Tinashe - Aquarius (out October 7 2014)

Sometimes I'm like "what is truth if truth is subjective? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯"

― Tim F, Monday, December 1, 2014 3:15 AM (3 months ago) Bookmark

Me

Oh man Bated Breath is amazing

Can't wait to watch that when I'm not at work xp

She's putting out a new mixtape next monday! And I'm seeing her live this Saturday.

yeah i'm surprised people haven't been too vocal about the mixtape here

i wanna see her live but she's not touring solo

new songs today?? this album has taken control of my brain.

http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/tinashe-amethyst-new-mixtape.115751.html
15 minutes

ohhhh boy

1minute 20s!!! lol

sounds v pretty on first listen. excited to bump it on my headphones later.

i'm late to the party as usual, but bc my bf can't hear me talk about Aquarius anymore, i'll get some of it out here (even though he's the one who recommended it to me!!). I essentially just think 2 On, All Hands On Deck, Feels Like Vegas, Cold Sweat, and Bet are some of the best songs i have ever heard. it's a little baffling. not to mention ... the rest of the album. just needed to vent!

yeah i'm surprised people haven't been too vocal about the mixtape here

― j. winters (josh), Thursday, March 12, 2015 8:51 PM (4 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

it wasn't out when you posted this!

it's funny to read this album's wiki. the way they describe the instrumentation on the songs is great. but there are also like a lot of spelling errors.

also the whole J Lo thing is pretty hilarious.

oh god i'd forgotten about "PBR&B"

<3 wanderer

that's the standout so far. On first listen the rest is pleasant.

water drips automatically make 'worth it' good.

gave it a listen earlier today (pretty much just listening to kendrick otherwise) and it was just ok for me. seemed like the weakest of her four mixtapes but i dunno if that's because i'm sort of tired of this sound right now. or you know, this is post-aquarius + it was exciting following a new artist back in 2012.

She's touring w/ Nicki!!

whoa rae sremmurd and dej loaf too? pretty awesome

mixtape is sorta dull but probably doesn't matter about that

Yeah, it's definitely enjoyable, but difficult to really get excited about.

She's touring w/ Nicki!!

― gybe horses (Stevie D(eux)), Tuesday, March 17, 2015 8:35 AM (7 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

the best/funniest thing about this is that she was going to be an opening act on the Iggy Azalea tour, but that just got postponed and days later she gets to trade way up to the Nicki tour.

i'm used to R&B acts only doing mixtapes if they can't put out major label retail albums, so it's been weird to see K. Michelle and now Tinashe put out mixtapes just 6 months after their albums. but it's cool, i'm glad they're keeping the music coming. haven't finished Amethyst yet but it's sounding pretty good. a couple guys from the band DRGN King worked on a couple tracks on this (they also did "Aquarius" and "Bated Breath" on her album), i interviewed them recently: http://www.citypaper.com/music/bcp-philly-band-drgn-king-pays-tribute-to-its-baltimore-roots-remembers-wham-city-charm-city-suicides-an-20150217,0,7313981.story

It's a good way to quarantine tracks they need to record but are retreads

It's more of a free EP than a mixtape, but not sure how relevant the distinction is.

It's like back in the day this would have been an extra CD on the deluxe tour edition of Aquarius...

yeah 7 songs definitely feels more like an EP, but everything i'd seen about it billed it as a 'mixtape,' and these days it's kinda like oh, whatever they said the release is, that's what it is. Drake put an hour of new songs on iTunes and called it a 'mixtape,' who even knows anymore.

isn't this kinda polished for a mixtape?

the answer may v well be "no, not at all" bcz I have extremely little exp w/ mixtapes

It is what it is

the sax solo at the end of "Worth It" is wonderful. Reminds me of the guitar freakout at the end of "Bet."

This mixtape is so good. Disagree that it's more of the same. Songs turned on their head so we get a look at their underside. Experiments perfect for album inbetweeners. Again the thing that makes it all work is Tinashe doing amazingly controlled gymnastics with her voice.

at first I thought this was a little blah (and some of the ad libs are real terrible), but I think the key is "Just the Way I Like You", which is awesome and genuinely weird. that fluttery broken-organ-key noise is super high in the mix, I assumed my mp3 was fucked up at first, love those drums too.

Yeah that's a great track

The Kool & The Gang sample (or recreation?) in "Wrong" is my favorite thing to hear around this time of year.

vocal gymnastics is right, damn girl

So, this might be her best release..? Album and all.

She's showing off on this tape in the best kind of way. Like how she opens Dreams Are Real all in whisper-n-b mode, then listen to how differently verse 1 and 2 are delivered - first one all high up in the air, 2nd down to earth, then down in the dirt, "I was on the ROAAad travlin', they can't FIiND me". Real TEXTURE here. I'm surprised, I take notice, while she's doing all these amazing things, playing with the beat a million ways even though the song would be solid delivered predictably, in one mode, she's serve and volleying, junk ball slicing for shits and giggles and even takes the time to sketch these compelling worlds. Makes you laugh at certain other artists occupying the same space being mentioned in the same breath.

Looking 4 It so good. At her funniest yet.
Popping, popping corn -looking for it
I be twerkin' alone - looking for it
On the phone - looking for it
"Where's bae? bae, bae"

The way she's skipping along to "Worth It" like some 2015 updated Cherish tune. The "I'm still in love with you" chorus on Wrong may be may favorite part of a 2015 song. Perfectly applied autotune. All these songs stand out enough to build a tape around them. She's casually throwing them out there. If this kind of playfulness can be transformed into an album it's a gamechanger.

This has sunk in!

not sure about Amethyst>Aquarius, but what really clicked for me listening again today is how different it is. mehsayers should give it another listen

this is nice on first listen.

YOU AIN'T TUPAC, BITCH

i definitely got the impression that it would grow into its own when i listened to it. but i'm still working thru Aquarius! like i'm almost done, but not quite. currently stuck on Wildfire.

It's true that this EP gets better over time. One of my favorite releases this year, and there's been a lot of great stuff coming out!

YOU AIN'T TUPAC, BITCH

― RAP GAME SHANI DAVIS (Raymond Cummings), Tuesday, March 24, 2015 11:53 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark

Kenrick diss!

love the guitars on the last track, so loose

THE FUTURE's mINE!

I'm so focused, I'm focused, I'm so focused, I'm focused

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxUdFQ6N_OI

Song has grown on me as a single and after seeing it live.

rly hate it when i step in a thigh high puddle of paint before a video shoot