GF music review club

[Carvalho Diablo]

Well if everyone can listen through Spotify / Deezer etc then i'll pick

 

DAMN by Kendrick Lamar

Nice one mate, but tell us a little bit why Damn is your AOW. Never knowingly heard anything by Kendrick Lemar btw so really looking forward to this one.

 

Kendrick Lemar, DAMN :

 

https://open.spotify.com/album/7wbJhbCvhPfbK1CLAkpq25

 

 

The GF Music Collective playlist :

 

https://open.spotify.com/user/carvalho666/playlist/3k64dON6XvCI1W9GFNH8Gr

 

If anyone wants a free version of Spotify Premium then please drop me a pm.

 

Finally, remember that anyone and everyone is still welcome to post a review of any of these chosen albums of the week so far. Reviews can be long, short, entirely up to you. Thanks.

[Carvalho Diablo]

Has this changed to fortnightly now?

Every week or two? Play it by ear, but nice to get new albums up before the weekend to give people a chance to kick back and relax.

 

Reasonable?

[Guest]

Every week or two? Play it by ear, but nice to get new albums up before the weekend to give people a chance to kick back and relax.

 

Reasonable?

This sounds more than reasonable, I think this suits most and there's really no hurry to put up reviews. Enjoy the music and then give opinions/interpretations when it suits!

[Guest]

Well if everyone can listen through Spotify / Deezer etc then i'll pick

 

DAMN by Kendrick Lamar

This is another album I have in my collection, along with To Pimp A Butterfly and good kid, m.A.A.d city. But not listened to any of the albums all through.

 

I'll look forward to listening a posting a review soon.

[Paul]

It’s not as good as TPAB, but then again almost nothing is.

[Boss]

I picked DAMN by Kendrick Lamar for two reasons. Firstly Hip Hop hasn’t been represented yet, so I wanted to add a new genre to the eclectic mix we’ve already witnessed in the previously weeks. Secondly Skids posted such a great pick last week (and it gave me great joy going back and listening to that record for the first time in ages) I thought instead of posting a classic album myself, and trying to follow it, I’d bring it back to modern day instead.

 

This is Kendrick Lamar’s follow up to arguably the best album of 2015 “To Pimp a Butterfly” and instead of following suit with the free form jazz style of it’s predecessor, this is a much rawer, starker record musically.

 

It’s about the trappings of fame and success. The vacuousness of the world around us. The vultures. The parasites. The hangers-on. It’s about the ego and sense of self-importance when you lose all sense of perspective surrounded by sycophants. The monotony of life. Being a slave to your surface desires. Searching for something deeper. It interweaves all this with the perspective of the black inner city, the out of control gun crime rates in America, Trump and the culture of Hip Hop that glamourises it.

 

If ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’ is about making sure your family get out of the projects, whilst simultaneously elevating the community of Compton and trying to bring about change, DAMN is about a man staring out of his mansion window, in his dressing gown, questioning everything he previously believed in.

[Paul]

I picked DAMN by Kendrick Lamar for two reasons. Firstly Hip Hop hasn’t been represented yet, so I wanted to add a new genre to the eclectic mix we’ve already witnessed in the previously weeks. Secondly Skids posted such a great pick last week (and it gave me great joy going back and listening to that record for the first time in ages) I thought instead of posting a classic album myself, and trying to follow it, I’d bring it back to modern day instead.

 

This is Kendrick Lamar’s follow up to arguably the best album of 2015 “To Pimp a Butterfly” and instead of following suit with the free form jazz style of it’s predecessor, this is a much rawer, starker record musically.

 

It’s about the trappings of fame and success. The vacuousness of the world around us. The vultures. The parasites. The hangers-on. It’s about the ego and sense of self-importance when you lose all sense of perspective surrounded by sycophants. The monotony of life. Being a slave to your surface desires. Searching for something deeper. It interweaves all this with the perspective of the black inner city, the out of control gun crime rates in America, Trump and the culture of Hip Hop that glamourises it.

 

If ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’ is about making sure your family get out of the projects, whilst simultaneously elevating the community of Compton and trying to bring about change, DAMN is about a man staring out of his mansion window, in his dressing gown, questioning everything he previously believed in.

