I know right. Feb seems too long to wait !
Its even hard trying to find a psychical copy of the CD here in Sydney. The sad state of music shops these days.
After getting constant play for the first week +, it's been on the shelf for me -- I still give it a spin from time-to-time, but it's been at least a week or so since my last listen. Still a solid listen and, considering circumstances of his career, a very enjoyable record for his fans from way back.
But I must say I was pretty mesmerized with how much love this record was getting the first few days/week it came out...to the point that folks I really value their input were going very deep in admiration for this record (at least on social media). In the end, I suspect it was nostalgia for what D represents/(ed). But part of me thinks there is a weird push for people to "get to market first" on calling albums new classics, as if that is even possible without considerable time.
I agree. And, to be honest, there aren't a lot of really solid albums that I come across each year featuring new classic soul stuff (see other thraed).
Just gave 1000 Deaths another listen (:s.l.o.w. b.y.r.n.e.r.:) and it's actually pretty rad. Play around with the equalizer a bit to emphasize the echoed bit. It sounds kind of mid-era Shadow.
Qwestlove nails the drums on Another Lyfe.
Prayer is on some legit g-funk shit.
Charade doesn't totally work for me for some reason. It sounds like Prince, and I love Prince, but not this particular vibe, I guess.
Ain't That Easy is really tight. Singing and guitar are really baaad, and the single loud cymbal that come around every once in a while is weird.
I heard a lot of strut luv for Back To The Future BITD.
So I get the admiration for the total album now, but I didn't even put it on my year end list a couple of weeks ago. I don't think it's weird that other people got there sooner. I can be a pretty lazy listener. Could have just resonated with them "on their own level". Hell, maybe they were shroomin (or heavy off that jameison) or something!
It's an interesting record for sure, and it does conform to the old-world 'side 1, side 2' kind of programming of the order of the songs. In this way it's permissible to have all sorts of tracks on there and not all of them need to stand on their own.
But it suffers IMO from overproduction, by which I mean it is so dense with fx and processing (albeit not of the digital DAW-based plug-in variety, which is kind of interesting but ultimately void) that the songs take quite a few listens to emerge from the sonic stew they're submerged in. (This album must've been a muthafucker to mix). In my mind, the problem (if it is one) might stem from the fact it reputedly took a long time to create (I'm imagining weeks of studio time, spread over years). Perhaps the fact it's dense and murky is a good thing. I'm still, twenty or thirty listens through trying to work out what I think of many of these tracks. Of course, the ones you like straight off, begin to fade, and other ones start to become catchy. So it's a good record in this respect and it will remain on the headphones for a good while.
There is some terrific guitar playing on there. So f'ing funky. Also, Roy Hargrove multitracked on the trumpet I love, it's a unique-sounding horn section.
Vocal delivery is almost comedically undecypherable.
I know it's stupid to compare artists but ... contrast this album with Raphael Saadiq's work, in which you get absolute clarity of both the songs and the arrangements. And I'm imagining RS taking say six weeks to record an album. I have no real idea. But his songwriting is served by the production in the opposite way that most of D's songs are confounded by it, and I have a suspicion that this is concealing the fact D's songs are less wholesome, less complete, and in fact need to be concealed by the production. On the other hand, I am enjoying the playing on here. Guitars are so loose and syncopated it does away with the need for percussion.
I wonder how long it might take for another D album. Why am I even asking this?
But it suffers IMO from overproduction, by which I mean it is so dense with fx and processing (albeit not of the digital DAW-based plug-in variety, which is kind of interesting but ultimately void) that the songs take quite a few listens to emerge from the sonic stew they're submerged in. (This album must've been a muthafucker to mix) ... Perhaps the fact it's dense and murky is a good thing.
I love it when albums reward repeat listens. I'm not sure if it was my age or "the age", but when I was a teen, there were so many albums that did this for me. Also, all the El-P/Co-Flow stuff was like this for me.
granjero said:
Also, Roy Hargrove multitracked on the trumpet I love, it's a unique-sounding horn section.
Nice, didn't know that! I think there's going to be a lot of interesting stories about the making of this album that come through...
granjero said:
Vocal delivery is almost comedically undecypherable.
Agreed - I can't tell you how often an image of some PMG Chappelle Show skit 2015 pops into my head when I'm listening to this album.
Comments
Its even hard trying to find a psychical copy of the CD here in Sydney. The sad state of music shops these days.
It's gotten better for me... except for 1000 Deaths. Anyone listened to it on a high-end system and have some revelation to share?
But I must say I was pretty mesmerized with how much love this record was getting the first few days/week it came out...to the point that folks I really value their input were going very deep in admiration for this record (at least on social media). In the end, I suspect it was nostalgia for what D represents/(ed). But part of me thinks there is a weird push for people to "get to market first" on calling albums new classics, as if that is even possible without considerable time.
I agree. And, to be honest, there aren't a lot of really solid albums that I come across each year featuring new classic soul stuff (see other thraed).
Just gave 1000 Deaths another listen (:s.l.o.w. b.y.r.n.e.r.:) and it's actually pretty rad. Play around with the equalizer a bit to emphasize the echoed bit. It sounds kind of mid-era Shadow.
Qwestlove nails the drums on Another Lyfe.
Prayer is on some legit g-funk shit.
Charade doesn't totally work for me for some reason. It sounds like Prince, and I love Prince, but not this particular vibe, I guess.
Ain't That Easy is really tight. Singing and guitar are really baaad, and the single loud cymbal that come around every once in a while is weird.
I heard a lot of strut luv for Back To The Future BITD.
So I get the admiration for the total album now, but I didn't even put it on my year end list a couple of weeks ago. I don't think it's weird that other people got there sooner. I can be a pretty lazy listener. Could have just resonated with them "on their own level". Hell, maybe they were shroomin (or heavy off that jameison) or something!
But it suffers IMO from overproduction, by which I mean it is so dense with fx and processing (albeit not of the digital DAW-based plug-in variety, which is kind of interesting but ultimately void) that the songs take quite a few listens to emerge from the sonic stew they're submerged in. (This album must've been a muthafucker to mix). In my mind, the problem (if it is one) might stem from the fact it reputedly took a long time to create (I'm imagining weeks of studio time, spread over years). Perhaps the fact it's dense and murky is a good thing. I'm still, twenty or thirty listens through trying to work out what I think of many of these tracks. Of course, the ones you like straight off, begin to fade, and other ones start to become catchy. So it's a good record in this respect and it will remain on the headphones for a good while.
There is some terrific guitar playing on there. So f'ing funky. Also, Roy Hargrove multitracked on the trumpet I love, it's a unique-sounding horn section.
Vocal delivery is almost comedically undecypherable.
I know it's stupid to compare artists but ... contrast this album with Raphael Saadiq's work, in which you get absolute clarity of both the songs and the arrangements. And I'm imagining RS taking say six weeks to record an album. I have no real idea. But his songwriting is served by the production in the opposite way that most of D's songs are confounded by it, and I have a suspicion that this is concealing the fact D's songs are less wholesome, less complete, and in fact need to be concealed by the production. On the other hand, I am enjoying the playing on here. Guitars are so loose and syncopated it does away with the need for percussion.
I wonder how long it might take for another D album. Why am I even asking this?
I love it when albums reward repeat listens. I'm not sure if it was my age or "the age", but when I was a teen, there were so many albums that did this for me. Also, all the El-P/Co-Flow stuff was like this for me.
Nice, didn't know that! I think there's going to be a lot of interesting stories about the making of this album that come through...
Agreed - I can't tell you how often an image of some PMG Chappelle Show skit 2015 pops into my head when I'm listening to this album.