SOLANGE KNOWLES, omg the return of

"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...

yes i'm aware. and? plenty of #1 albums by r&b artists have zero songs being spun by mainstream urban radio. i was commenting on how unusual it seemed against the rest of that particular format's playlist.

dyl otm

its attracting a lot of "in the conversation" attention which radio employees pay more attention to than sales weirdly

Cranes In The Sky reached #74 on billboard this week, which is obv not really that high and i have no idea how american radio works but i would presume that might mean it get some rotations on a few stations

this album is beautiful imo

Really great album

I listened to it again today for the first time in a few weeks. It sounded so good. Cranes In The Sky is a song of the year contender for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1Df_6rUzfk

my local radio station which had been playing "cranes" for months has now started playing it with a rap verse at the beginning :\

(not sure who provided the verse but it's not one of the ones i'm finding on google, it feels really really out of place)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x7wSlrwKJQ

this is very old

"If Solange Knowles isn't sampling Boards of Canada or getting Jay-Z and Beyoncé into Grizzly Bear, she's jamming out to Dirty Projectors."
most 2009 sentences of all time
haven't listened to this in a long while tho', holds up

dre/badu/bumpy's lament sample is eternal

Yeah it's old but classic!

wow she's doing a show with the Sun Ra Arkestra

Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen supporting Solange : Orion's Rise @OrpheumBoston Thu Sept 28 @ 7:30pm @solangeknowles pic.twitter.com/YggDLNhFc3

— Sun Ra Arkestra (@SunRaUniverse) September 28, 2017

More than one show with Sun Ra Arkestra. Am seeing her in Washington DC with them October 1st.

i'm going to that

EARL opening

Enjoyed the Kennedy Center show with Sun Ra's Arkestra opening. The Arkestra had 14 people onstage, and Solange topped that with around 23 (16 horn players). Impressive singing and hiphop and modern dance moves. "Mad", "FUBU" and "Cranes" were highlights. Earlier that night on another Kennedy Center stage I saw Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar and his band play their desert blues. An inspiring night of music.