Brilliant critique. Two quibbles: TPAB is the best album of the decade (in my view) and I’d have liked more comment on the music itself.

[Carvalho Diablo]

DAMN by Kendrick Lemar

 

Okay, just had my 3rd listen through DAMN, making some notes as I went this time.

 

Really, hip hop isn't my thing at all. I love Public Enemy, and have albums by Ice T, Ice Cube, NWA, Chuck D is one of my favourite frontmen of all time, but mostly I just don't get hip hop, never really have, so that's why when Boss selected this album as his AOW I was rather chuffed, definitely a new experience for me. Heard of Kendrick Lemar (mostly through his affiliation to my mate Thundercat), but really can't recall listening to anything by him before. Anyway, DAMN...

 

Blood. Nice strings and bass bring this track in, slow, nice vocal, the mix bringing some nice space to the track. Liking it, possibly my favourite song on the record, definitely one of the most spartan.

 

DNA. Like the subsonic bass rumble, some interesting music way low in the mix, nice timing on the vocal but I'm finding it distracting and detracts from the music. Not fussed with DNA.

 

Yah. More laid back, better vocal, partly sung, again I'd prefer fewer lyrics, more space and more singing, perhaps it wouldn't disrupt the flow of the music so much. Finding his rapping a bit too jarring and disruptive, breaking the flow of the track unneccessarily. Pity because the music is good.

 

Element. Big soundstage for this song, sounds well produced. The vocal is dry and in your face, has better flow but mixed a bt too high for my tastes. The chorus flows better with a nice hook.

 

Feel. Presented with another big soundstage. well produced, I'm loving the backing vocal and low ride cymbal carrying the song along. Feeling this vocal more, nice bass line in this song, definitely one of my faves so far, yeh good stuff. Liked this one.

 

Loyalty feat Rhianna. Laid back vibe, nice to hear a female vocal, not sure about the harsh riff to this though, panned hard left. A nice vocal, the interplay between Lemar and Rhianna's vocals is good, nice mixing. Again, another nice subsonic bass line. Not bad.

 

Pride. Kicks off with a nice riff this one, lovely vocal mix, Pride is laid back and better for it. There's more time and space to appreciate the lyrics and vocal delivery. Another nice low ride cymbal, yeh liking this track a lot. Another good bass line and really like the guitar / vocal play in the chorus.

 

Humble. 3rd time listening to this record and the familiarity is easing me into it more. More subsonic bass, I like the timing of the vocal, locked in with the rhythm. Humble is stripped back, but not sure I like the tone of Lemar's voice tbh, reminds me a bit of Easy E in this one!

 

Lust. Swirling intro riff sets another big soundstage, nice, I like the brief backwards snare beat, a better vocal too, one of the best so far, both chilled and laid back. That snare does sound nice. Lust rolls, a nice chorus, guitar in the back, yeh really liking this one. Another vocal sounding very Curtis Mayfield...and I love Curtis Mayfield. The brief guitar solo is welcome. Lust is one of my favourite so far, defo.

 

Love feat Zacari. The singing is a very welcome addition in Love, another big snare sounds really good. Is this a single ? Would be my choice tbh. The laid back mix gives the vocal the chance to shine. Nice production and nice ambient synth breaks way down low underpin this track. Nice.

 

XXX feat U2. Uh oh Bono alert. The intro conjurs staccato beats and jagged riffs, piled up and chopped up, there's a lot going on here. A nice bass line, Lemar's main rap is on the money. Bono lite so far, uh oh...hey crooner mode, not so bad at all, actually Bono brings a nice vocal break. Trump gets name checked, crips and bloods, XXX seems apt. Yeh, I really liked that one.

 

Fear. A nice sweet smooth start, some lovely guitar and vocal, a nice flute break, breathy and woody. Enjoying the 2nd half of this record far more than the start, more laid back and tuneful. Although the vocal to Fear is pretty depressing. Some more nice bass at the end, synthy stabs.

 

God. The swirly synthy start reminds me of the start of Morodor's Electric Dreams! I like the flow to this and those synth stabs again. These vocals are good. Good stuff.

 

Duckworth. Nice title. The start is all over the place, very well mixed though, nice bass, did he really just say "Anny Road down at Kentucky Fried Chicken"??? The "chicken incident"???

Hmm, not feeling this lyric like.

