Igor: How Did It Age? By: Ian Sherry 11/18/2024 I once saw a clip of a radio show or something (I wish I could remember to give proper credit) where this guy did impressions of rappers and then explained how different artists rap from different places - Biggie from his stomach, Tupac from his heart, JAY-Z from the top of his throat - you get the idea. He had clearly studied their creative process with his ears well enough to replicate it. Impressive. When it comes to Tyler The Creator (who raps from a variety of places), I’d like to focus on a different part of the creative process - inspiration. Before you can rap or pursue any creative endeavor, you have to draw inspiration. In the morbidly broad field that is ‘music’, there is a wide variety in quality depending on the alignment of motivation, setting, and talent. Not all of these alignments are made equal - the periods where an artist is sufficiently motivated in an inspiring setting result in the very best music, and they don’t last forever. Tyler The Creator is a period artist, meaning he has encountered and capitalized on several crucial moments - several alignments of those 3 crucial factors - throughout his artistic career. While it’s hard to determine from the outside looking in and only he can truly know where his music comes from, it seems obvious that Tyler had a shift in inspiration between his Odd Future era releases and his coming of age record Flower Boy . Following that jump in maturity, with his motivation, setting, and talent level evolving once again he embarked on his 3rd, most inspired period: Igor . As we border on what could be the horizon of a new era with his latest release CHROMAKOPIA , I thought it was the perfect time to revisit Tyler’s unforgettable 2019. IGOR: How Did It Age? What I’m ultimately trying to express with my ‘period’ concept is that an artist's ability to draw inspiration has a major impact on the potential of the product. Tyler is just too good of an illustration: the Igor period seems to have lasted just one year and was the result of a creative wildfire that began to kindle in the artistic rock bottom that many perceive Cherry Bomb to be. In contrast, Call Me If You Get Lost was a recovery effort in the aftermath of said wildfire. Following what I can only imagine were life-altering changes that came with his sudden emergence on Pop Culture’s center stage and the subsequent pandemic, Tyler spoke about hitting a creative rut. He also mentioned that a certain Westside Gunn helped him find inspiration again, hence the boastful pseudo-fashion rap nature of his 2021 album. Gunn is powered by this cycle of professionally inspired inspiration that consists of finding joy in success, remembering and reminding how he came upon that success, and using all of that as motivation to go get more. Tyler tapped into that cycle of success and leaned safely into his strengths on the last record; that’s why I loved it, but that’s also why it isn’t an era-defining type of record. He’s not Tyler The Gunn, he’s Tyler The Creator, and Tyler created Igor . If it’s so great why do I need to revisit it? Well, now I have a confession to make. Igor really is all the things I built it up to be, but recently I had this startling thought: is it actually good music? Pundits were quick to jump on the freight train that was Tyler’s uber-alternative new sound for a variety of reasons: first, progressive-edged subject matter gives any project a boost, second, his metamorphosis from an off-color goofball rapper to a self-serious embodiment of his latest album was shocking, and lastly, the sound itself is so intentionally abrasive and self-aware it becomes difficult to critique. Of course, the critics could have said something like ‘This music sucks because I don’t like it’, but that’s not why they get paid the big bucks. I joke, but it is actually that last point I’d like to revisit. Despite my readiness to be blown away by it, I remember being a little unsure if I even liked the album when it first came out. I’d never heard anything like it, and I still really haven’t, but there everyone was celebrating it as one of the decade’s best musical moments, so I followed suit. Next thing I knew, I was watching YouTubers break down the album’s storyline. That’s because in 2019 being a fan of Igor was a lot of fun. The communal excitement music can generate is infectious, and nostalgic memories of this album’s fever-pitch reception will always positively factor into its aging process, but I wonder if retrospect will show the same kindness to the sound itself. Now, if I’ve properly introduced this album, you ought to be wondering was it the excitement that elevated the album to an alt music masterpiece, or does it truly measure up over time? Let’s dig in. To appreciate Igor you must first digest its sound. Some do quicker than others, and I think that depends entirely on your own personal tastes. If you listen to a lot of Tyler’s music, you can get a good idea of where the Igor sound sprung from, but if this album were your first encounter with Tyler, there’s a much wider variety of ways you might experience, understand, and classify it. For example, I’m listening to Portishead as I write this article and there are definite similarities between their more hip-hop-aware periods and Tyler’s more atmospheric trip-hop style. One is a British rock band, the other an American rapper who’s banned from the UK, but their sonic spectrums overlap to a point. I could easily imagine being a big Portishead fan listening to Igor for the first time and experiencing track 1 as a popified relative of my favorite band. That’s because “IGOR’S THEME” starts the record off with a heavy-handed display of the big droning synths, 808s, and heavy distortion that give the album its edge. It also establishes a noticeably high pace that adds to the mystique of the sound and can be adjusted to aid the albums storytelling through tone. All that is to say, it’s the perfect song to start the album. Those kinds of project-focused decisions must’ve come so easily to Tyler The Creator in 2019. Most transitions on this album are fairly seamless and the outliers feel intentionally excused for one reason or