the archandroid (janelle monae)
A dazzling album. Really great. Janelle Monae strikes me as possibly being the David Bowie of this generation- at least in the sense of, unabashedly strange, super catchy, and a mesmerizing personality. She's like the Truth in a fog of Gagas and Keshas. The first time I listened to this album I listened all the way through, and I was just knocked out by what a spectacular accomplishment the whole record adds up to. A versatile concept album, fantastic dance and R&B and soul numbers- strange, super poppy, entirely aglow. My favorites: the driven, thrilling melodic spiral staircase of "Dance or Die," the passionate wail of "Cold War," the terrifically danceable single "Tightrope," the magnificent soul of "Neon Streets"- probably my favorite song on the record; and even the strings swelling and unfurling in the opening moments, my favorite moment of the album- and the wet, infectious bauble of "Wondaland." A few of the songs are a little less magic for me, just because I've seriously listened to this album a lot, and some of them have worn off, but seriously- many of these tracks are masterpieces and securely in my rotation. As a full album, a truly fantastic accomplishment. Fucking phenomenal.
No comments:
Post a Comment