 

So, Damn didn't convert me but I enjoyed it all the same. Preferred side 2 of this record to the more brusque side 1. I find with a lot of hip hop (that I've listened to) that the message and the feeling gets lost amidst the volume and the delivery of the vocal. I feel that Damn reemphasised this for me, at times feeling like a sensory overload.

 

Enjoyed the music and the breathier more spartan moments best.

 

Looking forward to seeing your reviews, views and opinions.

 

Cheers Boss.

[moof]

Superunknown

 

I wouldn’t consider myself a huge fan of soundgarden; although they are by far my favourite to come out of the Seattle scene and I thought badmotorfinger was an immense record. I’d never listened to this one all the way through, but after quick glance at the track listing I knew there were some tracks that I was familiar with. So not going in completely blind, but enough so that this felt like a completely fresh experience - which is fucking ace and exactly what we want.

 

‘Let Me Drown’ kicks things off with a bang. Dirty cool guitar riff, driving bass and I love the layered vocals. Great middle section where it slows down a touch before a visceral scream and ripping guitar solo. Ace song.

 

‘My Wave’ can already tell this is a very different kind of record than ‘badmotorfinger’, which I felt was very Cornell-centric, in terms of hooks. Here the band really comes to the fore, catchy 5/4 groove and memorable riffing. Cornell’s vocals soar. Sort of rambles on a bit at the end, which is a perfectly fine way to see out a good tune.

 

‘Fell on black days’ takes things a little further into the darkness. Nice change of pace, great, tight work by the rhythm section and powerful, wailing vocals. You know he’s going through some shit (obviously, in hindsight)

 

‘Mailman’ starts off with a super heavy riff. More odd time signatures, but they sound completely seamless and natural. These guys are clearly masters of their craft. Not the most stand out song of the record but it doesn’t need to be because of what follows

 

‘Superunknown’ kicks off with a strong groove and a country style riff. Cornell really shines in this. What a fucking chorus ‘ALIVE IN THE SUPERUNKNOWN!’ The head is nodding vigorously at this point. Launches into a wah/phaser laden solo, Thayil fucking kills it. Awesome stuff. One of my favourites from this record.

 

‘Head down’ this record is banger after banger. Great drumming, interesting guitar work and a more stripped back vocal. The musical diversity of this record is worthy of remark. Progression on top of progression so far, fantastic songwriting.

 

‘Black Hole Sun’ one of the best hits of the 90s and one of the greatest rock vocals ever. Hands down.

 

‘Spoonman’ my favourite track from this record, instantly recognisable riff. Great bass work throughout, the bass tone is rich and warm all through the album. Really adds a dimension to the work.

 

‘Limo Wreck’ I’m trying not to waffle on at this point but another strong track (there isn’t a weak one on the record tbh). Bit of a Black Sabbath vibe to this one.

 

‘The day I tried to live’ obviously exploring some dark themes here, great laid back riff after a Radiohead-esque intro.

 

‘Kickstand’ quick, fun punk rocker.

 

‘Fresh Tendrils’ again, bit of a dirty southern kinda vibe. Really love the last minute or so of this.

 

‘4th of july’ saw this described on the web as ‘dirge’ and that sums up the early intrumentation very nicely. Good solo in this. Still love the layered vocals, he harmonises with himself to quite spectacular results.

 

‘Half’ quite a surprise of a track! Clear eastern influences, a very welcome soundscape. Lovely lucid bass work late on.

 

‘Like Suicide’ The final track, and what a journey it’s been. Truly a fantastic work start to finish and way to end the record with a bang. Huge sound, huge solo and Cornell’s delivery really hits the spot. Again. It’s really sad to think that a lot of the issues he was battling with at this time never left him. So often you see great art derived from great pain.

 

I’ll score it a 9/10

 

I really had a fantastic time listening to this record. Nice one skids.

 

DAMN is one of my records of the year, so I’m looking forward to revisiting this.

[Guest]

Have just finished my first listen through of DAMN - I think I need to listen to it again as I had certain expectations of it (probably coloured by his other albums and guest appearances on other records) and they didn't quite meet them. So I don't really want to review it until I have listened again with different expectations.

[TheHowieLama]

So - I dont get it.

 

i mean i do but I don't.

