gafa42
3
I've heard this album before. This go around, I recognize some sampled parts. Greendown was sampled by Mndsgn somewhere and Cold War was sampled by Clams Casino. This album gets a lot of praise and has influence on some of my fave producers and should be something that's right up my alley but for some reason it's not - just something about it that feels a bit empty. Can't explain it. Overall it's a good listen though - not something that I'd keep listening to.
Really great. Not my style for sitting and direct listening, but awesome life accompaniment 4/5
I love Janelle Monae, not sure if ArchAndroid or Dirty Computer is my favorite of theirs. Could this probably be a few songs shorter? Yes. Still a 5 from me though.
Unfamiliar with this album. Stream of thoughts: Dance or Die is a jam. Singing on Faster is a little timid. More passion on Cold War, she lets go. I can see why Tightrope has the most listens. Great beat and breakdown with the horns. I dig the intro on Oh, Maker. Retro folky-soul. Would love to hear a full stripped down version of it. Oh, Maker --> Come Alive --> Mushrooms & Roses is a very impressive run of songs showcasing different styles. Don't like Make the Bus Gets a little same-y at the end. Overall enjoyed it. 3/5
I had only heard a few of these songs before, so I appreciate the impetus to give it a full go. In terms of influence, this to me sounds like a natural extension of what André 3000 was doing with The Love Below mixed with Prince at his most futuristic. Not surprisingly, it shares the strengths and weakness common to both, which means when it’s firing on all cylinders, it’s brilliant and when it’s not, it’s a bit of a mess. It also goes on way too long and while individual tracks are still good at the end, I was fatigued by the end even with breaking up the listens. A hard album to assess to be honest as it probably rewards repeat listens, but that’s not going to happen today.
I'm not really looking forward to this next hour. I prefer her singing than rapping. I'm liking the ballads more than the songs trying to be big dance floor bangers. She's got a great voice. This is quite the toe tapper (Come Alive (War of the Roses))! There's some good fuzzy guitar playing on this record!! This is about 20 minutes / 6 songs too long, bored now. 2 / 5 stars.
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.