SOLANGE KNOWLES, omg the return of

first hook on this that i really responded to was of course completely dampened by sampha's voice

dampha

this reallllly feels like a sequel to the tweet record so if you like this idk listen to that one too imo

A track like "Cranes in the Sky" sounds a lot like the quiet mid '70s Minnie Ripperton vibe of Corinne Rae Bailey's last album (which I also like a lot). I don't think Solange is a melodist in her league though.

actually tihs album bores me

oh good i'm glad we're both picking up on minnie riperton vibes alfred

this is more compelling on second listen, and i really love "where do we go," but it also sorta overrelies on the arrangements and the general framing to lift up the v limited melodies

not mad at it though

F.U.B.U. is greaaaaat. when Terius comes in!!!! yes!!

I still really hate that cover! First listen nothing in particular stands out... it's very homogenic sounding... will give it another listen when I'm in the mood for this sort of music but not impressed so far.

Why do you hate the cover? Do you hate the cover or do you hate the way she looks, for some reason? I don't get the hate. She looks beautiful.

First listen felt like striking gold, this. Songs like Cranes in the Sky and Don't You Wait are so blissful. Indeed Riperton comes to mind. I love how homogenic it sounds. There's no 'Losing You' but it's just not the record for it. Nothing needs to stand out, it's all very good, impeccable lush singing, arrangements with great detail. I love this in all its "homogenic", subdued gloriousness.

great basslines on this record.

'cranes in the sky' sounds like a dirty projectors outtake, although dave longstreth is credited on 7 other tracks on the record but not cranes

Cranezzzz

Nah, this still sounds like much of the terrain that Corinne Rae Bailey's working only less interesting.

I suggest everyone forget this record and go to Fantasia's marvelous new one.

Fantasia's album seemed like a significant regression from the 2013 one imo but i guess i should try it again

this album also imo does interesting and beautiful things just like the CBR one

significant? really? I think at worst it's a notch below.

"where do we go" is so lovely

and "junie" is huge jam. idk the more time i spend with this the more i like it. i hate to be like post-frank ocean "songs are for olds man" but directing ppl to the fantasia record seems a misdirection bc she's doing something very different, exercise- and craft-oriented. this is v focused on details without many glimpses of a larger picture, all the songs kind of occupy the same space and seem to elaborate on each other laterally

There's no 'Losing You'

imo good

'losing you' is kind of bad imho

Losing You has diminished with time—I liked it a lot originally—but this album would be better served with a couple bold songs like that to break up the sleepy vibes.

Blood Orange did better with cool sad block synths on "St. Augustine" imo

upbeat songs would be antithetical to the point of the album

But they might help me stay awake when listening to it

i mean... okay

It doesn't necessarily need upbeat songs. It could use some memorable ones though

It doesn't necessarily need upbeat songs. It could use some memorable ones though

yeah, exactly what I think. I don't need another "Losing You" (since the EP was already a bit too much of Blood Orange) but some stronger melodies and hooks here and there wouldn't have hurt the album (which again, sounds good and is nice to listen to).

Less interludes/skits, more tunes !

the interludes are mostly just master p monologues though, i like them

why are people acting like they've been attacked by this album

i have a couple of ideas

i just feel so attacked right now

f you think the reaction in this thread, which might best be summed up as ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, equates to people acting like they've been attacked, boy have I got some threads for you…

apologies guys, i didn't have my morning coffee yet

I put this on midway through a two hour drive and enjoy it, probably the new release I've enjoyed the most this year.

I don't feel attacked by Solange or this album. I feel like it just walked past me without making eye contact.

what baffles me is "losing you" being upbeat. it's... not, at all? it's in fact quite depressing?

solange: "tell me the truth, boy, am I losing you for good?"
synths: *glum brooding pads*
listeners: "YAY HAPPY PARTY MUSIC"

(I'm only being slightly facetious here -- it's the same thing that's happened with beyonce until lemonade*, where no matter how explicitly, poignantly vulnerable she gets on record, it's completely ignored or just not heard in favor of simpler, happier emotions. I can also think of a couple ideas for this...)

"losing you" sounds exactly the same to me now as it did 4 years ago. and yea it's a sad song but it's also a catchy, chill ballad with cool drums. def not a happy song, but at least it provides something to hold onto.

once the middle of the album hits with Fubu/Borderline/Junie, this is basically what i was waiting for. the interludes are ok and provide sort of the frame that the music rests within, but imo they take up way too much of the record.

i love junie

idk can we frame this instead as a healing record for Black women and not some bop repository pls

"don't wish me well" is the standout for me

honestly during my first listen i thought "oh wow this is gonna be a standout" for like every track

weary, cranes in the sky, mad, junie, don't wish me well all popped for me instantly. the other tracks maybe aren't as good but work fine as connective tissue. i think this album is great but i also loved true.

the idea that it isn't a memorable album... idk! i sort of got it w/ true even as a fan because what you see w/ dev's songwriting is pretty much what you get but i think there's a lot to sink your teeth into here both sonically and thematically.

also, while we're here, I am very suspicious of the idea that, on an album that is explicitly about a space for black people, the parts where they're talking "take up too much of the album"

The interludes are pretty great? They introduce recurring melodic themes and stitch the songs of the album together. Many times I didn't notice that they weren't just the beginning or the end of a song, but they foster more dynamic variation on the album as a whole.

I don't feel attacked by Solange or this album. I feel like it just walked past me without making eye contact.

― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Tuesday, 4 October 2016 18:16 Bookmark

next thing you know it won't be giving up its seat on the bus