That's My Dad.

Top 50 Songs of 2012: #8, Frank Ocean - Forrest Gump

My fingertips and my lips, they burn from this cigarette. 

It’s official. “Channel Orange” won it all this year. Taking over the Grammy’s, the R&B scene, along with the hearts of youngsters and critics alike, Frank Ocean is dealing with a bonafide success for the ages. Keeping true to the core basics of classic storytelling in song-writing, Ocean cultivated his crown jewel LP with old tradition in an age where everyone else tried to reinvent the wheel. Among many beloved tracks, “Forrest Gump” was my stand-out choice for its minimalist structure, high-concept theme and stunning charisma: a musical dynamic dozens of artists long for in their entire careers, Ocean creates in three minutes. 

(Source: Spotify)

Miguel - Kaleidoscope Dream

Frank Ocean isn’t the only R&B poet worth your attention this year. Enter “Kaleidoscope Dream”: the sexual, dazzling and zealous sophomore LP of soul singer/songwriter Miguel. After an impressive artistic renovation, Miguel comes at the top of his vocal and lyrical game. Whether its the immaculately potent opener “Adorn”, his dreamy psychedelic title track “Kaleidoscope Dream”, the existentially eloquent Alicia Keys collab “Where’s the Fun in Forever” or his most authentic moments on the intimate yet boyish “Do You…” and “Pussy Is Mine”; Miguel keeps his material definitively fresh and wholly consistent. Along with an earnest level of musicianship effort following suit, “Kaleidoscope Dream” earns a well-deserved reputation with a modest yet mature artistic approach for a timeless sounding record. (8/10)

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How to Dress Well - Total Loss

You were there for me when I was in trouble.

Front-man Tom Krell of R&B/ambient Brooklyn project How to Dress Well, Tom Krell wants you to dream with him. Not in a romantic or inspiring sense, more like the ‘seduce you on a beach at night and disappear by the morning’ type. His delectably under-rated debut 2009 record, “Love Remains”, an LP built for cathartic late-night drives but also marked the beginning of a slew of experimental R&B based projects in years to come. Three years later comes his sophomore effort, “Total Loss”: an ethereal sound built to please ears more R&B-laden and less lo-fi than Krell’s past work. “Total Loss” takes production cues from the likes of Michael Jackson and Prince while following similarities with his contemporaries like Purity Ring or Holy Other. In comparison to “Love Remains”, How to Dress Well achieves a set of more realized artistic sensibilities, then again, trades off large chunks of experimental value from his sound in the process. For me, Krell fits the proverbial glove of a dark and brooding ghost that he plays on “Love Remains” better than the omnipotent narrator character heard on “Total Loss”. Take your pick though. Artistic transitions are always welcome, some are just better than others. (7/10)

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Schoolboy Q - Habits & Contradictions

Equally styled (or swagged) out, broodingly dark and particularly paranoid, Black Hippy member Schoolboy Q comes to his 2012 release, “Habits & Contradictions”, with the laundry list of swag-rap components fully checked off and delivered with a discerning dose of eccentricity; consisting of material that’d make folk like A$AP Rocky sound mundane, provides Schoolboy Q to be an unusually appealing listen. (7/10) 

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Major Lazer - Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do

A monumental, hyperactive work of reggae-fusion/dancehall guaranteed to serve whopping amounts of thrills and a plethora of sonic textures. (9/10)

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Jay-Z - The Blueprint

Consider it a landmark of sampling in hip-hop, note it for the inventive production, the daunting self-assuredness in the lyricism, the blend of saluting cultures of past generations while escorting their finest qualities into the new millennium. Jay-Z’s The Blueprint shall always deserve to be remembered as one of the greatest rap albums of all-time. (9/10)

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Fun. - Some Nights

Some Nights is the much-awaited sophomore LP by indie pop’s best kept secret: Fun. After three years from their debut masterpiece of an album, Aim and Ignite, a major growth in fan-base size and some mainstream recognition to boot, Fun is well due for an upgrade in style, material and artistic direction. 

