Ariana Grande - AG4 (2018 album)

Actually, Breathin is really great. I guess I wasn't expecting the album to be so slight. Will definitely spend more time with it tomorrow.

"Breathin'", "Everytime" and the Imogen Heap cover seemed like the standouts among the new songs on first go-around. It has the air of a New Jersey to me unfortunately, but I may reverse my view on that in a week.

Pharrell's contribution to the title track was a bad idea.

i actually like this more than i thought i might... it's sort of weird that it starts off w/ a song that sounds like pharrell wrote it around the time of "blurred lines"... and "the light is coming" is still bad. but after that i think it's pretty nice. "REM" and "successful" sounded good as far as the pharrell songs go. her last album had a few incredible songs but lots of stuff i didn't really care for, this def feels like a better package to me but we'll see if the songwriting ends up sticking w/ more listens

Pharrell's contribution to the title track was a bad idea.

― kitchen person, Friday, August 17, 2018 2:06 AM (twenty-six minutes ago) Bookmark

there's lots of weird pharrell stuff lol... his ad libs on "sweetener". his presence is generally bizarre

oh wait that's the one you cited lol

this is very underwhelming especially compared to Dangerous Woman which is one of my favourite pop albums this decade. Everytime/Breathin/No Tears Left To Cry is the only part of this i can see myself coming back to but i do like how Successful kinda feels like Animal Crossing bg music lol

Dangerous Woman's highs were so so high and nothing on this really compares to Into You or the closing four tracks from Bad Decisions through to Thinkin Bout You

this seems pretty low key, not much thrill.

goodnight n go is a really great kehlani song

The fact that nearly everyone concerned couldn't be bothered to bring their A-game to this is pretty depressing. The whole thing feels very 'will this do?'

i love the pharrell stuff here

the light is coming sounds like bubble pop electric, a song he did w/ gwen stefani e andre 3000 15 years ago

Light is coming mashes perfectly with lemon.
Same sample too

Same source. Not the same sample.

lowered expectations did not stop the first half of this record from sounding like garbage to me

"breathin" is fantastic though

everytime and breathin both rule

i guess it shouldn't be surprising that the 4 Ilya tracks are the clear highlights and sound like the Dangerous Woman follow-up i wanted since he co-wrote/co-produced most of the Dangerous Woman highlights

yeah "breathin" is a stand-out. I like that "blazed" is an opening track on a major pop album in 2018 and it's based around an upright bass, that song is growing on me. I like the stylistic reference to early ariana on the closing track. 2nd half much more enjoyable. But at the moment I'm in the "pretty underwhelming" camp :/

The title track has to be the worst song she's done.

Does R.E.M sample R.E.M ?

Didn't care much for the last two albums beyond singles but i might listen to the record if R.E.M samples R.E.M ?

"R.E.M" does not sample R.E.M.

Darn it Grande.

"breathin" is even better than "no tears left to cry" and i might like "better off" and "goodnight n go" even better than "breathin"

the pharrell stuff is all terrible as it turns out and given time to sit with "god is a woman" i actually really hate it

I really enjoyed my first listen, but I was wandering about, grocery shopping etc., so I can't claim I paid much attention, or have any insight.

marko - sorry i meant to say same source, correction

"R.E.M." is an early favorite (of the "new" tracks)... it "bops" so hard, as (I guess) the kids say

how do you do, fellow bops

"Bop-zizza dilznoofuses!"

This album has won me over very quickly (even the Pharrell production). At its best, it’s astonishing good...

I wondered about that extra silence —

https://variety.com/2018/music/news/ariana-grande-sweetener-get-well-soon-manchester-tribute-1202909136/

the light is coming sounds like bubble pop electric, a song he did w/ gwen stefani e andre 3000 15 years ago

― brackEt, Friday, August 17, 2018 6:59 AM (fourteen hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Oh my god I don't think I've thought of that song in like ten years

Bubble Pop Electric still sounds so great. It could well be my favourite Gwen Stefani song. Sweetener actually reminds me of what I didn't like about the second Gwen album. There are some strong moments (mainly Early Winter and the title track) along side songs where the quirkiness sounds forced (Wind It Up, Yummy) or just totally unfinished (Breakin' Up, Don't Get It Twisted).

R.E.M. is top hole.

uh, gross

If I were pressed to say something negative about this album, I would say: (a) it may have been a bit overhyped for what turned out to be a very strong but also somewhat light & “modest” release; and (b) a few tracks, while good, lack a certain “Ariana-ness”... which makes the album feel like maybe a bit less of a “fan classic” than her prior three.

But some of the tracks are among her best ever!

I also think Dangerous Woman was a tour de force, musically — with the deep house elements throughout, the majesty of the final two tracks, etc. — and the other two albums had very distinctive musical settings, as well (on a track-by-track basis, in the case of My Everything). And that may not be quite so much the case with the new one (...though I will see what I think after listening loudly & closely a few more dozen times).

I ❤️ how “R.E.M.” alludes, in a subtle & sophisticated way, to “Mr. Sandman” by the Chordettes

“Breathin’” is #1 on U.S. iTunes... this song will be huge when released as a single.

*braces for threadban due to multiple revives*

pharrell adlibs on the title track are really unnecessary but i like the song itself a lot. it doesn't remind me directly of frank's "pink + white" but it deeply reminds me of when rtc compared that song to scritti politti

“Get Well Soon” is another super classy and sophisticated song that feels like an immediate classic... it’s gonna be a showstopper in live performances.

^endorse the last 4 posts.

I'll throw in "Successful" (not sure what's going on with the lyrics here btw, the perspective keeps changing) and "Goodnight n go" as the other keepers from the album.

Breathin is my favourite thing she's ever done. I wonder how often it is that an iTunes number 1 is an unhyped album track (track 9!) as opposed to you know, the pre-release track or the one with a big guest star name rapper or whatever. Maybe it happens more than I think it does but it feels rare.

(In My Feelings kinda did the same maybe.)

re: "Successful" -- there's something about the "Does it give you chills? Does it make you feel... cold?" bit at the end of the bridge of that feels like maybe a nod to Prince(?)

"Breathin'" is such a big, wonderful, '80s-style club smash. The way the beat kicks in after a few measures of the chorus just kills me

more like "sucksessful"

i can't decide if i like "successful" or not.... that rinky dink ass 02 era neptunes synth... idk

it's grown on me

bubble pop electric is a great song and has the benefit of not making me listen to a tea partier yell at me constantly

I was listening to Britney's Glory on my way to work this morning. I kind of feel like there's some songs on Sweetener that aim to be quirky and breezy in the same that Glory was, but just don't quite get there.

The album has grown on me a bit, but I'm still struggling with most of the Pharrell songs. The Light Is Coming, Sweetener, Successful and Borderline in particular are the worst offenders.