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This was a super interesting album. I haven't listened to Destroy Lonely before this and saw the polarised reviews and decided to give it a spin so this is also an introduction to Destroy Lonely, who has been on my radar for a while, for me. I listened to this album in two halves pausing at DOUBT IT. The inspirations for this album were super interesting, the melodies remind me of 60s rock music, the bass is very 2020s rager and the drums remind me of 2000's pop. There were a few tracks I didn't care too much for here and those songs are frontloaded in the tracklist which may stunt relistenability for me. I especially was disappointed with the luv cut considering their versatility. I especially enjoyed the record scratches in the hook of LOCK IN and the rowland juno esque synth in AMERIKA. My favourite track is probably THRILL however, the carnival esque production and tension are such an interesting and THRILLing (lol) set for Lonely and Carson to riff on, I really enjoyed how they complimented eachother too.
Another one that I didn't really return to Lock In made it into rotation and even on my DJ USB but not much of anything else in the album. However that didn't feel right. This is in a style I love rn with so why? At first I thought it was the subject mattter, this album is about love (it's literally in the title and the main theme throughout) and my view on love is different to lone's. They aren't completely opposed however. My read from this album is Lone views love as a means to pleasure. I view love as a conflict that is desired and yearned for (dyke) pleasure could be the motive behind ones desire for conflict. So no not that. Then I thought it was the producer pick. F1lthy is lacking on the tracklist (there's so many producers I might've been dyslexic reading the credit list but I don't remember hearing his or WOD's tags on any of these songs), but then I loved A Great Chaos by Ken Carson and my standout tracks there aren't the F1lthy ones. So I went down a sort of rabbit hole to figure this out. I listened to three other Rager albums of a similar length released around the same time that stuck with me. Playboi Carti's MUSIC, the deluxe version of the aforementioned A Great Chaos, & Bladee's COLD VISIONS. I believe that the intensity and balance of intensity throughout the tracklist is the issue. Carson's effort has a very consistent intensity throughout with a very cohesive style and peaks towards the beginning and end of the album. Carti's effort is the least cohesive but has the highest intensity with POP OUT (pls carti release the rest of the cave sessions the leaks are fucked levels of gnarly). Bladee's effort sits in the middle but has the lowes trough of all three with MESSAGE TO MYSELF. so to hone in on COLD VISIONS, the overall intensity is higher but these lows don't throw you off (for bladee fans at least, the lower intensity tracks are closer to Bladee's usual style vs the more accessible tracks that makeup most of the album) the structure of the album places the 4 lowest intensity tracks together, two at the end and two at the midpoint. This serves to separate the songs by mood with the more emo tracks first and more victorius tracks last. (a reverse of Playboi Carti's Whole Lotta Red, probably one of the best Rager albums [Day1 defender btw]) on LOVE LASTS FOREVER the tracks seem to shift mood and instrument scape every 3 tracks or so. Which although can work to create an emotional dizziness in the listener (see The Weeknd's Echoes Of Silence) it's not commital enough. The sounds aren't intense enough for this to work. So that's the reason my opinion on this album changed. It's lacking the intensity of it's scene and lacking the intensity to pull off the trick it is going for. fav_Track: LOCK IN
icl i'm not getting the consensus around this album. there are a few distinct lowpoints but there are also some high points, which together make a solid record. is it ye's best? no but ye has an extensive and acclaimed discography and this is far from ye's worst imo (probably one of my hotter takes but this is my list not yours). I see some similarities between CARNIVAL and BLACK SKINHEAD from yeezus. my fav track was PAPERWORK i loved the bassline on it
my opinion on this album hasn't really changed. I rarely return to it compared to Ye's other work. i think my favourite track is FUK SUMN now
listened on Moondrop Robin
OOOO this was a good one to start the year. This album feels like it's made by someone who is making music because they LOVE it. I'm especially hearing this album pull from a lot Black American music tracks like STOLE YA FLOW & AIR FORCE pull heavy from the South American Hip Hop scene in the 90s and 2000s with that grimey bass that's simultaneously reminding me of the Miami bass and horrorcore scenes. On the opposite end ROBBERY is a smooth jazz delight. There's even more esoteric parts like STFU;s inclusion of Deaton Chris Anthony's Amiga. The Amiga is essential to the early days of jungle, and DCA pushed it into a rock place on SID THE KID that was so pleasing to my ears, wow does it hit in a rap context too. This album was a delight. fav_track: STFU (DCA fangirl)
listened on Moondrop Robin
when i read the initial reviews on this release I instantly delayed listening to it bc I knew it would hit me in a certain way. my expectations were fulfilled to say the least. Seeing Danny on instagram be an unabashed lover of hyperpop, along with the already trending that way vibe of his previous releases, I was expecting him to dip his toes, not full pivot. I think the standout here is the producer lineup not the vocal performances. Not to dig at the vocal performance however, it's fucking good, the production is just a step higher. I didn't care much for the Quadeca collabs, they felt a bit safe for the scope of this album. I could literally be here all day talking about every other track tho. I was like fully gobsmacked by the sewerslvt collab and the final verse of the FEMTANYL track is going to take me a bit to understand. fav_track: All4u
listened on Kiwi Ears X Crinicle Singolo
This album invokes multiple discussions, and there is much i could focus on for it's anniversary. i wish to hone in on the inherent value of art and what makes art more or less valuable as that's what stands out most to me from this record. Lil Yachty was part of the 2016 XXL list, had a collaboration on Lil Pump's first mixtape (I can make many of the points I'm making in the op piece part of this review for Pump but I don't think people are ready to hear me out on that one), and focussed on fashion just as much as the music. Mumble rapper is a fitting title for hip hop fans of a certain calibre. For others just rapper was enough to dissmiss Yachty. For those who were playing attention the postmodern, WOD produced Poland was a song to release before this, his attempt at his own A$AP / OFWGKTA style clique having drama reminiscent of my friendgroup at 16, and the use of AI art on the cover, was it time to leave Lil Yachty in the 2010s? Those who gave this a chance on release day instantly held reverence for the psychadelic album. Hold up. psychadelic? Yes this album draws from modern psych rock acts such as tame impala and older psych funk acts such as parliment equally. one may expect this to fall like PUMP ROCK X HEAVY METAL from Lil Pump's album released later that year. Lil Pump is on his parody act there though, Lil Yachty is dead serious. The reception to this album is interesting. Those with a lil unchecked racism (I only like Emminem and NF rap music) were onboard? the RYM reviews are half a star above any other album of his? It would appear that Yachty has something profound to state on this record. But no this is as meaningless as Poland. He says so himself multiple times in the album. Yet everyone sees this as so much deeper than the rest of his music including his newest James Blake collab. "Love is not a lie, it feels just like a Tarantino movie" Tarantino rarely elaborates on the meaning behind his art and when he does it's often along the lines of 'just because.' "IVE OFFICIALLY LOST ViSiON!!!!" "Seeing the world with two eyes shut... There's no point me trying to explain my troubles" he even says "Don't ask no questions on the ride." This album has no more depth or meaning than Poland, in fact I'd dare to say Poland was the primer too see if people were ready for this album. Like I'm not meaning any of this in a this album is shit way. I'm rather a fan of Tarantino scenes. This album says that art doesn't need meaning and that's it's depth. This album's beauty exists on the surface level, and that surface is like the golden waves as you sail your boat out in the morning from your favourite coast. the BLACK seminole. has me grooving so hard, THE ALCHEMIST. feels super poignant. I really enjoyed this release. fav_track: IVE OFFICIALLY LOST ViSiON!!!!
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