"Flesh" rather. It's like the boring parts of KD.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 16 June 2015 02:32 (nine years ago) link
why are we disagreeing so hard today alfred
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Tuesday, 16 June 2015 02:33 (nine years ago) link
"Face the Sun" is so fucking good
― fuck me, archipelago (Simon H.), Tuesday, 16 June 2015 02:35 (nine years ago) link
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson),
Prolonged exposure to the Donnie Trumpet album.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 16 June 2015 02:37 (nine years ago) link
a great record, it should theoretically make our opinions chill and continuous
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Tuesday, 16 June 2015 02:37 (nine years ago) link
"goingtohell" should prob be illegal, holy hell
(this is meant as the highest compliment)
― slothroprhymes, Tuesday, 16 June 2015 02:42 (nine years ago) link
"goingtohell" describes what Migs agreed to for Kravitz to play an excellent solo. I like this one best.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 16 June 2015 02:51 (nine years ago) link
"Flesh" is fantastic
― some dude, Tuesday, 16 June 2015 03:52 (nine years ago) link
i am surprised he let "face the sun" out pre-release! it is the perfect way to close the album. the "purple rain" nod>>>>>>
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 16 June 2015 06:48 (nine years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z55sZ2oVY4
― Greer, Tuesday, 16 June 2015 14:29 (nine years ago) link
OK please stop with the goodies now, 2015. Reaching saturation point.
― Jeff W, Tuesday, 16 June 2015 19:24 (nine years ago) link
"face the sun" ;_; It's such a typical Miguel song too, like it's so obvious and earnest that it should be come across as corny and it kind of does, but somehow you don't care because it's just so good.
also where did he learn to use his voice like that on "Flesh"? (ok, Prince but... damn.)
― Roz, Tuesday, 16 June 2015 22:35 (nine years ago) link
playing nyc on august 2
― like a giraffe of nah (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 17 June 2015 01:20 (nine years ago) link
this album is interesting. i'm not sure you can even call him an r&b singer at this point -- his last album still sort of clung to the notion that he should serve up easy singles to a core R&B audience but this one pretty much sheds that concern entirely. i feel like you can follow the thread from "do you..."/"the thrill" pretty easily to this album and though i think there might be too much grit and not enough effervescence overall, "waves" feels like a pretty nice sequel to "do you...". the production on this feels unique to me, too - it at once... sounds like stone temple pilots (...?) but also has a certain desert landscape expansiveness that is appealing.
i think this was a very honest album for him to make, and though a few times i think it gets in its own head ("the valley" most notably) there are also some flat out great songs ("waves," "leaves," "face the sun") and maybe more to chew on than kaleidoscope dream overall.
― J0rdan S., Wednesday, 17 June 2015 04:54 (nine years ago) link
i'm not sure you can even call him an r&b singer at this point
foh
― some dude, Wednesday, 17 June 2015 05:10 (nine years ago) link
i dunno he clearly seems himself as a rock star, not that those two things are necessarily incompatible (prince obv will always loom large over miguel's music) but there's not a lot of "all i want is you" or "sure thing" left in his music. i can see some of the album tracks from his first record as the foundation for this sorta sun-warped sound but i feel like he's deviated from the path. even the funkier, upbeat tracks on this album sound as influenced by KROK as anything.
― J0rdan S., Wednesday, 17 June 2015 05:21 (nine years ago) link
Well, the boring parts of KD are bits of "Use Me" and "Where's the Fun in Forever," the bits that Chuck Eddy said were like the boring parts of Around the World in a Day. I agree he's uncomfortable with being an R&B artist. Get ready for people who Don't Listen to R&B But Like Miguel to be louder this time -- if the album generates any buzz (it may not).
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 17 June 2015 11:02 (nine years ago) link
"Use Me" is perfect tho
― The Reverend, Wednesday, 17 June 2015 11:36 (nine years ago) link
^
― 龜, Wednesday, 17 June 2015 11:47 (nine years ago) link
there's not a moment that he's not a soulful belter at heart, though. someone like Frank Ocean, his vocal style is much further removed from that tradition, the 'not an R&B singer' stuff is still pretentious but less of a reach.
― some dude, Wednesday, 17 June 2015 12:03 (nine years ago) link
feel like there's a dawn richard analogue here, in terms of closeness to r&b then wildheart : blackheart :: kaleidoscope dream : goldenheart
in one sense yes they're exploring wilder shores or whatever but a) both dawn and miguel are soul singers at heart, and b) they're both within a pretty strong lineage of r&b artists exploring rock and electronica respectively. i mean miguel straight-up interpolates "purple rain" in "face the sun" just to make the connection obvious (what a glorious moment, too)
it's fair to say that neither are interested in getting radio play in any genre, i guess, though in both cases it feels more like radio isn't ready for them than they've made hookless or difficult music
agree with j0rdan that the production here is very dirty indeed, i would like to hear it on headphones/not a stream before i make up my mind re: that, but the murk is reminiscent of d'angelo's last album in places
"the valley" is sampling something massively obvious and i haven't put my finger on it grrr
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 17 June 2015 12:09 (nine years ago) link
Miguel is one of the most played acts on R&B radio the last 5 years, it seems probably unlikely that he's not interested in getting radio play, that doesn't just happen by accident
― some dude, Wednesday, 17 June 2015 12:49 (nine years ago) link
I'm listening to "NWA" now and trying to figure this claim out: "this album is interesting. i'm not sure you can even call him an r&b singer at this point"
cuz this is an R&B song
― kurt kobaïan (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 17 June 2015 13:23 (nine years ago) link
also much love to kurupt for dropping the first "Lee Iacocca" reference in like 25 years XD
i wouldn't say he's disinterested in radio play but there's a noticeable lack of a "how many drinks"-style "well lemme make sure i have a surefire reliable single in my back pocket" on this album
― J0rdan S., Wednesday, 17 June 2015 13:32 (nine years ago) link
Not heard this album really but "R&B" can encapsulate a hell of a lot and forays into stadium rock are definitely part of that.