another. Track 2 “EARFQUAKE” , the album’s biggest hit, introduced Igor ’s newly established stylistic palette to the mainstream, and, in tandem with Playboi Carti , Tyler rode his unconventionally altered vocals to number 5 on the Billboard before transitioning effortlessly to track 3. “I THINK” is built with a lot of the same bones you’d find in Kanye West’s prime production and begins to settle subtly into Tyler’s more familiar poppy alt-rap stomping grounds. Post the smoothly incorporated interlude track 4 , Tyler remains in his wheelhouse on “RUNNING OUT OF TIME” . Having established that sonic edge in track 1, given the album a sound-defining candidate in track 2, and maintained the usage of his quirky new vocal stylings throughout, Tyler The Creator already cultivated a potent sonic theme by the 5th song. Because it's so strong, that theme, or at least its influence remains present even on a sonically lighter song like “RUNNING OUT OF TIME”, building tension that draws the listener in and elevates the effectiveness of the song's progressions. That theme’s constant presence also makes it easy to jump into Igor mode. For instance, on track 6, “NEW MAGIC WAND” , as Tyler The Creator’s alter-ego permanently enters the album’s plot, he returns to the heavy-handed electronic atmosphere of “IGOR’S THEME” to go with a grinding horrorcore-esque rapping performance. The stylistic flexibility Tyler allowed himself made it possible to place songs like those back to back. Without the ability to make tough transitions work, he couldn’t have properly communicated the topsy-turvy love affair Igor intended. "A BOY IS A GUN" Despite all the superlatives, sometimes I get the feeling that this is less of a perfect album, and more of a well-executed gameplan, one that’s impossible to poke holes in. He chose an intentionally imperfect sound that negates any criticisms of sonic unpleasantries, took the liberty of dipping into his comfort zone despite the ambitions of his new sound, aligned it with a lyrical plot that supports his musical decisions, and gave songs that wouldn’t necessarily stand up well on their own a slot that allows them to thrive. There’s lots of circumstantial evidence building to support the idea that this is more of a great plan than it is a great album, so this is when I point to track 7. When I review albums, I review just that - the album. My focus is on the strength of each song of course, but as it pertains to their inclusion in the whole. Rarely do I give extended time-of-day to any particular song because it only represents a fraction of the total experience. I prefer it that way because a single song in a vacuum can become exhaustive. This however is a special occasion. “A BOY IS A GUN” arrived at a crucial point in the album. Following a back-to-back display of songs on polar opposite sides of the album’s sound, Tyler The Creator delivered the perfect semblance of their pieces. It has the build of a hip-hop song as he immediately establishes the beat and hook, making transitions between well-rapped verses seamless for the length of the song. The lyrics excellently navigate the rising action of his album-long romance with the vicious honesty of a man who’s finally out of patience. His herky-jerky flow makes for addictive listenability, as does the stop-and-go he expertly wove into the structure of the song to maintain tension and therefore your attention, leaving you susceptible to its many instrumental shifts. “A BOY IS A GUN” is as smooth, challenging, and unique as any song on the album, making it the perfect Igor song. ...anyway Here’s a metaphor for all you drinkers! Listening to “PUPPET” on the tail of the best song on the album is my version of a terrible hangover. Is it that bad of a song? In the grand scheme of things no, but it highlights everything I struggle with on the album. Its lack of pace creates a subsequent failure in the Igor formula. With more time to process, it's easy to hear some of the iffy instrumental quality - little imperfections that Tyler swept under the rug of electronic commotion in order to achieve a larger-scale sound. On top of that, the Kanye feature is complete garbage that Tyler attempted to fashion into usable material, and the bridge is a turd. I could go on but I won’t - it’s about the album remember? The singular skid of the album continues with “WHAT’S GOOD” (the song sure isn’t), which stands as Tyler’s only production miss on the record. It fails to catch any groove and rotates unsatisfyingly between two beats I really don’t care for. Luckily, with his duds out of the way, Tyler was ready to finish the album strong. The final three songs are a perfect example of the album supporting the songs. They all exemplify the album’s sound in some way or another, benefit significantly from their placement in the narrative as well as the tracklist, and have greater relevance within the complete package than they would on their own. Track 10 is “GONE GONE / THANK YOU” . Igor ’s falling action begins with a great build. The intro draws you in and the thankfully listenable instrumental is nicely accompanied by his chipmonked vocals. In my opinion, this is one of the few occasions on the album where a strong performance in his natural voice wouldn’t have sufficed or been preferable, as his autotune allows him to marry with the music in a way he couldn’t have otherwise. Then, I think just for me, he spat a great verse in his normal voice before giving way to the second part of the song which feels like a glorified outro for the first. “I DON’T LOVE YOU ANYMORE” represents the end of the romance, and sets the final stage with one of Tyler’s cleanest trip-hop/alt-hip-hop cuts to date. Then lastly, “ARE WE STILL FRIENDS” takes that listenability to the next level with a bright little soul sample that lays the groundwork for its lengthy build. It winds up and breaks itself down to some increasingly faint electric guitar, before roaring back one more time for the album's grandiose, cinematic closing moments. It’s a fittingly overdone last track, in hue of “Stand Tall” from Childish Gambino’s masterpiece Awaken My Love , and it brings Igor to a proper end. It’s time to return to that