Album Review: uknowhatimsayin¿ - Danny Brown

Detroit rapper Danny Brown has returned with his newest album offering uknowhatimsayin¿, and he is as wonderfully funky and comedic as ever. While not nearly as inventive as Atrocity Exhibition was, this project spends some of the well-earned freedom Danny Brown has previously garnered through his prior projects and doesn’t disappoint. This isn’t his best album, but it’s certainly very enjoyable.

The highs are very high on this project. “Dirty Laundry”, “3 Tearz”, and Savage Nomad” are standout tracks that I can see myself listening to on a regular basis. The production, bars, and brevity of this album are all appreciated for their excellency, but there’s just something missing from this project that doesn’t push it to the level of amazingness that his earlier projects have provided for me.

I’m wondering if I was expecting a certain level of experimentation and novelty that just wasn’t bound to come from this project. Atrocity Exhibition was so fresh and outlandish that it immediately stood out and set itself apart, and this album just doesn’t do that in the same way to me. Danny Brown is one of the more consistently solid rappers in the field right now, but part of me wishes he would continue pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable and expected in the genre right now. This album is conventionally very good, when I was looking for something unconventionally great.

Brown’s return to a sort of classicism is surely to be appreciated by those who aren’t impressed sheerly by experimentation. Instead of standing out from the well-produced instrumentals behind him as he previous has, Brown melts right into their grooves and finds a comfortable place to flex his ingenious lyrical abilities. This album is more heartfelt and playful than it is guttural, and that is okay because it’s such an easy and enjoyable listen. Danny Brown has earned his right to make whatever kind of music he wants, and this album is further proof of how that is a good thing. Excited to see what comes next from such an eccentric presence in hip-hop.

Favorite Tracks: “Dirty Laundry”, “3 Tearz”, “Savage Nomad”

Least Favorite Track: Change Up

SCORE: 8/10

Tyler, The Creator IGOR Tour Concert Review

Following the releases of his two most recent and fantastic albums Flower Boy and IGOR, I knew that I had to go see Tyler, The Creator live in concert. While some view Tyler as controversial (he was banned from the UK in 2015), I see him as the always-maturing artist that he is and enjoy his music very much. I’m happy to say that seeing him live in concert was worth every penny.

The opening acts at this show, Goldlink and Blood Orange, were decent. I think that if they switched the order in which they performed, the energy in State Farm Arena would’ve been a lot better throughout the whole night. Goldlink hyped everyone just for Blood Orange to mellow everyone out again. That’s okay, though - the following act was spectacular.

Tyler’s signature opening on this tour of slowly walking into and then soaking up the spotlight is just awesome. There’s also something cool about his rotation of loudly colored suits that makes the color reveal fun at every show. “IGOR’S THEME” works just as well in a concert setting as it did on the album, and I immediately knew that I was in for a treat when the beat hit and Tyler’s amazingly spastic dance moves hit the stage.

There was a good balance struck between performing songs off the new project and pulling out old classics like “Tamale” and “Yonkers” which made him famous in the first place. The crowd seemed to know every song, as did I, and the energy was fantastic during the entirety of Tyler’s set. The lighting and effects during the show fit in very well with the theme of the night, and I’m glad to have been able to take some decent pictures and videos. Ending things with “ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?” was the perfect way to cap off a great night.

I feel like even if you aren’t familiar with Tyler’s entire discography, it’s worth seeing him live in concert. Also, take someone you love like how I took my girlfriend. IGOR was a fantastic album, and I’ll be proudly repping the merch I got at the show while listening to the album. Great, great show.

Fall Clothing Pickups (Common Projects, AllSaints)

Despite the fact we’ll breaking high temperature records here in Atlanta tomorrow, Fall weather is right around the corner. That’s right - soon enough it will be cold enough to bring out the sweaters, flannels, and boots without the potential for a heatstroke. Having this in mind, as I often do, I recently decided to make some Fall clothing purchases. Spooky ones, at that. Let’s take a look.

The first item I decided to purchase recently was a pair of shoes I’ve been eyeing for a long time. Adding to my Common Projects collection is the Achilles Low in black and white. I’ll be able to dress this pair up or down, and I’ll be able to wear them year round. They’re so shiny they’ve even already been conversation starters.

The next two items I purchased were from AllSaints. That 15% off student discount just had to be taken advantage of. With Halloween on the mind, I went for two seasonally themed pieces. The sweater, with red and black stripes, is incredibly soft and gives off serious Freddy Krueger vibes. The T-shirt caught my attention because of its clever design, reading both “Hallucinations” and “AllSaints” simultaneously. Two pieces from one of my favorite brands that will get a lot of wear.

