SOLANGE KNOWLES, omg the return of

leakleakleak

supposedly she was to make an appearance at some bar tonight. curious

i like the album a lot, though i went back and forth on it for ages. weird that 'wanna go back' didn't seem to make the final cut.

Well, of the two new albums I've heard today, I quite like this one, whereas Bloc Party's is fairly shit.

The retro vibe works, and there are a handful of GREAT songs (Sandcastle Disco, Would've Been the One, I Decided). My attention started to drift in the middle, but repeated listens might change that.

This album totally appeals to my intellectual backpacking coffee shop digital kid sensibilites. I love it.

"Cosmic Journey" ffs

ChampagneChroniknightCap = swirl of cherry juice

lovely vocal harmonies & synths.

yes, that is my other favorite, listening to it right now

Secretly I think what got me hooked on the song was the subliminal choral glissando @ 0:56 - 0:58

what IS that sound? "let's have a ChampagneChroniknightCap....(e.g., 2:02 - 2:04)"

lez go lez go
to the open

so shut the fuck up
this bird's not slowing down

still not feeling the whole album, but some of these songs are so genuinely weird. 'this bird' starts off with that alien boc sample & there's a bit in the ending that is so totally minnie ripperton circa 'adventures in paradise'. also love the countryish "it's not over yet" outro. all of this, framed with this weirdly displaced r&b edge.

also, 'i decided' is absolutely not emblematic of the whole album's sound.

the rhythm/cadences on 'would've been the one' are so unusual. so are the chord progressions.

This shit is great. And I am still struggling to hear all the indie pop and techno everyone was talking about last month up above. That's like calling She Wants Revenge trends post-punk

haha
"I promise I'm not high!"

i was more surprised at how straight she played the album! though possibly her kookiness made me expect/fear something really eccentric/'wacky'. i mean the album is mostly just motown throwbacks and minnie ripertonisms until she starts veering off on techno tangents and songs about weed at the end. it's pretty impressive how she pulls off both the trad and the out-there, though, and most of the songs really hold up - apart from the obviously great tracks, '6 o'clock blues' and 't.o.n.y.' are sleepers.

she was a difficult interview, too.

'6 o'clock blues' and 't.o.n.y.' are sleepers

ugh, indeed, that's what I was just thinking

also she was brilliant live

'difficult interview' how, Lex?

basically acted like i'd just woken her up throughout. only loosened up when i gave up asking her questions with any point and starting shooting the shit about dubai architecture, her tattoos &c

haha I see

were you responsible for that "Beyonce's crazy sis" Guardian headline, Lex? It seemed a bit much, especially since it I felt that the piece presented her as more of a mere scattershot eccentric.

nope!

anybody heard the new album yet?

Most of the people upthread!

too stupid to live

(me)

i'm finally listening to this. it's pretty damn great.

I love Cosmic Journey but... am I the only one who has issues with the actual SOUND of the techno bit? I can't put my finger on it.

I'd been kind of enjoying the album up until the final few tracks and then Cosmic Journey sounded so great it made me really annoyed that the entire album wasn't like that.

my only criticism so far: needs more/any violin

The ending of "This Bird" really ruins the song for me. I adore the intro, though.

I don't like the techno bit of "Cosmic Journey" - it feels tacked on and showy.

Right.

The ending of "This Bird" really ruins the song for me. I adore the intro, though.

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― Turangalila, Sunday, October 5, 2008 2:42 PM Bookmark

otm, the part where she says "This song isn't over yet" makes me gaaararrgh

Basically I'm not convinced Solange really carries off the "i'm that weird intergalactic meta-chick" act she tries on these tracks, either in terms of straight execution, or in terms of constructing a convincing persona.

As I said in my review, I think the temptation to avoid is to applaud this stuff simply for its own sake - for, y'know, bucking trends or whatever - when it seems pretty clear that Solange or her people just aren't as strong here (lyrically or musically) as they are on terrain like "Would've Been The One" or "Sandcastle Disco".

Which is not to say that the three tracks in this category don't each have positive qualities, or that they're the weakest songs here.

she killed it at the pigalle last night - SO much fun. sol! angel! and the hadley! street! DREAMS! and she looked fab - gold layered miniskirt + mickey mouse stencilled T-shirt + military jacket.

'cosmic journey' is a billion times better played by a full band - shonky dance knock-off turned into something genuinely immersive. and she played the og 'i decided' because she has good taste in her own songs. in the second verse of 'would've been the one' she quietened the band with a wave of her hand and really dreeeew out the line "and she was cool with just...fuckin' around" to whoops and cheers from the crowd.

she says "Ay bay bay" in "T.O.N.Y."

record is very good. T.O.N.Y. close to top ten songs OTY for me

yeah, I've listened to "T.O.N.Y." at least 3-4 times today

I Decided that Solange released one of my favorite songs of the year.

i like this album but quite a lot of it is too in that mark ronsony early 90s hip hop soul mould. id have liked more songs that lived up to her 'black bjork' billing.

mark ronson early 90s?

"id have liked more songs that lived up to her 'black bjork' billing."

A shame that she's not really any good at these.

i dont mean ronson was around in the early 90s. i mean theres tracks on the album that sound like they could be from jois first album or some other chick from 91 singing over some breakbeats.

"A shame that she's not really any good at these."

the song with bilal is up there, regardless of the slightly unnecessary ending.

lars von trier and i were especially hoping she'd live up to her black bjork billing on 'dancing in the dark'.

sandcastle disco has got some really nice lyrics.

Her "black bjork" billing? Of course you're going to be disappointed if you're looking for something that isn't there.