drowndeep is one of his best songs imo
― J0rdan S., Monday, 13 June 2016 16:52 (eight years ago) link
it ends up being R&B muzak after the half way mark or so IIRC but cmon, that opening stretch is terrific!
― StillAdvance, Monday, 13 June 2016 16:53 (eight years ago) link
reminds me of that bit in prince's movie star - 'environmental records... supposed to make you horny but just makes me wanna go to the bathroom'
"know these things" is also amazing
― J0rdan S., Monday, 13 June 2016 16:57 (eight years ago) link
embrya is amazing and i'll hear nothing against it
urban hang suite is his "worst" imo
― who is extremely unqualified to review this pop album (BradNelson), Monday, 13 June 2016 17:03 (eight years ago) link
embrya is sort of like "what if voodoo took place underwater"
i like embrya but that's an extremely generous interpretation
― J0rdan S., Monday, 13 June 2016 17:05 (eight years ago) link
"..and crabs ate the remains..?
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 13 June 2016 17:09 (eight years ago) link
lol yeah it's an exaggeration
― who is extremely unqualified to review this pop album (BradNelson), Monday, 13 June 2016 17:12 (eight years ago) link
We can agree, I hope, that each record improved on the last. Now was the breakthrough; "Fortunate" helped.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 13 June 2016 17:13 (eight years ago) link
the minimizing of urban hang suite here feels like revisionist history to me
― J0rdan S., Monday, 13 June 2016 17:15 (eight years ago) link
"urban hang suite is his "worst" imo"
WTF?!
embrya is more like what might happen if maxwell heard way too many ambient records, read way too many new agey spiritualism books, and never heard voodoo once (which he couldnt have done anyway, its more like he spent more time than anyone should have done with prince's karma sutra album).
― StillAdvance, Monday, 13 June 2016 17:16 (eight years ago) link
idk embrya is so much about inhabiting a groove, which i think grounds it and makes it accessible even as it digresses and blurs
it's really important to look at those scare quotes imo when i talk about uhs
― who is extremely unqualified to review this pop album (BradNelson), Monday, 13 June 2016 17:18 (eight years ago) link
also i think i'm really in the minority re: thinking urban hang suite is his "worst," i'm pretty sure that record is settled in its canon and i can't do much to revise its place in history
― who is extremely unqualified to review this pop album (BradNelson), Monday, 13 June 2016 17:19 (eight years ago) link
I don't think it's his worst, but the first two records are his least interesting to my ears
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 13 June 2016 17:20 (eight years ago) link
yeah i think that is what i am really saying
― who is extremely unqualified to review this pop album (BradNelson), Monday, 13 June 2016 17:34 (eight years ago) link
i could buy the argument that now is his best record but i always understood it as his less interesting & adventurous coming off embrya
― J0rdan S., Monday, 13 June 2016 17:43 (eight years ago) link
Embrya was a life changing album for me.
I rank it with Kid A and Kind of Blue.
― Austin, Monday, 13 June 2016 17:47 (eight years ago) link
And RE: Now
It is probably his most interesting album, lyrically. It is a pretty brutal breakup album bookended by two "happy" songs.
― Austin, Monday, 13 June 2016 17:49 (eight years ago) link
my man
― who is extremely unqualified to review this pop album (BradNelson), Monday, 13 June 2016 17:50 (eight years ago) link
anyway i think now is both conservative and expansive if that makes sense. "symptom unknown" sitting near "temporary nite" sitting near "get to know ya."
― who is extremely unqualified to review this pop album (BradNelson), Monday, 13 June 2016 17:52 (eight years ago) link
Now was my favorite until 2009.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 13 June 2016 18:18 (eight years ago) link
usually when i listen to now i end up listening to this woman's work 50 straight times
― J0rdan S., Monday, 13 June 2016 18:23 (eight years ago) link
My order would probably go
EmbryaNow BLACKsummers'nightUrban Hang Suite
They're all solid 8/10s for me but I'm still waiting for his masterpiece.
― Kitchen Person, Monday, 13 June 2016 19:05 (eight years ago) link
Killfiling anyone and everyone with a word to say against Embrya.
― Get Me Bodied (Extended Mix), Monday, 13 June 2016 19:32 (eight years ago) link
I actually don't feel that strongly about any of his other albums (although I do about a song or two on each of them) but Embrya is like
https://www.sonntag-sachsen.de/sites/default/files/styles/article/public/field/image/2014_49/2014_49_90561.jpg?itok=UWmNkchq
― Get Me Bodied (Extended Mix), Monday, 13 June 2016 19:34 (eight years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7ziWpTAOWs
― who is extremely unqualified to review this pop album (BradNelson), Friday, 24 June 2016 16:41 (eight years ago) link
^^^ this song
New album's good.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 24 June 2016 16:44 (eight years ago) link
i think i like the demo of "gods" better but i had..... very high expectations for the full version
― J0rdan S., Saturday, 25 June 2016 20:35 (eight years ago) link
Wait what demo?!
― Austin, Saturday, 25 June 2016 22:49 (eight years ago) link
https://soundcloud.com/the-known-unknown/gods-1-13-audio-teaser-rough
― J0rdan S., Monday, 27 June 2016 03:11 (eight years ago) link
filed my review a few hours ago. Preview: I'm in love.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 27 June 2016 03:23 (eight years ago) link
all the ways that love can be
― who is extremely unqualified to review this pop album (BradNelson), Monday, 27 June 2016 04:19 (eight years ago) link
just in: "drowndeep" still the best song ever
― k3vin k., Monday, 27 June 2016 04:41 (eight years ago) link
gods just makes me think that you can now spot a maxwell song from a 100 miles. his melodies are so, so similar now. hes really settled into 'just doing me', for better/worse.
― StillAdvance, Monday, 27 June 2016 10:01 (eight years ago) link
its also his phrasing.
― StillAdvance, Monday, 27 June 2016 10:05 (eight years ago) link
wow, was not expecting these disco vibes:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IB9_ORhFoYU
― sam jax sax jam (Jordan), Monday, 27 June 2016 17:58 (eight years ago) link
yeah that song rules a lot
― who is extremely unqualified to review this pop album (BradNelson), Monday, 27 June 2016 18:02 (eight years ago) link
for a few day it was my favorite
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 27 June 2016 18:11 (eight years ago) link
has this leaked or what
― moistest hoist (Spottie), Monday, 27 June 2016 18:11 (eight years ago) link
Not that I can see.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 27 June 2016 18:13 (eight years ago) link
i need this in my life
― moistest hoist (Spottie), Monday, 27 June 2016 18:14 (eight years ago) link
grab a coffee
https://news.starbucks.com/news/maxwell-to-preview-album-at-starbucks
― maura, Tuesday, 28 June 2016 00:37 (eight years ago) link
My review.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 29 June 2016 15:13 (eight years ago) link
great review alfred!
― who is extremely unqualified to review this pop album (BradNelson), Wednesday, 29 June 2016 15:31 (eight years ago) link
thank you!
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 29 June 2016 15:32 (eight years ago) link
can't believe both spin and maxwell made it to maxwell's fifth album
― J0rdan S., Wednesday, 29 June 2016 16:33 (eight years ago) link
https://media.giphy.com/media/vMnuZGHJfFSTe/giphy.gif
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 29 June 2016 16:36 (eight years ago) link
Nice review Alfred but I learned a lot more from the comments section than the actual review itself.
― Kitchen Person, Wednesday, 29 June 2016 18:56 (eight years ago) link