Thanks for checking out some of my Fall clothing pickups. If you want to see more of this sort of thing, you check out my Instagram here. What are you wearing this Fall?

Album Review: Self-Titled - The Highwomen

Made up by four of the most successful and influential female country blues artists currently in their genre, The Highwomen have released their debut self-titled album which lived up to my highest expectations. Though it may be bold to use a name playfully making reference to one of the most powerful collaborative groups of all time, The Highway Men, this project earned its place and my respect because of its outstanding vocal performances, poetic song writing, and stellar production.

I should give a disclaimer before you go listen to this project: It’s very heartfelt. You just might cry listening to it, and that’s okay. I wrote earlier this year about my widening taste in music, and this album checks all of those boxes. Not every track tugs at the heart strings, such as “Redesigning Women” and “If She Ever Leaves Me”, which make powerful statements put do so lightly and sometimes comedically. That being said, the emotional moments on this album are absolutely chilling and haunting. “My Only Child” is one of the most beautiful depictions of a parent’s love for a child I’ve ever heard, and “Cocktail And A Song” is an incredibly bittersweet story of dealing with loss. Grab a tissue box for this album - you’re going to need it.

While the songwriting is strong on this project, I don’t think it would’ve been as successful as it is if you were to insert any other country artists instead of the four Highwomen. Every member has something significant and unique to offer, such as Brandi Carlile’s spectacular and easily-recognizable vibrato, or Amanda Shires’ mature sound throughout the project. Each member compliments the others, and the harmonies are wonderful on nearly every track. The songs chosen to cover fit the album thematically and sonically, and the album is better off with them.

I’m thoroughly impressed by the newest country supergroup, and am excited to see what The Highwomen have in store in the future. I never thought I’d be listening to country music and enjoying it, but here we are. Don’t worry, though, I’m still listening to rap, rock, and all of the usual genres. Go check out this project and let me know if it brings a tear to your eye!

Favorite Tracks: “Redesigning Women”, “Loose Change”, “Crowded Table”, “Old Soul”, “My Only Child”, “Wheels of Laredo”

SCORE: 9/10

Why I, A Non-Musician, Wrote An Album

I like to push myself creatively.

Over the years, I’ve taken lessons in a variety of instruments including guitar, piano, and getting so good at Guitar Hero that I was winning city-wide tournaments at 10 years old. None of those really stuck (except for some reason I can still shred some Guitar Hero), but I still think of consuming and listening to music carefully and critically as a beloved hobby of mine. Recently, I’ve been infatuated with artists who are willing to open up and share stories of their personal struggles, which is different from the version of me who used to avoid that kind of soul-searching and sharing. I’ve been so interested in it, in fact, that I decided to go about some of it myself.

I wanted to write about something both relatable and true to me. As someone who suffers from sometimes severe anxiety, I decided that the collections of “songs” I was to put together would tell the story, from beginning to end, of when I have an anxiety attack. These attacks give me tunnel vision, like a vignette on a picture, but nothing is clear as everything is shaky and chaotic. The title of my album would be called A Vignette Swarming, which is an artistic description of one of my anxiety attacks.

I wrote song titles that allowed me to put my undeveloped songwriting skills to the test, such as the opening track that sets the stage “Storm’s Rolling In”, the revealing and admittedly depressing “Hitchhiker’s Thumb”, the sentimental “Keep The Good Ones Close”, and the happy ending “Not A Cloud In The Sky”. At 13 tracks in total, I was comfortable with the length of this project. I’m very familiar with basic song structure because I listen to so much music, so the only difficult part was artistically conveying the lyrics and ideas that I wanted to get across. I worked on this project on my phone from time to time, until eventually I had complete lyrics and a developed tune for every “song” on the project.

That’s where I am now. I have a fully written “album” of 13 tracks packed full of personal, introspective, and revealing lyrics and accompanying mental tunes. I also don’t have much knowledge as to how to put together a nice-sounding song, and certainly don’t have the singing voice I’d love to have, but maybe that will come one day (the instrumental part - certainly not the singing barring a miracle.)

This little project perhaps is not complete, but has been a very relaxing and transformative hobby for a couple of months. I encourage everyone to push themselves creatively, to make something out of nothing, and to tackle the biggest battles you fight every day head on, embracing them for what they are and making something beautiful out of them. Not every beast has to be defeated (some are perpetual, and that’s okay), but they should all help you grow in one way or another.

Maybe one day I’ll be sharing with you a Spotify link to a fully mixed and mastered project of mine… who knows. Maybe I will adapt these “songs” into short stories, I’m not sure. But I’m happy with where it is now, and I just wanted to share. Thanks for reading.