― Matt DC, Wednesday, 17 June 2015 13:50 (nine years ago) link
Like at this point in history I would *much* rather hear R&B artists exploring rock music than the other way round.
― Matt DC, Wednesday, 17 June 2015 13:51 (nine years ago) link
who will be the Eddie Van Halen on Miguel's "Beat It"?
.....Bonnamassa
― kurt kobaïan (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 17 June 2015 14:09 (nine years ago) link
Hearing a lot more obvious nods to Prince on some of these, especially with the more guitar-centric arrangements and production. Feels like it was supposed to be Prince soloing on "Face The Sun" especially, but he proved to difficult to get and so he settled for...Lenny Kravitz. Or maybe he just loves Lenny Kravitz.
― vmajestic, Wednesday, 17 June 2015 14:11 (nine years ago) link
I agree he's uncomfortable with being an R&B artist
it's fair to say that neither are interested in getting radio play in any genre
A lot of assumptions being made about R&B as a genre and R&B listeners in these comments. Only heard half the album, but nothing in that feels far enough outside the lineage of R&B to justify these statements.
― Greer, Wednesday, 17 June 2015 14:39 (nine years ago) link
speaking of this record pairs nicely with the new daniel johns which is better than it should be
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Wednesday, 17 June 2015 15:23 (nine years ago) link
Gonna get shit for saying this, but I get shit on ILX no matter what, so...
After all the talk above about how he objectifies himself and how refreshing that is etc. etc.
Are we really OK, in 2015, with faceless black women used as a piece of furniture?
I know he's trying to go for "80s hair metal rock star" or whatever, but couldn't "naked faceless women as furniture" be a trope left in the 80s?
― The Hauntology of Celebrity (Branwell with an N), Wednesday, 17 June 2015 15:36 (nine years ago) link
I have not heard this Daniel Johns record, but object strongly to any reference to him in the Miguel thread.
― MikoMcha, Wednesday, 17 June 2015 15:53 (nine years ago) link
lol
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Wednesday, 17 June 2015 15:57 (nine years ago) link
not if brad is repping for it
― difficult-difficult lemon-difficult (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 17 June 2015 15:57 (nine years ago) link
Please look at (very) many r&b/funk covers from the late 60s/all through the 70s. Maybe it's a trope, but it's not hijacked from hair metal.
― Johnny Fever, Wednesday, 17 June 2015 15:59 (nine years ago) link
Grace Jones often made herself a semi-nude faceless woman as furniture.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 17 June 2015 16:00 (nine years ago) link
Do I really have to explain to you that there's a vast conceptual difference between presenting yourself as an object, and using someone else as an object?
― The Hauntology of Celebrity (Branwell with an N), Wednesday, 17 June 2015 16:13 (nine years ago) link
we could ask the author of "Use Me."
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 17 June 2015 16:15 (nine years ago) link
this is a guy whose last album included a track called "pussy is mine" (admittedly the worst cut on the album), don't think there's too much argument that he is not exactly a shining spotlight of progressivism
― like a giraffe of nah (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 17 June 2015 16:45 (nine years ago) link
lol it's funny to me how often people misread that song
― J0rdan S., Wednesday, 17 June 2015 17:01 (nine years ago) link
that song is not about possession but instead entirely about male inadequacy
― J0rdan S., Wednesday, 17 June 2015 17:02 (nine years ago) link
what, you mean that he's not claiming ownership but is basically broadcasting his insecurity? i get it, it's still a dopey track.
― like a giraffe of nah (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 17 June 2015 17:02 (nine years ago) link
xp obv
― like a giraffe of nah (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 17 June 2015 17:03 (nine years ago) link
anyway, you want to make a case for a feminist reading of miguel's lyric sheet/iconography jordan, go for it.
― like a giraffe of nah (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 17 June 2015 17:04 (nine years ago) link
give me pound give me pound give me euro give me yen
― like a giraffe of nah (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 17 June 2015 17:05 (nine years ago) link
i don't know if i would say that his lyrics are feminist, but there are certainly feminist sentiments, or at least a number of instances in which the woman is presented as holding the power outside of the context of objectivity. i think in the context of mainstream male pop music his music is more feminist than most.
i certainly think his portrayal of sex from a male perspective is progressive, as alfred noted in referencing "use me"
― J0rdan S., Wednesday, 17 June 2015 17:09 (nine years ago) link
and we've spent the last month gawking at album art in which he positions himself as an available object of desire. This doesn't mitigate any legit complaints about his songs and imagery, though; understanding him is complicated.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 17 June 2015 17:12 (nine years ago) link
if you're arguing that comparatively his work is less explicitly sexist than most charting r&b, mmmmmaybe? like imo he's obv more progressive than usher but maybe not notably more so than ne-yo (storytime aside)
― like a giraffe of nah (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 17 June 2015 17:20 (nine years ago) link
"I don't mind" is more explicitly feminist than anything Miguel has ever done
― k3vin k., Wednesday, 17 June 2015 17:37 (nine years ago) link