BLOG (comma) MUSIC: janelle monae

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Bringing us in on Christmas Day with her musical mastery is the futuristic forward thinker, Janelle Monáe. In at number 6 we have Grammy nominated album, Dirty Computer.

The first eight songs on this album flow so fantastically. That silky transition from "Screwed (feat. Zoë Kravitz)" into "Django Jane" still brings a smile to my face when I listen to it. Alongside those two tracks my favourites on the album right now are "Take A Byte", "Make Me Feel", and "I Like That". This is the most different Janelle Monáe album across the board. Earlier this year I wrote about how although this is without a doubt a fantastic Janelle album, this isn't her best. She's still thinking a step ahead but she's almost caught up with herself here. Despite that, she's just so good and is without a doubt one of my favourite performers this decade.

The visuals in this album's eMotion picture are phenomenal. They really set the album apart from any other release this year. After extending her acting career over the past couple of years, she's brought some of those theatrics to her own musings. Janelle's never had any trouble gripping viewers with her over-the-top and stunning visuals and after watching this album, it's clear that she's definitely honed in that talent. Still in keeping with a recurring Janelle theme of performing albums in acts or suites, the album breaks into three distinct and memorable acts. The visual helps to piece together the thoughts on what might have otherwise been a bit of a muddled mix of wonderings.

I've been in awe of Janelle Monáe ever since 2008 when my friend played me "Sincerely, Jane" on her phone at school, and continue to be in awe of her still. Everything that she's released since has been ahead of the game and a cut above. Now that the world has begun to catch on, it's a pleasure to see her true self and the message of equality that she's been preaching for years now, genuinely appreciated for their brilliance.

Check out the Christmas miracle that I picked as number 6 last year here.

Every year I end up going through a bit of a nostalgic phase with my albums where I'll wheel up an old favourite and get really stuck in it, sometimes for weeks on end. That's happened a number of times this year and more and more it's made me think of the albums that should've made my Album Of The Year lists but didn't. Hindsight's 20-20 and a few of the albums on this list very clearly scream Top 10 to me now.

LIANNE LA HAVAS - Is Your Love Big Enough? (2012)

It's been six years since this release and looking back at my list then, it should've been Top 3 let alone Top 10. This is still one of my favourite debut albums of all time. Not only is the song selection and flow stellar but it's lyrically witty, exposing and altogether relatable. Everything about this album is just right, down to the last note. Since then, Lianne's released Blood and as stunning and musically impressive as that album is, I connect more with Is Your Love Big Enough? as a full body of work. Each year since it's release a can recall a vivid memory with one of it's songs attached to it. It's taken six years but I finally managed to see Lianne La Havas live this year and hearing this album played live only strengthens my belief that this should've been one of my first picks for AOTY in 2012.

LOWER THAN ATLANTIS - Changing Tune (2013)

Considering how much I overplayed this album in 2013/2014, I'm not at all sure how it didn't make my list. This was the soundtrack to almost every road-trip, every commute, every spring-cleaning session for months on end. Listening back to it now, I see what must clearly have evaded me when I was compiling my AOTY list. As always Mike Duce's clever lyricism shines through as an easy compliment, but what really takes it to the next level is the production. The mix is fantastic and not only that but the riffs are full of instant classics. I could pick anyone of these instrumentals out of a loud crowd - they're so unique but so true to LTA and their style. In a time when it was pretty rare to hear much truly original content in Rock/Pop Rock music, LTA put out an album that was as different as it was enjoyable.

JANELLE MONAÉ - The Electric Lady (2014)

I remember this actually being quite a tough choice for me at the time. This was on my shortlist for albums to make the Top 10 but for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to choose it. Listening back to it now and thinking about how much of an impact this album has had on my life and listening habits since, it seems like a no-brainer. The album opener "Givin' 'Em What They Love (feat. Prince)" - as I've said many-a-time before - is one of my favourite album openers of all time. The quality does not let up once as the album proceeds. She touches on so many pockets of music, so many different concepts and influences. This was such a forward-thinking album and I was clearly not ready to appreciate it truly for what it was at the time. I'm ready now.

ARCHITECTS - Lost Forever//Lost Together (2014)

This was just a late bloomer for me. Coming just after Daybreaker - the album that really and truly cemented my love for Architects - I don't think I was ready to listen to and fully appreciate anything new just yet. It wasn't until 2015 that I really listened and understood just how stellar this album was, both in lyricism and execution. A friend of mine actually messaged me raving about "C.A.N.C.E.R." and I listened back to the album feeling like it was the first time I'd heard it. Sam vocals hit with such an intensity in this album but also drew back to a vulnerability we hadn't heard to much of before this. This album was truly the catalyst for the Architects that we know and love today.

