I need to remember that this is not a 20,000 word dissertation. As tempted as I am, this is not a thesis on the complex and magnificent inner workings of this piece of art. This is by all intent and purposes, a review as to why I (we) believe Janelle Monae’s debut album The ArchAndroid deserves it’s place atop our illustrious ‘Best Album of 2010’ list.
Most artists’ strive for years to make an album as critically successful, conceptually distinguished and as musically diverse as Monae has done on her first long player. Without any hesitation, I have and will continue to cite The ArchAndroid as one of the most impressive debuts of recent years or even, dare I say our Generation Y (this really has been THAT year for us).
Dipping in and out of genres and delving deep into illusory worlds as The ArchAndroid does is no easy feat. It’s difficult to grasp how this young mind was able to not only form such ambitious ideas, but to execute them all in such a unified and impressive manner.
An “emotion picture”, a term we had never heard before (in the context of an album) is the basis of what makes this LP different from everything else. Penned and copywritten by Janelle and her Wonderland Arts Society, it is this very idea which from the offset makes The ArchAndroid culturally very significant.
Divided into two suites, separated by lavish ‘Overtures’, the LP begins as any self-respecting epic should – with a flamboyant orchestra; Strings, brass, percussion etc. A lot can be said about an artist signed to a label like Bad Boy (lol) exposing a new generation to Classical music, but bearing in mind my opening statement I’ll have to incept that idea (Chris Nolan style) into your peripheral for your digestion at a later date.
This though is just the beginning.
After it’s glitzy introduction we are transported into a world of colour, imagination, styles and ideals. A world which on first listen is admittedly, a little overwhelming but once familiar with it, could change your life.
In Metropolis (the fictional world where the album is based), there are no borders, no genre limitations, and no end to where the musical scope begins or retreats. This audio assault transcends through Funk (‘Dance or Die’, ‘Tightrope’), R&B (‘Locked Inside’), Punk Rock (‘Come Alive (The War of the Roses), Folk (‘Oh Maker’), Acid-something (‘Mushrooms & Roses) all drenched in the perfume of Monae’s Afrofuturism.
Within these beautifully crafted songs, is the pivotal story of Cindy Mayweather (introduced to us on Monae’s debut EP Metrpolis: Suite 1 (The Chase)): the uncorrupt savior of the android community. Her bridging the gap between the “haves and the have nots” is actually a complex, maze-like insight into the socio-moral compass of Janelle’s mind. Look and listen closely and you’ll see/hear emotional conviction, sometimes abstracted by the busy-nature of the sonic forefront. See: ‘Cold War’.
The most sensational thing about Monae though, even after everything discussed– is the fact that above it all she is an exquisite singer. Vocally, she is remarkable. Power, clarity, range, style – her vocal chords are blessed. In delivering such a labyrinthine project, she would be forgiven if her voice wasn’t as great as it is, but by some miracle she is as gifted a chanteuse as she is an architect.
Oh, and to deify her even more – she performs like the spirit of James Brown has infiltrated her mechanics. Hands down one of the most electrifying live performers I have ever seen (and this is from someone who has seen both Michael Jackson & Prince in concert).
The ArchAndroid is awe-inspiring. It is genius. At times it seems almost too big to digest, but with a little fortitude, some concentration and an open mind – you will come to accept that this 70-minute blockbuster is something that you will one day pass on to your children, as my parents did Songs in the Key of Life, What’s Going On and Off the Wall. Never forget that this is Janelle Monae’s debut album. Her first attempt at putting together an interrelated body of work; what the future holds from this point on I really do not know (and trust me, Shan and I have discussed this at length), all I know is – if this is what she can achieve first go round, whatever comes next is sure to be colossal.
P.S. That album artwork.