Some Nights is what may become one of the most fawned over and adored albums of 2012 by a mainstream crowd. It has the gratifying level of talent to impress with, a variety of genres ready to please a spectrum of tastes and a sheer charm that will prove irresistible to its certain age demographic. No other group is more deserving of a hardy success than Fun, what’s concerning is that maybe it’s the wrong album to get excited over. 

What made their debut release, Aim and Ignite, such a solid release was how much color, pizzazz and boundless personality was invested into these vivacious songs that successfully cited influences like Vampire Weekend, Queen and musical theater. Every possible aspect of Aim and Ignite was equalized with an immediately accessible pop sound along with layers of emotional complexities. It was a gorgeous combo that perhaps every pop artist strives to go for their entire career.

Turn to Some Nights and we find a much more restrained, both emotionally and musically, experience that feels undefined or unsure of itself. Perhaps Some Nights is feels underwhelming by Aim and Ignite’s glow, given the inevitable comparison, but despite that pretension, Some Nights falls flat on its own. In the first three tracks (including the single We Are Young), Fun feels exactly like they should on a second album: bigger, bolder, anthemic. We Are Young is a quality trademark track that sums up every single thing about Fun within four minutes; the quirky melodrama, the romantic qualities of youth, channeling heartache into pure energy. All of this is amplified to Fun’s lead singer Nate Ruess’ human limits and projected on a stadium scale. They feel ready to go big and they’re bringing every ounce of personality with them. We find ourselves steadily distancing ourselves from that statement as the rest of the album trudges through. Tracks like Carry On and One Foot prove as acceptable yet contemporary tracks from the band. Yet most the album’s weight wanders in the realm of failed ideas. To begin with, there’s a gross amount of hip-hop influence, which doesn’t suit the band’s skill set at all. Plastic-sounding beats and haphazard uses of auto-tune drenches the album’s lack of thought into something even tackier. Songs like It Gets Better, All Alone and Stars may contain brief instances of new and successful ideas, but it all just ends up sounding like something off of Radio Disney.

Much of Some Nights drowns its own best qualities out by a lot of uninspired dead space. It’s a shame to see a sophomore slump of such large proportions. Maybe next time, we’ll have more fun? Yes? 

This album was not my dad, far from it. (5/10)

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Returning with his third mix-tape and the finale to his trilogy of previous releases House of Balloons and Thursday, R&B project The Weeknd is back with his most mature, well-produced and daring release: Echoes of Silence.

This, without question, could be The Weeknd’s most recommendable release yet by a long-shot. Where House of Balloons was an experimental R&B release, there was a slight requirement to keep an open mind and a bit of patience to appreciate the complexities of the album. On Echoes of Silence, we’re given a perfectly structured mix-tape where old and new fans can fall into The Weeknd’s immersion and intoxication almost immediately.

The mix-tape opens with “D.D.”, a phenomenal cover of Michael Jackson’s classic pop track “Dirty Diana”. Comparisons between The Weeknd and Jackson have always floated around, but this cover blows all possibilities way out of the water. The Weeknd gorgeously updates the 80’s hit, honoring it with a bold musical treatment by building bigger, darker and sadder beats along with a production style that’d give Nine Inch Nails a run for their money. It almost seems like The Weeknd even goes so much to improve on Jackson’s version by giving a focus on the storytelling where Jackson only used it as a vehicle for his abundant style. The Weeknd keeps both style and substance intact, and then some. It’s such an accurate cover, I could put money on the fact that if you played it for your parents, they’d think it was an unreleased Michael Jackson B-side or a remix of the original.

The rest of the album glides through with all of the elements The Weeknd is known for while also presenting a lot of new themes and ideas. The romance found in the lyrics is devastatingly sadder, mournful and gorgeously decaying. The drugs, the nightlife, the alcohol, are now a realized evil. There is an overshadowing darkness that gives everything the past two Weeknd releases were about a mirror to show how horrifying the party really was. By being the most mature mix-tape out of the three, Echoes of Silence makes sure not to make past releases seem inferior. Instead, it gives all of the Weeknd’s work a certain closure, making the themes come full circle and seem like it had been liked this all along; right from the release of House of Balloons. It was almost like reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the succession between the two series are similar.

This release alone not only works as the most successful Weeknd release that can be appreciated individually, but also credits the past two releases dramatically and places it in a more interesting context.

