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Old 2010.05.22, 09:53 AM   #21
Scribble R
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I wasn't actually thinking of a distinction between white popular music and African American popular music, as far as Janelle Monae is concerned. I was thinking 'Top 40' popular, which is a mishmash of everything. I'm not really qualified to measure these things anyway (As an aside, I haved noticed that the much of the press is referring to Janelle Monae as a 'black Lady Gaga' )

I'm not a huge fan of these songs. They're not necessarily awful, could just do without them.

Neon Gumbo
Come Alive
Make the Bus (But I do like the line: "The way you are now, you're never gonna make it in my kitchen" )
57821
Say You'll Go (Except the ending)

I still think that Cold War sounds like a "The Chase" reject, but I like how she sings the song as if she's delivering a morale-raising speech to her soldiers. I like little creative things like that.

I doubt an album's going to top this one for me this year, because although I enjoy and appreciate a lot of music, it takes a specific kind of artist to completely click with my sensibilities. It's funny -- I listened to The Chase in 2007, enjoyed it but kinda dismissed it. I only mutated into a Monae fanchild when I listened to it again last year.
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Old 2010.05.22, 10:12 AM   #22
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I'll never forgive Of Montreal for stinking up this album (although I guess I should really blame Janelle Monae for inviting them).

As for "Neon Gumbo," I think it's fine as a transitional track, not really much of a song per se. I'm always up for some backwards vocals, maybe the result of listening to a lot of late Beatles at an impressionable age. But I think it sort of chills you out after Tight Rope, in preparation for "Oh, Maker" (whose "You're here, you're near, you're there, and then you're gone," which I haven't mentioned so far, is a really beautiful line).

FWIW: http://www.metacritic.com/music/arti...anelle%20monae

(It wouldn't surprise me if this drops a bit. This will get some big name bad reviews eventually.)

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Old 2010.05.26, 07:42 PM   #23
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my favorite song of hers is still "It's Not Fair" off The Audition bootleg album, although its pretty simple singin and harmonizing and songwriting, but i love the acoustic and how she keeps on singing It's not fair, it sounds so sincere, no gimmick

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK74JyNSv_M
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Old 2010.05.28, 12:58 AM   #24
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The of Montreal song is a bit odd, it sounds like a Skeletal Lamping offcut (and I loooooved Skeletal Lamping). I'm going to assume Janelle will have her own song on of Montreal's next album, like they traded songs or something. I know at the very least she'll feature on a song.

The Metacritic score is craaazy! I wasn't expecting it to be that high. I wouldn't say it's completely deserving either... While I like every song on the album, I don't exactly love any of them. So it'd probably get an 80 from me.

Originally Posted by Superficial Fan View Post
I'll never forgive Of Montreal for stinking up this album (although I guess I should really blame Janelle Monae for inviting them).

FWIW: http://www.metacritic.com/music/arti...anelle%20monae

(It wouldn't surprise me if this drops a bit. This will get some big name bad reviews eventually.)
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Old 2010.07.15, 03:27 PM   #25
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It's funny that people out there are saying that ArchAndroid's a grower because it was on my first listen that I was really dazzled by it. I was like watching Alice in Wonderland in 3D glasses, something that everyone should experience even if it's not strictly that original, it's just a lot of fun to hear her mix together all of these different musical spirits (Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Simon and Garfunkel etc, etc) and her singing is amazingly versatile. All the cinematic orchestration worked, and hearing the Sade-ish Say You'll Go transition into Clair de Lune was moving I thought.

But after that first listen I felt that I somehow really knew the ones I'd go back to, which would be that Dance or Die - Faster - Locked Inside combo. It's the Fela Kuti influenced rhythm on the first one that draws you in, and then the blends between those tracks are really good. Those three are like a more pop version of the deep mixes of soulful electronica Benji B puts on his BBC show sometimes, and indeed he's been playing Monáe lately. While my favourite from her's still Sincerely Jane, I really like Faster, and Tightrope as well with all its vintage jazz and Amerie-like vocal trappings.

With Make The Bus - snap, I don't know if I get really into it or it's really annoying. It's like eating gherkins or licking the node of an AA battery.

Otherwise it's maybe what grumble_cake was saying: I don't mind the stylistic pastiches, my problem is that some of these tunes sound too much like other tunes (there's one that starts off like Moon River, Locked Inside is very Golden Lady*, and I kept thinking Neon Valley Street would break into Lauryn Hill's Ex-Factor chorus, which sucks cos that just reminds me what a good song Ex-Factor was...) So I don't think the songwriting's quite as stellar as the hype might say, or it would have something of the punch those tunes have. But I don't want to be too critical and hopefully it'll raise the bar for mainstream music again because it's bound to be better than whatever shite is in the charts these days.

(* OK, it seems t'internet has noticed that as well!)
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Old 2010.07.15, 06:10 PM   #26
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At this point I really really love this album, despite the flaws here and there. My favorite stretches are actually some of the ballads: Oh, Maker; Neon Valley Street; Say You'll Go; and BabopbyeYa.

(I wish she wouldn't interrupt the flow of the ballads with the spoken word stuff, and especially when the spoken word is dealing with heavy stuff but is undermined by android chipmunk voice.)
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Old 2010.08.09, 09:56 AM   #27
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VLj2_rROYE


Enemy Gene Simmons!
:34 seconds for all you impatient bastards.


Make the Bus is such a tight song. It totally does not belong on the album and I can't even hear her in it but it would be a great song anywhere else. But that being said, it's not the only break in the flow of the album.

I think she is the only thing in the states right now that has the potential to be both more famous and more amazing.

EDIT: is it just me or would THIS song fit on HER album and Make the Bus on False Priest?
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Old 2013.04.16, 03:19 AM   #28
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http://www.billboard.com/articles/co...ling-than-last

New album "The Electric Lady" coming this fall... first single Q.U.E.E.N feat. Erykah Badu coming out on April 22.
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Old 2013.07.03, 09:35 AM   #29
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Default Janelle Monae - Dance Apocalyptic

Janelle Monae - Dance Apocalyptic
Not too into this either, but not awful.
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Old 2013.07.04, 03:26 AM   #30
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Both singles have been too focused on the hook it seems. Appropriately single cuts. I'm kinda worried, but not overly so. Tightrope was probably the one of the weakest tracks on ArchAndroid as well, if that's an indication of anything.
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