question I made you pose to yourself in the beginning (moment in time or masterpiece?). As a person who was there in 2019 experiencing Tyler’s takeover, its impossible to separate the album from its initial existence. The obsessive fanfare elevated Igor at the time, there’s no question, but I have my own question. If it can elevate it then, why not now? If an album relies on audience buy-in to thrive, as long as the audience keeps buying in, it remains a validated piece of art - it works. Five years after its release, Igor still works. I was pleasantly surprised to find that an album whose sound was such a product of the moment has maintained its complexity. I was afraid that by digging in I might start to see through the world Tyler created, that I might not be able to get past surface-level blemishes. To an extent the aging process isn’t preventable - it comes with familiarity - but, I’m very familiar with Igor, and while it might not necessarily soar to the heights it did in its early ragingly successful existence, it will survive. That’s because no matter how this particular sound develops, regardless of who might come along and do it better, and despite the occasionally spotty quality that comes with carving out a new niche, the album’s greatest strengths will remain unaffected. It is a story with a beginning and end, an all-encompassing thematic undertaking, a meaningful and relatable message, and a complete intentionally unified piece of music. Igor is an 8.5 .

Hurry Up Tomorrow : Monday Is Looming By Ian Sherry 3/8/2025 The Weeknd released Hurry Up Tomorrow on January 31st, 2025. Abel Tesfaye searches for end-of-era-defining songs on what is rumored be the final album released under his present moniker. The Weeknd rose to prominence in the early stages of last decade when his trio of mixtapes, Trilogy , caught listeners’ ears with the shock-toxic club-pop he pioneered. Now, after releasing a decent debut, 2 consecutive smash hit records, and the first 2 records of his highly successful and allegedly final trilogy, the Toronto superstar entered this record evidently shorter on inspiration than he’s been in a long time. The reception of The Weeknd’s latest has been the increasingly typical mix of middling to high scores and mild to moderate enthusiasm. With the world’s top sound engineers at his disposal and having the knack for delivering sonically enticing soundscapes that he does, a certain level of critical success is all but guaranteed. The Weeknd will always provide a song like “Baptized In Fear” to scratch the hifi itch. But, if the repeated achievement of sonic standards is akin to success in your view, consider the remainder of this review a dissenting opinion. The Weeknd is out of gas. Fueled in his early days by the nightlife, Abel Tesfaye seemed to know his lifestyle wasn’t sustainable. So began his journey to pop stardom. His now 15-plus-year career has been marked time and time again by well-executed shifts in identity, ultimately bridging the gap between toxic trainwreck and cynical celebrity, but on Hurry Up Tomorrow he was too slow to pull the plug. The sound has reached its expiration date. The Weeknd’s identity, which was always a poignant feature of his artistry, is currently reduced almost singularly to his star status. The result is a hit-driven approach to the majority of tracks. With his mind perpetually set on the high point, the instrumentals have become electronic clouds of ambient ambiance. Take “Reflections Laughing.” The track begins with The Weeknd singing alongside a meek guitar playing no discernable melody, then with the help of a chipmunked sample hook and someone sitting on the bass button, he begins to build to the climax just 1 minute into the 4:51 song. He even drops an interlude into the middle of the song before a painfully lethargic Travis Scott feature accounts for the last 1:37. The song relies so heavily on audience buy-in that it is held together more by the robo-popstar personas of Tesfaye and Scott than any legitimate musical structure. “Wake Me Up” kicks off the album with artificially anthemic energy that is essentially typical for a record chock-full of musically hollow moments of sonic cinema. Because The Weeknd’s voice is so piercingly clear, it lacks texture. This can be positive when belting out pop choruses, clarity plays well to general audiences, but like any other form of delivery, there’s a time and a place. The wider variety of vocal stylings on his early mixtapes occasionally put The Weeknd in uncomfortable vocal pockets that were a more challenging match for his performative skillset. It was not uncommon to hear the strain in his delivery, but it only added to the already edgy sound. That edge is gone. “Timeless” is a jam and the perfect counter to last paragraph’s claim. Playboi Carti settles into the atmospheric Weeknd-style trap beat like he was born there and brings a couple flows along with him. The Weeknd steps up to the plate next and handles the later majority of the track like he can and should, effortlessly delivering multiple delivery styles, rhythms, and rhyme schemes. Unfortunately, while performances of that caliber aren’t singular to track 13 of the 22 total, the average vocal performance is much more pop formulaic - fine but nowhere near the displays of talent and skill he’s achieved. Instead, he gets outperformed by both Future and Lana Del Rey and milks a third of the songs for minutes longer than nature would’ve allowed. 22 songs is a somewhat ridiculous number, but exceptions can be made. That’s a status The Weeknd has certainly earned. Likewise, he’s earned a few electronic pop flops. Acts that categorically raise the bar in certain areas of evaluation can perhaps be allotted modified expectations in select areas that are less favorable given their skillset or style of undertaking. But this year, there were just too many lapses. I’d return to just 4 songs: the hifi success “Baptized In Fear” (7), the prompt, washy “Opening Night” (8), the aforementioned “Timeless” (8), and the a1 trap-pop “Niagara Falls” (10). There was a smattering of excellent transitions, and of course, the soundscapes were on point. Hurry Up Tomorrow is a 5.8 .

