The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Tuesday, September 10, 2013 - 7
BAD BOY
Pomp and circumstance
Innovative R&B
on 'Electric Lady'
Janelle Monie
continues robot
adventure story
By GREGORY HICKS
DailyArts Writer
Janelle Monie might be an
electric lady, but this gal is on
fire. The multi-Grammy-nom-
inated R&B
artist returns A
with a sequel to
her 2010 debut The Electric
album ArchAn-
droid, and back-
tracks the saga Janelle Monde
of Cindi May-
weather in this Bad Boy
prequel tale.
Monae devised
the sci-fi character of Mayweath-
er - an android on the run, in fear
of being disassembled - on her
debut EP, Metropolis, Suire it The
Chase, arod has expanded May-
weather's story ever since.
The Electric Lady's title choice
speaks more to the sci-fi tale than
the style of the record. While
there is an electronic presence felt
on most of the tracks, the album's
roots are wired deepest to classic
R&B. Further, the electric aura
is reminiscent of dainty disco,
not 2013's dirty dub. The orches-
tral atmosphere of the "Suite IV
Electric Overture" and "Suite
V Electric Overture" is some-
what unrelated to either of these
genres, but complements the
record as a plot device to a thriller
story, with both overtures bearing
a striking resemblance to a 007
film soundtrack.
The three album interludes
nurse the plot through a radio
disc-jockey show that's decep-
tively similar to a radio show
from the '60s, but with discus-
sion topics about androids and
the future. "Our Favorite Fugitive
(Interlude)" involves DJ Crash
Crash taking calls from listeners
to discuss various opinions of the
"favorite fugitive" Cindi May-
weather. The caller responses
within the interlude potentially
draw parallels to homosexuality
disputes of present day, in par-
ticular when a man howls, "Robot
love is queer!"
The Electric Lady's 19 tracks
would suggest excessive filler for
an R&B record, but the album
touches perfection at this length
in its endeavor to mirror a fantasy
film soundtrack. The generous
supply of songs works coherently
as each piece gradually shifts into
the next, making for few gaps
between tracks - a technique
exercised on Madonna's Confes-
sions on a Dance Floor album.
The glory is in the record
as an entity, but a few tracks
emerge as groovier than others.
"Q.U.E.E.N."'s heavy bassline and
"The Electric Lady" 's up-tempo,
percussive drive forge dance-
friendly tunes with a slice of con-
temporary in Solange and Erykah
Badu's rap collaborations.
In a modern-day sea of records
spat out to generate singles rev-
enue, this latest R&B creation
breaks free as an adventurous
tale intricately woven through a
multi-genre record. MonAe's pro-
ductions gradually garner more
attention as the years go by, and
with the attention bred from her
recent collaboration with fun. in
the three-time Grammy-nomi-
nated track "We Are Young," The
Electric Lady should have more
eyes and ears than any of Monae's
previous achievements.
G.O.O.D MUSIC
"I couldn't fit all my Persian rugs in my home theatre."
Assessing the myth of
universal acclaim
Arctic Monkeys create
darkly daringAM'
By JAKE OFFENHARTZ
For theDaily
I'm beginning to have my
doubts about this whole music'
criticism thing and, in turn,
have begun to question every-
thing about myself as a music
fan. This concerns me greatly
- as I'm sure it does you, empa-
thetic reader - and so let us now
dive into the catalyst of my dis-
tress.
Kanye West's Yeezus and
Deafheaven's Sunbather are my
two favorite albums of 2013. As
you probably already know, the
former is the sixth LP from one
of pop music's most divisive and
enduring figures. As you may
not know, the latter is the sopho-
more release from a previously
(mostly) unheard of San Fran-
cisco-based black metal out-
fit. Superficially, these albums
share nothing in common. Upon
closer examination however, the
two records of disparate genres
are not only related, but can
together illuminate a greater
truth about the current state of
music criticism.
According to Metacritic, a
website that weighs averages
from mainstream critics and
assigns normalized grades on a
100-point scale, Yeezus scored
an 85, while Sunbather earned
a whopping 92 - making it
the year's best-reviewed new
release.
So what's the issue here? My
two favorite albums this year
are nearly unanimously adored
by people who, like myself, write
about music. Accordingto Meta-
critic standards, both Yeezus
and Sunbather are "universally
acclaimed." I should be com-
forted in the warmth of collec-
tive appreciation, and normally I
would, if not for one minor tech-
nicality: It's complete and utter
bullshit.
Yeezus is less universally
agreed upon than a Syrian
ground invasion. My 17-year-
old sister likes it, a couple of my
indie-blog-reading friends like
it, but for the most part, every-
one I1
thinks
Event
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know who listens to rap the critics that both albums are,
it's either awful or OK. in fact, spectacular, it's worth
the devout Kanye fans I considering that this criti-
are largely ambivalent, cal disconnect might be more
of them given pause by the harmful than it seems. That
's minimalist, industrial embracing the palatable ele-
-at. And yet, it's Pitchfork's ments of black metal - which
t-rated album this year. is anti-mainstream by its very
bather - deemed "one of nature - as the newest trend to
st albums of the year, thus hop on, might be doing a disser-
y both Spin and NPR - vice to those who actually listen
in a similarly befuddling to the subgenre. That a nearly
n. Amid hissed vocals, unanimous critical response
ing walls of melodic to Yeezus might not be entirely
and intermittent blast indicative of the album's qual-
the seven-track master- ity, but could possibly reflect
employs a shoegaze ambi- an undiversified stock of main-
and emotional lyricism stream music critics. To that
bverts the framework of end, it's worth questioning if
metal. This, along with pop music critics, hungry for
sum art's lack of inverted the next crossover hit, could
s, has effectively alien- play a role in destroying the
he band from the insular authentic and vibrant commu-
metal community in which nities that make independent
uld presumably belong. scenes so great.
