Ariana Grande - "Thank U, Next" (the album)

(skipping the next few traxx which I've already heard 100 times...) that brings us back to "BUWYG,IB"

great stuff, man

yuh yuh

apart from the dreadful "7 rings" this album is very very solid and might be her best front-to-back even if it doesn't reach the same highs as dangerous woman. the sequencing is a bit odd though, the last few tracks are a very strange closing sequence

I have only listened to half of it so far.
"NASA" and "Fake Smile" stand out (although the use of the same sample as the Wu Tang's "Tears" on fake smile is disturbing).

"ghostin" is a classic. took my breath away

i love the weird rhythms in "make up"

"Fake Smile" kicks off with the same sample as Tearz by Wu-Tang from their first album, which gives it this double-take moment at the beginning, where you think maybe your shuffle kicked in.
Great track otherwise -- the sample works well behind the chorus.

Oops, looks like someone already made that same observation a few hours ago :)

the sequencing is a bit odd though, the last few tracks are a very strange closing sequence

Agreed... wonder if it would feel the same way if two of those songs hadn’t already been released(?)

Either way, they clearly made a deliberate move (whether “successfully” or not) to not do the expected thing there.

(Has there ever been an album that sequences the first three singles as the final three tracks??)

wasn’t feeling this on first pass :/

same

i think it’s funny. i liked the idea of ending a more honest n vulnerable project and with like a punchline. https://t.co/eH2XYA35qR

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) February 8, 2019

not a good punchline. Gonna spin the whole thing now tho.

Wonder who this shade is directed at?

The entire process of creating this album was incredible & when it came down to business things were handled more than fair. So much in fact that we gave credit to people who didn’t even write the songs ..instead of being a sour grape you should’ve said thank u.... next.

— TAYLA PARX (@TAYLAPARX) February 8, 2019

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dy6Q4jZWwAM0-mb.jpg

Ah, thx

Very good listen, this album.

not sure how i feel about the whole thing but "bad idea" is the shit

"Bad Idea" = very Max/Savan/Ilya

lol i continue to love the exact same ariana grande banger over and over again

in addition to reminding me of all the good songs on dangerous woman it reminds me of early rihanna

"ghostin" is gorgeous

f*ck a fake smile

heard "break up with your boyfriend, i'm bored" via its video. i'd say it's an ample demonstration of the pitfalls of writing an entire song around an eye-catching title. haven't listened to the rest yet.

dyl, I think you will be pleased

Weirdly the hyped already-leaked/released songs are the least interesting; Needy, NASA, Fake Smile And Ghostin are all fantastic.

When was the last time 2 amazing pop albums were released so close together by the same artist?

"When was the last time 2 amazing pop albums were released so close together by the same artist?"

Answer to that is 2017. Charli XCX POP 1 and POP 2

"break up with your girlfriend" is easily one of the weakest tracks on here. idk why "ghostin" wasn't the closer

It would have been a somewhat downbeat / unresolved closer, IMO... anyway, her reasoning is in the tweet above (whether you agree with it or not).

It's a good song and a neat closer imho

FYI, the title track was originally the closer, but she pulled a track called “Remember” (which was said to be about Mac), and added “Break Up...” at the end. This thread has the deets:

i added a fun one (lol) to replace one that i decided i don’t think wanna share w the world. so we back to twelve tracks. i appreciate u understanding in advance. 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) January 13, 2019

If you have the interest & patience, there are some interesting/funny tidbits in this interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpl8v3jiuNU

(provided you can put up with the interviewer dude... I started seeing red by the 10th time he referred to an album track as a "record.")

A few highlights (so far):

* They recorded several different versions of the title track — including one that didn’t “name any names” at all — but it sounds like there was little doubt about going with the version with names.
* She begged Scooter to leave “Ghostin” off the album, but he insisted they keep it.

i'm never gonna say this again in my life but scooter braun otm

I know it's early days, but honestly I think Ghostin could be my favourite Ariana song. It's absolutely stunning.

Overall, this seems like a much stronger album than Sweetener, but still not quite in the same league as Dangerous Woman. Obviously I'm starting to think about how I could turn these latest two albums into the classic it could have been.

i've been trying to figure out a good sequence (probably consisting of thank u, next minus "7 rings" and "break up with your girlfriend" and adding "breathin", "everytime" and "no tears left to cry") but haven't come up with anything yet. can't believe ariana wanted to leave off "ghostin" it's so gorgeous

Getting rid of 7 Rings and adding those three Sweetener highlights was exactly where I was thinking of starting. I might keep Goodnight n Go and Better Off as well. I think they'd work quite well on there.

Might as well get the prediction in for Ghostin winning the tracks poll this time next year. I'll be shocked if I hear a better song all year.

yeah those are the other two i'm considering from Sweetener as well

Sry (/not sorry) for hyperbole, but the core songs here are just ridiculously great, on a “I can’t believe they did this” level... the opening three-track sequence is all-time!

I don't hate "7 Rings". It'll be fine as an album track.

^This was a prescient comment, btw

Gucci tennis shoes, running from your issues

The way “NASA” ends — gracefully, casually, poignantly, in the middle of a verse — is just exquisite. (“Get Well Soon” did something similar.)

Nice little Tayla feature: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/tayla-parx-artist-you-need-to-know-interview-ariana-grande-784137/

Big chart newz, we stan: https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8498762/ariana-grande-thank-u-next-debuts-at-no-1-on-billboard-200-chart-album

After spending some time with this album, I really like it.
I don't care much for "bad idea", "make up" and "in my head" but the rest goes from good to great, the best being the gorgeous "ghostin" and of course, the impossibly charming "thank u, next" which I still can't have enough of.
Also, I didn't follow the issue regarding "7 rings" but I find it pretty cool/fun !

Also there was an intw where she said she wanted to release songs and albums as they come, enjoying the creative momentum and I like that a lot.
That's one of my issues with many artists now who spend years between albums/songs.
I mean it's ok if you're McCartney or something, had a long career and need a few years to come up with new stuff but for young artists who, supposedly, are in their full creative force, I can't understand waiting years before releasing new stuff.
Especially in a time when the technology makes it so easy.
I think it's kinda sad, and frustrating, for an artist to miss the pleasure of sharing your latest creation, when you're the most excited by it (as a musician, I know how amazing the sensation of having finished a new song is !).
I like her spirit about that anyway !

"break up with your girlfriend" is easily one of the weakest tracks on here. idk why "ghostin" wasn't the closer

― ufo, Saturday, 9 February 2019 23:13 (one week ago) Permalink

I think "break up with your girlfriend, I'm bored" is fine as a song, but more than a song it's a social media meme.

One of the great things about pop music these days is how utterly easy it is to not hear it and be blissfully ignorant of it. It's taken me up until now to hear '7 Rings' out in the wild and holy fuck do I wish I could unhear it.