No surprise i am sure. (So i did like "i") - but I think i be too old for this record tbh.

 

The elements that made me love great rap music are not present on this record (DAMN). And I struggle to see where people make the connection with classic old school in this - maybe parts of To Pimp, but not this record.

Is he a master wordsmith - yes.

Is he better than most of the current crop- yes.

Is he a modern day messiah - not sure.

 

Would this record rock a party - no.

 

Is there any element of the musicality/genius that stitched together the top tracks of  the Bomb Squad - the technique of Mixmasters of the past - no.

 

So we are left w Kendrick preaching over mostly minimalist beats and choral interludes, and you gotta believe someone is fully enlightened to buy into preaching - and he is good on some but there is no way I am listening more than once to his ramble about Blood, then Yah, then Lust, then Feel, then Humble et al. 

His cousin Duckworth is the best part of this for me throughout and the only track I would play over - but again, I admit I don't get it - I have no connection to any of this, not in the way I did in 89 to the NY rap scene. Which seemed like life. 

 

There are some interesting down tempo beats that give him space to work throughout. And I hear that - but I lost interest when rap music became hip hop - and all this to me screams hip hop. It is better than waving your guns in the air - but it is not a patch on waving your hands in the air. Maybe it is too introspective and i, without any insight into his reality am too shallow - but I do not know.

 

So, I wait for others who do somehow share a connection to put this into focus.

[Carvalho Diablo]

General Dryness up next with his AOW. Start having a think about your choice mate, and try and get it up in time for the weekend (Kenneth Williams impersonation).

 

Plenty of time for some more reviews of DAMN, or of any of the albums selected so far.

 

You've got some good records to follow Dryness, no pressure pal...

[Guest]

DAMN by Kendrick Lamar

 

This has been a tough one to write up as I'm not sure where to start with it. For me this is hard to place this album as Kendrick Lamar is clearly a talented Hip Hop artist and has featured on so many tracks with his unique style. So comparing this album to his others and his guest appearance work is like comparing chalk and cheese.

 

It reminds me of owning a number of Timbaland albums that started out true Hip Hop (Under Construction Part II), then merged Hip Hop with some pop (Shock Value) and then shifted entirely over to pop (Timbaland Presents Shock Value II).

 

This seems to be a shift over to pop with a mix of Hip Hop thrown in. And this is hardly surprising when you see the number of producers involved in the album...Deep breath...

 

Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith (also executive producer.)

Dr. Dre (executive producer.)

9th Wonder

The Alchemist

Bēkon

BadBadNotGood

Cardo

DJ

Dahi

Greg Kurstin

James Blake

Kuk Harrell

Mike Will Made It

Pluss

Ricci Riera

Sounwave

Steve Lacy

Terrace Martin

Tae Beast

Teddy

Walton

Yung Exclusive

 

With all these producers involved it seems a little bit all over the place and it's hard to place the album in one position. It's a very good album when it's listened to as a pop album rather than a Hip Hop album. Perhaps this is where Kendrick is going?

 

Blood (Bēkon, Top Dawg) No rating out of 10 as it's an intro

 

A very mellow intro, almost introducing a story to follow. Really nice strings and Kendrick has puts his voice to this in a very emotional way. Ends with a gunshot to almost shock the listener into life and it is followed by a good Hip Hop beat...

 

DNA (Mike Will Made It) 8/10

 

This is Kendrick. Great beats and his voice jumps so many levels. Great flows and unusual shape to the track which is surprising as it's produced by just one person as opposed to other tracks which have at least a couple of producers. Kendrick sounds angry!

 

Yah (Sounwave, DJ Dahi, Top Dawg, Bēkon) 7/10

 

Slows down again and although you can hear Hip Hop influences it's got a lot of sounds that almost reminds me of Chillout from Ministry of Sound. Nice relaxing tune but after being worked up at the beginning of the album this seems a little out of place.

 

Element (Sounwave, Blake, Riera, Tae Beast, Bēkon) 8.5/10

 

This track is the standout so far, great Hip Hop beats that could have come off a Timbaland album easily. Kendrick has great flows here and it could have featured on his previous albums and been in good company. Best track so far. 