NONAME - Telefone (2016)

My appreciation for this album increases every single year. I say appreciation because this album has gotten me through more bouts of freezing cold weather, rainy days inside, introspective mornings and melancholic evenings than I can count. Musically, I can see how it would have been pipped at the post for me in 2016 - it was an exceptional year for music. I still believe that if this would have made my Top 10, it would have been low down on the list. However, given how much the lyrics resonate and how listenable the instrumentals are, looking back now, I feel like this was worthy of words. An immediately nostalgic album that I know I will be listening to for many years to come. There's a lot to be said for a debut album that can bring the listener closer not only to the artist but also to themselves.

As we approach December, preparations for this year's Top 30 list are already underway. It's been another incredible year for music not only in quality but in sheer volume. After combing through the mounds of new discoveries and new albums I've listened to these last 12 months, I'm just hoping that I can make the right calls. But as I said earlier, hindsight's 20-20.

Just over 5 years ago, Janelle Monae released The Electric Lady and now in just a few hours, I get to see her perform her latest album Dirty Computer live. With that said...

For the past 10 years Janelle Monáe has filled a deep hole in my musical library that I didn’t even know existed, which makes it all the more difficult to say what I’m about to. I’ve sat with it for a while and turned it upside down in my head and I’ve come to a conclusion. Dirty Computer is an overrated album.

Back in 2008 when kids at school would go around bbm-ing songs to each other and Flo Rida “Low (feat. T-Pain)” was the cream of the crop on the mainstream charts, a friend of mine pulled me aside to play me “Sincerely, Jane” at school. As soon as I was back at home that afternoon, even before I’d signed into MSN, I had begun my research into who exactly this “Janelle Monáe” was. The most unfortunate thing about listening to Metropolis: Suite I (The Chase) at the time that I did is that I was too young to fully appreciate it for what it was, but I knew there was gold in there nonetheless. It wasn’t until I’d grown up a little bit more and was blessed with The ArchAndroid that my eyes were truly opened. What. An. Album.

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of concept albums (when done well) and simply from the way that the first two tracks blend together so flawlessly I was captivated immediately. “Cold War” to this day is one of the most spine-tingling songs that I’ve ever heard, all with a sensational back beat and instrumental to match, and yet, when Janelle was breaking ground with these game-changing songs, forward thinking lyrics and booty shaking instrumentals, her fans were few and far between. She had fans no doubt, and although she was breaking ground she was still very much seen as an underground artist, particularly within the UK.

Then she gave us the absolutely phenomenal The Electric Lady. Once again, giving me one of my favourite album openings of all time - “Givin’ ‘Em What They Love (feat.Prince)”, and of course the anthem for fxmale, non-binary, LGBTQIA+ empowerment - “Q.U.E.E.N (feat. Erykah Badu)”. This album had so many layers and influences and still managed to mix the concepts of both musical theatre and radio successfully throughout. Even after all of this, not nearly as many people as I had expected were lauding her ability to turn song to story and paint vivid pictures for her listeners.

And now here we are at Dirty Computer. A great album indeed, but not so much a great Janelle Monáe album. When I first listened through, despite the spattering of some undeniable bangers like “Pynk”, “Screwed”, “Take A Byte” and “Django Jane”, there was something missing for me, linking all of these tracks together in one discernible narrative. It felt like there were a lot of unresolved thoughts and wonderings which in turn left me waiting for something to round them up and conclude everything. Despite this, the reception of Dirty Computer was incredible! People are still going crazy for the eMotion picture, and in a matter of weeks Janelle has become an overnight icon – I’d like to add that this is not the first time that Janelle has made a short film to go with her album *see Metropolis*.

So where was all of this when she was just Jane, the forward thinking Android? A large part of music in today’s climate is more to do with image than the actual music. I feel like this is why there aren’t truly any game-changers nowadays because we make music for now and not for later. Just like fast fashion, that new dance trend will be old news after a few weeks and we’ll have to churn out something new to keep up with demand. We’re pandering to the public and thinking less about what impact the music has beyond its sell-by date. In the case of Janelle, I don’t believe that her intention with Dirty Computer was to appease the crowd. I actually think that the reason for the change was because she herself is changing. The album from start to finish sounds like a flash in the pan of Janelle’s thoughts and influences spanning her whole career, whereas her previous projects have each been noticeably very well thought out moments in time.

The reason I can say with my entire chest that Dirty Computer is a great album is because it manages to skilfully highlight topics that push past the moment and stay with the listener beyond what’s in vogue now. However, Janelle’s not saying much that she’s not already said before so why are people only just listening in? I believe that people may have latched on more to the image of Janelle than the actual content of her most recent work. She’s come at her creative process from a different angle and maybe the reason the spark has dimmed for me is because it’s a little bit more commercial and a lot less experimental. Either way, I love that people love Janelle Monáe, I just wish they had loved Jane too.