Janelle Monáe - Dirty Computer album/film

mmmm. i didn't take it as "average" at all. i do think it's simpler and more straightforward than her past work, and that's really what i like about it. it's the sort of thing that's difficult to do well, and she does it well.

Forgive the comparison in advance, because it just popped into my head, but this seems like her 90125. After a career of concepts and overkill, I really appreciate the straightforwardness of Dirty Computer.

To further clarify - and this may seem rockist, if that's still a thing - but it now sounds like she's singing over beats, whereas on the earlier stuff it felt like the music was coming out of her, if that makes sense.

it felt like the music was coming out of her, if that makes sense.

I've felt that way before (re: a number of artists), but not with this album. idk

what

To further clarify - and this may seem rockist, if that's still a thing - but it now sounds like she's singing over beats, whereas on the earlier stuff it felt like the music was coming out of her, if that makes sense.

― paulhw

like in this sense?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ig-ZoUQKst4

No.

gross

Oh me oh me oh me oh my

Read (most) of the Wilson review and I left it thinking this album (which I haven't gotten to yet) must sound like St. Vincent making Prince's symbol album. I did see her play a club show with Prince once, and I felt that he (or probably more specifically/fairly, the situation) was bringing something different out of her, compared to when I'd seen her before. Curious!

wait hold up "the beats kinda suck"? out of all the criticisms, this is what i'd least expect, the production is so lush and limber. (not to mention that one of the first things that struck me is how flexibly her voice moves w/in the songs' landscapes; even phrasing aside "singing over beats" is such a wrong take)

eric otm

That stretch from Crazy, Classic Life to Django Jane just flows so nicely. Even after listening to the album like 10 times, I'm still surprised when each song in that sequence is actually better than the last one.

Also, it never occurred to me that she has only an average voice until I read it on this thread (but as a fan of Astrud Gilberto and Neutral Milk Hotel, you'd have a hard time convincing me that's a real limitation). I listened again after reading that, and her voice still sounds better than 95% of the other stuff I listen to.

Do you also think Dionne Warwick only had an okay voice?

Yeah that's crazy, Always felt like there was an obvious gulf between the range of things she can do with her voice and what she's trying to do in her music.

On a lot of songs her singing is often clipped and tense (best word I can think of to describe it) because of the density and occasional clunkiness of her lyrics, and her pastiching ways but I didn't imagine that the underlying quality of her voice would be obscured by that.

Like if she made a career of singing like this it wouldn't cross anybodies mind to question her voice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoJz8yWNbNg

Janelle has an amazing voice

I wish I could love Janelle like you guys love Janelle. It all sounds flat to me.

I think her voice is great, which is why the autotune on this disc sorta irks me

so far I like this a lot. I'm glad it's not ultra long like the last two. ArchAndroid probably had better tunes but I think this is her most solid offering so far.

Excellent article (cover story) of recent rolling stone

Confirmed how pivotal religious music and culture was to her growing up which is all over this record but in monae’s unique spin

my favourite record this year

Saw her live for the first time this past Friday. Great show- strong vocals, dancing, backing visuals, good band and dancers. A fair amount of social and political commentary. While I have nitpicked her songwriting and vocal delivery in the past, those items didn’t bother me too much Friday. Had me reconsidering a bit.

she is excellent live

She makes a couple appearances on the just-released Sorry to Bother You OST.

Saw her on Colbert last week too

thanks for the tip Simon

man the Pharrell track really sounds like she's trying to do Fergie doesn't it

idk it might be my favorite song on here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ivqFkLYxp8

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4Ui5QKq4yA

Yes! Saw those. I think they first aired the night I was seeing her live

Anyone read this?

https://www.harpercollins.com/pages/the-memory-librarian

back with some slightly reggae-ish afrobeat-trap:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xf28VXMB2w
Janelle Monáe feat. Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 • Float

really underwhelming

Yeah I got really excited at the prospect of Janelle Monae doing afrobeat when I saw the artwork and Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 involved but then the actual song isn’t really interesting.