 

Feel (Sounwave) 7/10

 

Again the shape of the album is distorted by this track, seems the most pop track so far. The backing reminds me of something from Chvrches. Nice sounds and the bass track in the background has a good groove to it. Hip Hop rhymes on a pop backing track. Maybe this is where he is going? I will have to look into Sounwave and see what music he has also produced that isn't in the Hip Hop genre.

 

Loyalty Feat. Rhianna (DJ Dahi, Sounwave, Martin, Top Dawg, Kuk Harrell) 6/10

 

With Rhianna featuring there's little doubt that this is pop. Not a big fan of this track as it seems cliched. But I have to admit it's the production of all the tracks so far that has really stood out so I will be trying to look into their other works.

 

Pride (Lacy, Top Dawg, Bēkon) 5/10

 

Again, the pop side of things takes over a little here. I didn't get much from this track at all and even the production seems a little weak. Filler track for sure.

 

Humble (Mike Will Made It, Pluss) 7/10

 

Yep, Hip Hop is back. Almost expected Kanye West and JayZ to turn up on this track. Menacing piano beats with Kendrick rhyming over the top. I didn't get the lyrics though, Be Humble and throwing out insults? 

 

Lust (DJ Dahi, Sounwave, BadBadNotGood) 9/10

 

This was the track that I first heard and really liked the most. There's no doubt it's pop but I'm very interested in finding out more about the producers of this track. The third listed producer is a band and I wonder if they worked with OutKast? Brilliant.

 

Love Feat. Zacari (Walton, Sounwave, Kurstin, Top Dawg) 6/10

 

Drops down in tempo again and very pop again. But again great production. Not my kind of track but that's a personal thing.

 

XXX Feat. U2 (Mike Will Made It, DJ Dahi, Sounwave, Top Dawg, Bēkon) 8/10

 

On first reading the track list prior to listening to the album I noticed U2 featured on the album but I didn't know which track. And listening to the album through first time I didn't even hear them. I think it just features Bono as it's hard to know where the other members of U2 would be on this. Obviously a pop track with U2, but it  features some strong Hip Hop beats and it's a good track but I'm not sure why U2 are here.

 

Fear (The Alchemist, Bēkon) 7.5/10

 

Laid back intro and track, this is the most Dr Dre sounding track which has been surprisingly missing compared to his previous albums. Again, perhaps this is deliberate. Certainly a good Hip Hop track and good to unwind to the beats.

 

God (Riera, Sounwave, DJ Dahi, Bēkon, Cardo, Top Dawg, Yung Exclusive) 6.5/10

 

Starts off with a slow beat and unusual drum beats and never really steps up. Another filler track for me personally but I can see why people would enjoy this style of Hip Hop, especially for the ladies.

 

Duckworth (9th Wonder, Bēkon) 6.5/10

 

I didn't realise Duckworth was his real surname. Has he ever been in Coronation Street? Probably not. Not my cup of tea the final track here but as throughout the album, the production stands out.

 

 

 

Overall this is a surprising album and I can see why it received rave reviews as it seems to be a groundbreaking album but it's not quite what I expected. As I also listened to the last A Tribe Called Quest album (which was more Hip Hop based) and also the latest De La Soul album (which was probably closer to this album) I would place it in between these two albums but below Kendrick's own albums good Kid, m.A.A.d city I would give 8/10 and To Pimp A Butterfly I would give 9/10). I'm also curious to know who was involved in the production of his other albums.

 

DAMN I would give 7/10.

 

Carvalho, if you enjoyed DAMN to any level I would recommend you check out his other albums for reference. I am personally going to look into the producers of this album to see what other work they have been involved in!

[Boss]

I was mulling over Lou Reed's Berlin for most of the week and then Joni Mitchells Blue was calling me. Ultimately i went against that judgement (which was probably my better judgement in hindsight) and plucked for eclecticism instead. It's been a joy reading the reviews though and the thoughtfulness that's gone into them.

 

General Dryness. You're up next mate. Feel free to interject with your Album of the Week at any time. Let's keep the ball rolling. 

[moof]

DAMN

 

First of all, I really love this record. It’s been on rotation in my gaff since it was released and as I said previously, it’s easily one of my albums of the year. So, many thanks to boss, this was a great shout and listening to it with an analytical ear helped me appreciate it all the more.

