Popular music nowadays is very hit and miss. Long gone are the halcyon days of the Who, the Stones and the Beatles; nowadays much of what we see in the charts is produced with the very same attitude as may be given to the creation of any other commodity. The production of many a hit song has become formulaic and repetitive, with artistic integrity being resigned to the backseat whilst profit maximisation rides up front. Celebrity songstresses are drafted in to sing a heartfelt chorus, whilst the relevant rapper of the hour provides us with a few apparent attitude oozing verses. Case in point; 'Love The Way You Lie' - Eminem & Rihanna; a familiar plod through radio-friendly territory explored countless times before. Worst of all this is Eminem were talking about! Fucking Eminem! ‘Love The Way You Lie’ is a million miles from ‘Stan’ or ‘The Way I Am’ in terms of candor. It isn’t that it’s a bad song, it just isn’t the Eminem that I grew up with. To be honest I haven't actually listened to all of his latest album release, and I'm not one to pass blind judgement, but I imagine it will leave me highly disappointed.
Anyway, I stray from the point. Now, I know I'm being rather histrionic, and the last thing I want to do is sound like a music snob, but I really don't think there has been a genuinely decent song in the
Now, I know what most of you will be thinking; "is that not the perpetrator of the offence that was Day 'n' Nite?" The answer to that question is, well, partly yes. But the song we have all probably danced to mindlessly countless times in various clubs was mainly the work of Italian remix fiends Crookers, responsible also for a truly terrible rehash of AC/DC's Thunderstruck, amongst others. (Listen to it here, it is really awful. No, really!) The truth is though that the original version of Day 'n' Nite is actually quite impressive, and not only that, but it is also probably one of the weaker tracks on Kid Cudi's 2009 masterpiece 'Man On The Moon: The End Of Day'.
I urge anybody reading this to listen to his album. It is really, really brilliant. I mean, I am not big on this type of music, this is not what I would usually choose to listen to, but Kid Cudi's album is just really, really good!
The opening track; 'In My Dreams (Cudder Anthem)' sounds like the intriguing offspring of Snoop Dogg and Erasure, a concoction which leads perfectly into 'Soundtrack 2 My Life', a true highlight of the album inaugurated brilliantly with the line "I got 99 problems, and they all bitches..." A line which could be considered the light relief of the whole affair, as from here on in Cudi's lyrics become as dark as a Val Lewton movie. He takes us through his dreams and his nightmares, his thoughts, his doubts and his beliefs. His use of language is, at times, enchanting and more often than not ferociously honest. The third track on the album; 'Simple As...' is one of the most original alternative hip hop songs I've heard in the last year. The use of sampling is as well executed as the likes of DJ Shadow or The Avalanches, but Cudi's obvious rap influences give the song another layer. His combination of lyrics with delicate sampling is reminiscent of Cypress Hill or the Pharcyde. He comes across as having a truly reverent modesty, combined with a level of confidence and pure cool comparative to distinguished rappers at the top of their game.
The album is clearly influenced by early hip hop; N.W.A, A Tribe Called Quest and the like, but also has an obvious appreciation and understanding of the contemporary manifestation of the genre. Elements of trip-hop are present on the track 'Sky Might Fall', which are partnered perfectly with an admirably assured delivery from Cudi. ‘Make Her Say’ samples the piano version of Lady Gaga’s ‘Poker Face’ whilst ‘Hyyerr’ borrows parts of ‘Early Morning Love’ by Lou Rawls. The use of samples from these two very separate eras serves to reflect what Kid Cudi’s album is all about; an honest obsession with popular music in general, a collection of influences from a vast range of origins, carefully compiled in the form of a radio friendly hip hop LP.
The real highlight of the album for me however, lies in the lyrics. Kid Cudi writes with confidence and vigour about subjects rarely touched upon within his genre. Many of his songs are social commentaries Stuart Hall would probably be proud of. There is myriad science fiction influences on the album; present apparently because Kid Cudi and Kanye West played sci fi movies on silent whilst making it. Cudi’s songs are often complex explorations of life, dreams, nightmares and the potential meanings of all of the above. He takes a critical view of the world but at the same time appreciates the shallow benefits of celebrity and consumerism. The, in my opinion, best song on the album; ‘Pursuit Of Happiness’ is an optimistic take on the American dream, a brief analysis of life itself and a celebration of simplicity and chemical romance. It is a really brilliant song, helped along by the contributions of MGMT and Ratatat, the music of whom suits the lyrics perfectly.
No comments:
Post a Comment