ially, Sunbather is a black Once upon a time, hip hop
album for people who was the counter-culture, the
ike black metal while still "fuck you" to status quo pop
heavy enough to alienate a and homogeneous rock. At the
ajority of people who find recent VMAs, Macklemore -
unlistenable. who embodies our current cul-
ture more than he counters it
- took home best hip-hop video
Yeezus is a of the year, while Miley Cyrus's
twerking and Justin Timber-
man of the lake's gyrating hammered home
the point that hip hop is as gen-
strangest) trifled as Williamsburg.
For the black metal tradition-
people. alist, there is no bigger fear. And
though Disney tweens likely
won't be burning crosses any-
time soon, there's no reason to
why the misleading con- think that the fringe spirit of
among music critics black metal can't go the way of
these two albums? For hip hop: hijacked by people who
oth are innovative, risk- wear flannel shirts and cross
efforts from enigmatic their arms at shows where, his-
who refuse to be shelved torically, people do not wear
i one single genre. In the flannel shirts and cross their
f the critics, the supposed arms. Co-opted by people who
akers, the fact that Yeezus think it's acceptable to invent
a rap album and Sunbather a new genre by throwing the
a black metal album is the word "post" in front of it. By
uality that makes each so people who grew tired of boiler-
cular. plate indie rock and have since
also the same reason that set their sights on new cultures
P has attracted so much to appropriate. By people who
within its respective think Yeezus and Sunbather are
And while I agree with the best albums of the year.
By ELLIOT ALPERN
Senior Arts Editor
"Baby, we both know," sing the
rest of the Arctic Monkeys inAM's
first single "Do I Wanna Know?,"
and frontman
Alex Turner A-
answers: "That
the nights were AM
mainly made
/ For saying Arctic
things that you Monkeys
can't say tomor- Domino
row day." The
line rolls and
tumbles over a raw, edgy bass,
heralding with it the end of those
happy-go-lucky Arctic Monkeys
of old. No, AM isn't for the sun-
rise or the cheery morning - this
is a soundtrack for those stum-
bling hours between come-up
and hangover. If this latest effort
from the British outfit proves any-
thing, it's that the Arctic Monkeys
know a thing or two about nights-
turned-mornings on the town.
After the raw, grinding intro-
duction of "Do I Wanna Know?,"
the AM (see how that works?) get
back to rock essentials with "R U
Mine?" Yes, the question-names
are getting cumbersome (and
don't end until "Why'd You Only
Call Me When You're High?"), but
if any song on the record screams
basic, good old-fashioned rock
'n' roll, this is it. It feels like get-
ting to the club after downtown
midnight traffic - "R U Mine?"
releases all of the tension care-
fully accrued by "Do I Wanna
Know?"
"One For The Road," the next
track, is one of two on AM to bear
the fingerprint of Josh Homme,
singer for Queens of the Stone Age
- and the influence really shows.
I
(
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Sort o
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way.
DOMINO
d of pompadours.
soft, crooning vocals pick High?," comes as a soft, crooning
chord of tension reverberat- lull in the midnight festivities.
roughout this album, giving At 2:41, the track is the shortest
lusion of a night spent hop- on AM, and it's a bit out of place
rom digto dig. Here, let's give from the raw, grinding tone of
Homme a ride. He's going the the album - but nonetheless it's a
way. grooving little number.
nee Socks," toward the tail AMonly staggers, briefly, inthe
if the album, is the other hazy middle of the record. "No. 1
me collaboration and bears Party Anthem" begins attrac-
atchiest guitar hook in the tively enough, seemingly a ballad
effort. It would fit right at on par with those longer efforts
on the latest QOTSA release, of yore, but it gets tedious (espe-
tes to show that Turner can cially considering the driving
adapt his singing to any rocker "I Want It All" that comes
Yes, that voice tends to sound directly before). Likewise, the fol-
tive if you leave AM on lowing "Mad Sounds" is a woozy,
t and tune out, but it's not so syrupy-sweet ballad, fit even with
the same as subtly different. the stereotypical "Ooh la la la's"
f like that drug-tinged trip to to brighten up the chorus. Who
te-late night club, with each knows - maybe "Mad Sounds"
altered in a slightly different represents that oversweet cock-
tail you chug too quickly, and the
trip to the porcelain headrest that
r may soon follow.
These boyS Regardless, AM grinds out
Y enough smoky, slinking hits to be
can party theband's best release since the
Y' debut effort, Whatever People Say
IAm, That's WhatI'mNot. Justbe
careful as you load it into the car
raking of which - the other stereo, or you may find yourself
on the album, "Why'd pulled into the kind of night you'll
Inly Call Me When You're never remember, but never forget.
SoN
sensus
about
one, b
taking
artists
within
eyes of
tastem
is not:
is not
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specta
It's
each L
scorn
genre.
ON YOUR SECOND RE-WATCH OF
'ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK'?
JOIN THE DAILY ARTS TV/NEW MEDIA BEAT.
COME TO THE DAILY'S MASS MEETINGS AT
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All meetings start at 7:30 p.m.
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