 

BUT... it does genuinely suffer for what preceded it. Good kid, M.A.A.D City was a groundbreaking record that propelled Kendrick’s career and marked him out as a ‘must hear’ artist. It has an overarching, mesmeric narrative that instantly gripped me. He followed that with one of the great albums of our times. TPAB is a genuine 11/10, a firebrand social commentary, a piece of high art to be cherished. Cutting-edge shit, hugely culturally significant and Kendrick became a superstar. Peerless in the current hip hop climate.

 

DAMN is far more stripped back, introspective, relaxing listen. About the duality of life, dealing with fame and fake, the pressures and trappings that his exalted position grants him and, sort of, the apathy of modern life. He still spits fire, and the aggressive beats are interspersed throughout the record, but it feels like he’s holding back in places. Which isn’t a bad thing. This is a different type of record than what we’ve seen from him. That being said, it really is a record for all occasions; sitting down and reflecting, driving, fucking, relaxing with a drink and smoke - whatever!

 

There are plenty of tracks that will remain on my playlist for years to come.

 

DNA is hard, real nasty beat. Genius wordplay, as is so often the case with this man. The second verse is a particular highlight.

 

ELEMENT, FEEL, HUMBLE, LUST, FEAR - these are all tracks that really jump out to me. I could go on but I’ve already rambled enough!

 

For someone like Howie, who maybe thinks he didn’t quite ‘get it’, I would recommend checking out the lyric annotations on genius.com. Really aids the enjoyment of the work when you know what he’s rapping about. That site helps me a lot.

 

Looking forward to the next AOW, bring it on General.

[Carvalho Diablo]

Any sign of The General?

 

Hope all is well and he can post his new AOW. What do you all think, give it until Monday night but if GD remains AWOL then Howie to get his pads on and post his AOW instead? Would you be ready to jump in Howie?

 

Reasonable?

 

Cracking DAMN review too Moof, I'll definitely give it another listen whilst checking out that lyric website. Cheers for that mate.

 

Also, any more reviews of any of the albums ? Get 'em posted fellas.

[Guest]

I would agree with this plan, hopefully all is OK with General Dryness and it can always be slotted in down the line if not before Monday night.

[TheHowieLama]

Will do

[General Dryness]

Things a bit busy right now. Haven't had time to do anything with this thread at all so I'll just drop out if that's ok. Cheers.

[Carvalho Diablo]

Things a bit busy right now. Haven't had time to do anything with this thread at all so I'll just drop out if that's ok. Cheers.

You sure mate? You could just move you down the list by a few weeks, maybe pick your AOW in the new year, get Christmas out the way first, give you more time?

[General Dryness]

Cheers mate, I'll just bin it off if that's ok though. There's plenty would like to be on the list, so I'll let one of them have my place.

[Carvalho Diablo]

Cheers mate, I'll just bin it off if that's ok though. There's plenty would like to be on the list, so I'll let one of them have my place.

No worries, if you get some time you can always pop your head in here and drop in a review or two. Anytime.

[General Dryness]

Cheers mate, appreciate it.

[TheHowieLama]

I will throw one out.

 

Started getting into music around age 8 and like most it was through records my parents had. There were about 5 or 6 that I liked right away and have stuck with me all these years -the first CSN record, Simon and Garfunkel "Bridge over Troubled Water" , James Taylor "Sweet Baby James", CCR "Willy and the Poor Boys, The Band "Big Pink" and this record. I knew CCR and CSN were from around/based near where we lived as I heard adults talking about them - I figured out the Northeast connection with Paul Simon and also James Taylor pretty early on since there were obvious references in the songs. I thought the Band were from the South - they sounded country but wasn't sure.

There was one guy I knew had to be from the South - singing about Country Comfort and guns and the imagery of the songs - the sepia photo on the album itself had to be a on a southern porch. At that age for me,  there was no doubt about this guy's southern soul roots. It took a few years for me to learn better.

 

 

[Carvalho Diablo]

Howie's album of the week, Tumbleweed Connection by Eltoon John.

 

Spotify link :https://open.spotify.com/album/30yhgdz5SBUyX75OxxwUcl

 

The Liverpool Way Music Collective playlist :

 

https://open.spotify.com/user/carvalho666/playlist/3k64dON6XvCI1W9GFNH8Gr