House of Balloons welcomes to the party of your life while warning you of the dangerous and intimidating high you’re about to encounter. Thursday explores the experience and provides the wishful thinking associated with that high. Echoes of Silence is what it feels like the morning after. The painstaking reality, the pain, the sadness, the sorrow, the regret of everything you just went through. You want to experience this. I don’t suggest you wait. It’s a critical musical experience for our generation for this year.

This album was my dad. (10/10)

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Sometimes we should remind ourselves of the romance found in misery.

Drake’s sophomore LP Take Care is a definitive album of love and sadness. If we start from the top, Take Care is near perfect. It’s an atmospheric, admirably honest and sexy album filled with songs that rank up as some of the year’s best. Take Care opens incredibly strong with tracks like Over My Dead Body, Shot for Me, Headlines and more sprinkled throughout the album (check out “Lord Knows”). It doesn’t take long, however, to find the album’s faults, of which there are quite a few.

I cannot call Take Care a filler album because, unlike Lil Wayne with his recent Tha Carter IV, Drake isn’t lazy or focused on making music for profits. Take Care is made with a consistent effort and a strict ethic of musicianship and it shows. Regardless of the end product’s quality, that is a factor that should never get neglected. Tracks like Make Me Proud and Buried Alive (Interlude) may get your your eyes rolling, but the atmosphere and attitude comes off just as strong. On a whole, Take Care could lose some weight. The LP spans 18 songs and near the length of a feature film. That’s the only true complaint this album deserves, but then again, Drake is used to taking his time and then releasing a big album.

Take Care has the caliber of standing the test of time, given that Drake can jump out of the realm of a contemporary artiste. It may come with some easily avoidable blemishes, but theres still much to enjoy.

This album could make for a cool sibling. (7/10)

“I guess I got my swagger back.” - Jay-Z. My question is, did he ever lose it?

The Throne is a collaboration of two aficionados of the current hip-hop business. It’s a glamorous and glossily polished continuation of what feels like an artistic legacy. Respective of your personal preferences, Kanye West and Jay-Z are two of the most iconic rappers of the generation and The Throne is their ultimate testimony.

What are possible questions you could possibly ask for this album? Is this a masterpiece? Not at all; and frankly, it’s not even designed like that. All that Watch the Throne desires is to have loads of fun and look fantastic while at it. It’s certainly not hip-hop based pop, nearly all of the content here presents itself very seriously and succeeds in what it sets out for. However, the attitude of pop is prevalent; the celebration of having pure fun. What The Throne does well is not make any of the pop elements feel shallow, instead letting them accent the overall sound.

What purpose does this collaboration serve in the current hip-hop industry? None. Jay-Z and West certainly have nothing to lose and the evermore to gain. With features ranging from Frank Ocean to Beyoncé, there’s no talent left to be established. Everything here is very obvious and assured as the best of the best.

Well, we haven’t even talked about the actual music now, have we? Watch the Throne is an array from some of the year’s best in hip-hop to some failed concepts. Songs like Otis and No Church In the Wild present smart sophistication and undeniable heaps of fun. Much of the album runs like this, like eating a box of rich Godiva chocolates in one sitting. In this metaphor as well, there will be pieces that’ll disagree with your taste and standards. Songs like Lift Up and HAM fall right on their face with an embarrassing set of aggressive lyrics that poke and prod you with something that cannot be taken seriously. It’s just a hit or miss, that’s what this album honestly comes down to. Give it a spin though, you might feel fancy for a while. 

This album was that loaded uncle who bought you stuff when you were young because he was just that cool.

An old personal favorite. Review prescribed by request. 

Mayer Hawthorne’s debut album is wholly essential. A Strange Arrangement sets out to re-live the classic essences of old-school R&B and Soul that lives within the heart of Detroit. His talent beams through many fields: his sharp and atmospherically conscious production skills and as a musician, Hawthorne blissfully impresses his audience with nearly every instrument he touches and lets that modestly show itself off on his compositions. A Strange Arrangement is a wholesome collection of pitch-perfect sonic snapshots of the flavorful R&B culture and the crisp idealization of love that comes with it. 

