's really special but I struggled to connect sometimes

very grand soundscape reaching out to probably every (?) genre yet is somehow as cohesive and accesible as a single genre/texture album. Not necessarily my taste, but Oh, Maker stood out to me as a clear indication of how talented this musician really is.

really interesting and was surprised by how good it was. Not really my thing though

Now that’s how you do a pop album! Very interesting and unique

Was decent. Very 'produced' though. Her live stuff seems good to see. This is pretty far away from that. Shes got a bit of an understated vocal thing going on which i like. Feels like she could yope more if she wanted but holds it back for special occasions. Tightrope for instance. Really liked Neon Valley Street. Too long though. The last few songs felt like some sort of Andrew Loyd Webber Musical audition. Just pissing about at that point.

Pleasant enough

Espectacular voice but kind of boring album.

Los 2000 hecho disco

Songs flowed very nicely but didn't particularly enjoy the music itself

im sure this is great to some but it's not made for me and that's OK

Fun

not my type but its ok

I like this, I really do, but I'd be lying if I said I got what most of these songs were about on my first listen. That never took me out, per say- the hooks never stopped hooking and the beautiful production never stopped being beautiful- but I think one of the down sides of listening to a new album like this every day is that certain things are worth gestating on. Attack of the killer genre-fusion poppy concept record from outerspace? I'll relisten to this at some point soon.

Zo fucking veel bloat. Janelle Monáe is echt een toffe artiest, maar dit is gewoon 2 keer zo lang als het hoort te zijn. Nummers als Tightrope en Come Alive zijn top, maar ze krijgen geen ruimte om te shinen tussen tientallen minuten aan B-side materiaal.

Probably the coolest album we’ve had rather than the best.

A tale of two halfs, the first one amazing, full of range and vigor, but by the end of the record I am exhausted and ready for it to be over. I recognize the ambition and I tip my hat to her ambition, but yeah it doesn't align perfectly for me. I guess half is fair, cause we need an editor in there but her vocals are stellar

Full disclosure, I stopped listening to this halfway through. There was nothing wrong with it, it's just not for me. 3 Stars because I know that's what it would get. Thanks for trying

My wife laughed when I said that I think this album suffers by not being able to see her, but I didn't just mean she's attractive. I meant that her performance is so VISUAL and her dancing is amazing. I've never said the same thing about James Brown though, so maybe she has a point. Janelle was at Bonnaroo one of the years I went (before she had gotten quite so huge) and I regret not making a point to see her. I'm sure whatever I saw instead was great too, but that was a real missed opportunity.

hmmm. this didn't work for me very much. stylistically it's all over the place in terms of janelle monáe's inspirations, and conceptually that's interesting to me in a way that i would expect to like but i just... didn't? it's just fine. there's really good pop songs like "wondaland" that are total bangers and relaxing ethereal tracks like "sir greendown" for instance, but i think if anything much of this was just Too Much for me. there's just a lot of everything and i don't know if congealed together for me. i respect the creativity and the ambition but it feels like they took every single impulse they had and stuffed it all into this one album. it obviously works for a lot of people but it did not for me.

ah yes. the era of bad digital patches/samples, and Big Boi making an unwelcome appearance. Don't get me wrong, outkast is great, but the whole thing of him showing up for 10 seconds of lyrics for a check got old quick. Other than that, the album is pretty decent, actually.

Better than I expected.

Algunas si, otras no

Diverse and interesting overall concept but at the end, nothing stands out as memorable. There's the aspiration to something musically much grander than a regular pop album but not the substance to support it. It feels like an extended high school portfolio with a load of expensive production trimmings stuck round the edges 2.5