Her Prince homages are too studied.
this is a bad take, I propose this take instead: her Prince homages are fun & good
― she carries a torch. two torches, actually (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Sunday, 29 April 2018 20:15 (six years ago) link
Last two posts otm
― Οὖτις, Sunday, 29 April 2018 20:22 (six years ago) link
I found her previous james brown homages much less fun tbh
pharrell's verse is good
― J0rdan S., Sunday, 29 April 2018 20:33 (six years ago) link
Screwed/Make Me Feel/Americans already all-time for me. Still working on the rest.
― it was stale, and I did not like it, as the man said, &c (seandalai), Sunday, 29 April 2018 20:43 (six years ago) link
the whole record rules. incredibly happy with this record
chill out N co-exist
― done and dusted (Ross), Sunday, 29 April 2018 22:16 (six years ago) link
"screwed" has been running through my head all weekend
― geoffreyess, Monday, 30 April 2018 02:49 (six years ago) link
Pynk is a such great late-night-driving-through-the-city song current fave is I Like That
― Squeaky Fromage (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 30 April 2018 03:27 (six years ago) link
was kinda cool to this until "django jane" and then it started to click for me emotionally.
― 21st savagery fox (m bison), Monday, 30 April 2018 04:17 (six years ago) link
Her "Americans" >> Prince's "America"
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Monday, 30 April 2018 13:56 (six years ago) link
I like most of this but I find her rapping cringey for some reason I can't quite place (it might be the perceived Drakeness)
― Simon H., Monday, 30 April 2018 14:57 (six years ago) link
closing stretch is the strongest despite some mild corniness
― Simon H., Monday, 30 April 2018 15:06 (six years ago) link
not crazy about this after first listen, but i was only half-paying attention.
― 808s & Deep States (voodoo chili), Monday, 30 April 2018 16:19 (six years ago) link
juice sounds like hollaback girl
It really does!
I like some of the grooves, not the lyrics so much. Do *not* care for the rapping.
― i’m still stanning (morrisp), Monday, 30 April 2018 18:17 (six years ago) link
Ctrl+F "Miguel". Esp "Afraid" but also in parts of Pynk and elsewhere I hear a clear Wildheart connection...
― it was stale, and I did not like it, as the man said, &c (seandalai), Monday, 30 April 2018 23:00 (six years ago) link
well it's a very Prince influenced R&B album with prominent guitars so it does sound a lot like Wildheart
― ufo, Monday, 30 April 2018 23:14 (six years ago) link
yeah obv there is all that Prince in there and maybe it's just recency bias but there are specific inflections that are easier for me to connect to Miguel
― it was stale, and I did not like it, as the man said, &c (seandalai), Monday, 30 April 2018 23:22 (six years ago) link
love 2 listen to janelle rap
― 21st savagery fox (m bison), Tuesday, 1 May 2018 00:08 (six years ago) link
will take janelle rapping over tony m rapping any day of the week
― ziggy the ginhead (rushomancy), Tuesday, 1 May 2018 01:30 (six years ago) link
Thanks. Now I've got Monae rapping "Jughead" on the brain.
― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 1 May 2018 01:49 (six years ago) link
nothing original to add but gosh do i love this album
― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Tuesday, 1 May 2018 04:38 (six years ago) link
dang this DOES sound like a recent Prince protege album so yah not good haha
― kurt schwitterz, Tuesday, 1 May 2018 23:47 (six years ago) link
her rapping on crazy sounds like RHCP
predict this will easily be a 1-4 place record overall
― done and dusted (Ross), Thursday, 3 May 2018 04:29 (six years ago) link
Pretty big disappointment to me. Much middle of the road pop backing tracks, Nile Rodgers guitars and highly digital sounding drums. No swagger... Her lyrics are a little embarrassing in parts too.
My guess is that people tied to album no. 1 felt... OK about no. 2, and will get off the train at this point.
― paulhw, Thursday, 3 May 2018 06:48 (six years ago) link
I have never been particularly interested in her so I'm not an expert but after listening to this album a couple of times, I like it but don't find it great.There are some nice moments which may grow on me but also some corny lyrics and songs (I suppose "Americans" might work better if you're american but to me it sounds like an 80s big american movie's closing song !).That said "Screwed" is so great and fun ! It would deserve to be this summer's ubiquitous jam.
― AlXTC from Paris, Thursday, 3 May 2018 07:59 (six years ago) link
(I suppose "Americans" might work better if you're american but to me it sounds like an 80s big american movie's closing song !)
People in America are very traumatized by Trump right now so this kind of corny bullshit works really well on them. Plus, never forget the Santayana quote "Americans love junk. It's not the junk that bothers me, it's the love."