As an artist, Hawthorne has two strong qualities going for him that drives his work all the way home: inspiration and his lovely retro sense of class. His music is derived from this very simplistic and kind blend; it’s terrifically accessible and equally pleasant. I call this album essential for its straight-forward approach in recreating the core elements of R&B. The fuzzy and constant beats and heavily retro accented chord progressions will take you to a place any hipster with the right heart would delightfully fetishize over endlessly. 

My only issue with A Strange Arrangement is the approach to its songwriting. The lyricism ranges as being one-dimensionally simplistic to unnecessarily serious to surprisingly artistic. Hawthorne is a bit too young to take himself so seriously, a fact which conclusively brings uneven results. When he keeps things plain, it manages to compliment his signature style of compositions. However, the standout track here is Green Eyed Love, which shows a much deeper, mature and successfully dynamic and developed side of Hawthorne. Hopefully a promising foreshadow to new directions desired to be taken. Who knows.

If you crave a classy, retro-loving R&B jam, what in God’s name are you waiting for? Get yourself acquainted to this guy.

This album is certainly my dad.

If Aretha Franklin were schizophrenic and an eccentric evil genius with giant heaps of gold in her mansion that she enjoys to climb and dance upon whenever she feels a jam coming her way, you’d get Janelle Monae.

Monae is sincerely a creative breed of her own, built with two parts electric charisma and one part pure old-school musical inspiration. She feels like a musical prodigy who spent her entire childhood locked in her room, relishing science fiction, David Bowie and jazz endlessly. This girl has seriously done her homework and not just that, she’s obsessed with her inspiration and let’s it shine sharply through her highly enjoyable spastic production and arrangement style.

What makes The ArchAndroid is how relentlessly enjoyable the end to end listening experience becomes as you acquaint yourself to the meticulously constructed tracks, each craftily designed with these beautiful, eternal stories not unlike the works of Ray Bradbury or Fritz Lang. 

The collaborations are immaculately contributive to the album; artists like Big Boi and Of Montreal keep up with Monae’s vision and neatly expand the sonic palette of their respective tracks. They behave as creative utensils that succumb to Monae’s massive creativity instead of individuals; a strict but dignified feature necessary for a great concept album and Monae has that to show in spades.

The ArchAndroid is the ever-changing Gobstopper of music. Monae’s bouncing off the walls at her own show and does it all with this level of class and purpose that’s cerebrally untouchable. Watch her take over everything you ever knew about R&B and let her open your eyes to something this side of town has never seen. 

This album is my dad.

What we have here is Beyonce’s most inspired work. That’s definitely someone to rave about.

Hipsters beware, this isn’t anything genre-defying by any means. Pop music only keeps “having fun” in mind. Beyonce challenges it to the extent of not limiting herself to just pop or just R&B or just rock. 

Beyonce respects the liberties taken as an artist and applies them delicately to her sound. Owning the rare slice of well-reputed pop divas available on our radio waves and never even seeming to want to divulge into anything not classy, her presence and productions always keep her purest of ideals at heart: to love and be loved, also having a blast dancing your heart out to the sounds that accompany it. She dominates as a performer by gushing herself out and hand delivers her emotions on a magnificent scale rarely reached by anybody.

Always stepping up her game another notch with every album, 4 still isn’t her masterpiece. Beyonce well-deservedly owns her position as a international superstar, yet her fatal internal flaw still drags her music down; her poor taste. Her elegance is overthrown by her unrefined attempts to glamorize her rebellions against poor post-modern standards; she means well, she just stumbles when it tries to show it.

Beyonce needs room to breathe sonically and her music proves so in multitudes. While they occasionally come out flat, attempts to diversify her sound and to break the norm for pop are credible and certainly add different feels to this album compared to others. It just goes to show when a producing veteran like Beyonce gets bored with her own genre, somethings wrong with mainstream pop these days. It’s just a shame her singles (Run the World (Girls), 1+1) are the poorest tracks all around on the album since they aim to please the charts. 

4 follows suit on Beyonce’s grand presence, savoring every drip of emotion and pushing it to a zenith level. When it comes to the art of being a pop diva, inspiration is the key to a higher greatness, and this is a lush work of inspiration. 

This album is my embarrassing, but loving mom.