After what seems like months without more than a handful of decent releases, the last month has been a veritable music bonanza for listeners of all varieties. First up is the National. My love for them has been well established, but I have to say after my first listen through the album I was a little underwhelmed. Not anymore. "Sorrow" quite simply is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard, and I've come around on the rest of the album.
The National - Sorrow
The National - Anyone's Ghost
Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek put out a classic, Train of Thought, 10 years ago under the name Reflection Eternal. They finally released its follow-up, Revolutions Per Minute. It's good, but Train of Thought it is not. I think part of my problem is that they at one point sample Jay-Z giving dap to Kweli's lyrical skills, just seems unnecessary and narcissistic. Also doesn't help that he gets shown up by his guests on the third track here. Overall, it's quality, just probably not worth buying. Here are a few of my favorite songs.
Reflection Eternal - Back Again
Reflection Eternal - Black Gold
Reflection Eternal - Just Begun
Whereas with the first two, I was counting down the days till their album released, I hadn't heard of Janelle Monae until I heard a track of hers on the interweb two weeks ago. Her album is unreal pretty much from start to finish. As Mike said regarding Phantogram, this is a true album, in that you really should listen to the whole thing as it was arranged rather than isolated tracks. It has this musical-like quality to it, I'm guessing in part due to the string compositions and up and down energy levels of the tracks. I truly can't stop listening to this one.
Janelle Monae - Faster
Janelle Monae ft. Big Boi - Tightrope
Janelle Monae - Say You'll Go
To be continued...
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