SOLANGE KNOWLES, omg the return of

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

lol

Really loving this album and I agree with whoever said that it has an unhurried Badu-ish vibe.

There are people who don't like this? AOTY contender two listens in, afaict.

xps HEY NOW YOU GUYS I DIDN'T MEAN THAT

Fucking great album. Kinda get a "Worldwide Underground" Badu vibe on some tracks ("Junie").

Turns out is not Solange but Blood Orange what we really want.

Speak for yourself

Fun thread

So glad this sounds nothing like Blood Orange.

"Cranes in the Sky" is gorgeous.

I have listened to this a lot lately and like it more and more.
It really sounds great and soothing and after a while I can finally identify and enjoy each individual song.
It's clearly an album in the sense that I never want to listen to any specific song but only the whole thing (so, for instance, I always start listening from the beginning).
In a way, the whole is greater than its parts, to me.
I still think that a couple of stronger songs wouldn't have hurt, though (and I'm not talking about upbeat, big crossover hit, Blood Orange or anything. Just some tracks in the same spirit as the rest of the album but with stronger hooks).
still, as it is, it's very good and I'm happy with it.
It's my favourite album/ep from her.

oh and skits should be banned from ANY album !

i like the skits!

#nolimitsoldier

i think it's a good album, i like the low key nature of it, it's got a lot of great melodies and sounds even if it doesn't go out of it's way to be "impressive"

yeah, definitely many great things, details, arrangements, sounds...
And there's something very spiritual and soothing, not necessarily in the lyrics but overall.
I like that there's no big upbeat/aggressive hit to disrupt the flow, for instance.
As for the skits, I have nothing about these ones in particular but against the principle of skits/interludes on albums itself !

#1 album this week

This is comfortably her best record IMO, although I can see how you'd be disappointed if you were hoping for some more feeble shit like Losing You.

i'm liking this a lot.

Blown away by how thoughtful and gorgeous and vulnerable this whole record is. It's incredible.

Doesn't hurt that it gives off major Velvet Rope vibes, too.

they aren't really 'skits'

jaw kinda dropped when i heard "cranes in the sky" on the radio yesterday (on the mainstream hip-hop/r&b station). i guess it wasn't 'normal' for them either b/c right after it finished the dj asked ppl to call and tell them what they thought of it.

it's a #1 album...