― grawlix (unperson), Thursday, 3 May 2018 10:00 (six years ago) link
Americans has very corny lyrics but the music is great as an album closer
there's been so much of corny protest lyrics everywhere lately that i just tune it out now
― ufo, Thursday, 3 May 2018 10:42 (six years ago) link
The pop and cornyness is a feature, not a bug, though. There's no accounting for taste, but it is really explicit on the album, the second song quotes the declaration of independence and makes a little pause before 'the pursuit of happiness'. The whole point of the album is Monae insisting on being a black queer woman. And HAPPY about it. Which is quite radical in and of itself. I mean, the relentless poppiness of the album does at times tire me out as well, and '80s big american movie's closing song' is not wrong at all, lol. I do get a bit sad by the critical reaction, though. There is of course also a subtext to a queer artist insisting on making a positive story about being queer instead of a sad and weary one, and it being rejected by tastemakers for not being serious enough.
― Frederik B, Thursday, 3 May 2018 11:00 (six years ago) link
other examples plz of corny protest lyrics. i want to make a playlist.
― Mr. Snrub, Thursday, 3 May 2018 11:01 (six years ago) link
I don't really know how more explicit she could make it that she was going for happiness, and that is what's supposed to be political about it. There's like, a speech about it on the second track. It's almost too obvious, like, I expected reviewers to all note it, and then saying she was wrong. But no.
― Frederik B, Thursday, 3 May 2018 11:02 (six years ago) link
There is of course also a subtext to a queer artist insisting on making a positive story about being queer instead of a sad and weary one, and it being rejected by tastemakers for not being serious enough.
oh, come on. the praise has been almost completely universal outside of a few people itt
― Simon H., Thursday, 3 May 2018 12:32 (six years ago) link
it's literally tied for the top spot of 2018 on metacritic rn
Which is as it should be. But if you read those metacritic reviews, it's a common theme in the less enthusiastic ones.
― Frederik B, Thursday, 3 May 2018 12:51 (six years ago) link
And, I mean, it's not that it shouldn't be criticized, a song like Screwed is almost like a parody of politics-less liberal identity politics. But ignoring it is annoying.
― Frederik B, Thursday, 3 May 2018 12:52 (six years ago) link
I also find yr conflation of "pop" and "happy" and "cornball" to be weird but I don't want to turn this into another fred b struggle session so I'm gonna peace out here
― Simon H., Thursday, 3 May 2018 13:20 (six years ago) link
I'd love to hear you de-conflate it, because for me, yeah, it's conflated. The unique thing about the record is the bright sounds, major chords, and sloganistic/kliché ridden lyrics, so pop, happy and cornball are in this case the same thing.
― Frederik B, Thursday, 3 May 2018 13:37 (six years ago) link
You are accurately describing what I'm saying instead of yelling at me about something I've never said, so so far it's not turning into any kind of session.
― Frederik B, Thursday, 3 May 2018 13:39 (six years ago) link
It's sunny, 20 degrees out, cool breeze and this album is everything rn.
― lbi's life of limitless european glamour (Le Bateau Ivre), Thursday, 3 May 2018 13:55 (six years ago) link
i’ve had “crazy classic life” and “screwed” in my head all week
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Thursday, 3 May 2018 13:58 (six years ago) link
I like most of this but I find her rapping cringey for some reason I can't quite place (it might be the perceived Drakeness)― Simon H., Monday, April 30, 2018 10:57 AM (three days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― Simon H., Monday, April 30, 2018 10:57 AM (three days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Have you ever had the experience of really enjoying something (a movie, a tv show, a meal, etc), only to have someone break the spell by loudly complaining how much it sucks.
― enochroot, Thursday, 3 May 2018 19:25 (six years ago) link
every time I log on ILM yeah
― Van Horn Street, Thursday, 3 May 2018 19:28 (six years ago) link
otm enoch
i love this record and you're all harshing my mellow
― done and dusted (Ross), Thursday, 3 May 2018 19:38 (six years ago) link
sorry everyone
― Simon H., Thursday, 3 May 2018 19:42 (six years ago) link
(i'm w simon re drakeness)
― lowercase (eric), Thursday, 3 May 2018 19:45 (six years ago) link
Janelle I love u but you've chosen drakeness
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Thursday, 3 May 2018 21:19 (six years ago) link
During this record I’ve thought of chill peppers, Aqua, Gwen and toto on take a byte
― done and dusted (Ross), Thursday, 3 May 2018 22:11 (six years ago) link
Sorry only Toto on take a byte, does anyone know what that reference is?
― done and dusted (Ross), Thursday, 3 May 2018 22:13 (six years ago) link
It's the serpent and the fall of man. Y'know: Sex.
― Frederik B, Thursday, 3 May 2018 22:31 (six years ago) link
I may have misunderstood you're question.
Really into that forever ever vocal on the intro track
― done and dusted (Ross), Friday, 4 May 2018 05:21 (six years ago) link