2024 In Review BY IAN SHERRY 1/1/2025 When I started The Culture Gyre more than a year ago now, it was in hopes that I'd get to cover years like this. Enjoy! Animal Cheer - Big Search Here is the definition of a solid record. Animal Cheer is made by and for music fans, and that’s evident on every track. Big Search is the solo outfit of Matthew Popieluch and this was a true solo undertaking, which only speaks to his artistic vision. Each song, in addition to the seemingly guaranteed warmth and familiarity, has the solid bones and decisive musical palette needed to create a status quo just waiting to be elevated. That elevation can be found in his applied influences, the most encompassing being George Harrison - but if you listen you’ll hear hints of a Rubin-ized Johnny Cash, Pink Floyd, King Krule, and perhaps a variety of your personal favorites. Big Search’s newest result is a 8. 18 "Loose Ends" "Wellsprings" "Luck Rains Down" Here In The Pitch - Jessica Pratt Jessica Pratt has mastered the art of simplicity. Her songbird voice floats through the thin but palpable atmosphere of her music alongside her washy acoustic guitar, and that tandem remains undefeated on her latest release. As an artist with what some might consider limited tools, Pratt has spoken about her fear of being pigeonholed, and in some ways that’s what this record addresses. In comparison to her other equally short n’ safe LPs, her 2024 effort does a better job of spanning the spectrum of her stylistic abilities. Whether it be a subtly rising synth here, or the rare if not singular background vocal there, Pratt’s excellence in the details -particularly when crafting the sonic backdrop - allowed her to guide each song on this album in whatever direction she pleased. Also - if Pitchfork listened through all 27 minutes they’d have “The Last Year” at no. 2 on The 100 Best Songs of 2024, not “Life Is” - just saying. Here In The Pitch is a 8.2. 17 "Life Is" "The Better Hate" "The Last Year" Alligator Bites Never Heal - Doechii Of all the year’s rap releases, this may be the most intriguing. While it had been four years since Doechii released an album, it’s clear now she’d been building to something, because after consistently releasing singles over that gap she finally struck the charts in May of 2023 with “What It Is (Block Boy)”. A little over a year after that warning shot she dropped this ambitious 19-track LP. Like many other artists who found their beginnings on the internet, Doechii’s talent for entertainment has never been in doubt - that remains true through this entire tracklist. She raps with as much confidence and bubbly performative energy as ever while delivering her most cutting lyrical performances to date. Additionally, she included several vocally impressive cuts that showcase her take on contemporary pop/r&b. It’s the kind of song collection that can draw endless comparisons, from the obvious Doja Cat to the legendary Missy Elliot - neither of which ever ventured into boom bap, which Doechii does on more than one occasion here. Alligator Bites Never Heal , while not perfect, seems to cover as many bases as the late Rickey Henderson - though with a 2% lower rate of success (yes I’ll do math for music and baseball) - making it a true showcase album. Whether it be the lyrical content, which I mostly found compelling, the cultivation of emotion, or the musical stylings themselves, variety was the name of the game for Doechii this year, and she played the game very well. Alligator Bites Never Heal is a 8.3. 16 "DENIAL IS A RIVER" "DEATH ROLL" "NISSAN ULTIMA" Imaginal Disk - Magdalena Bay While I wasn’t previously familiar with the Magdalena Bay beyond a small handful of tracks and bits of internet chatter, the Floridian pop duo will have a hard time escaping my attention after this 2024 LP. Music makers of the future - this record feels like an exploration of the many corners of pop they felt were within reach, from borderline-retro synth pop to the unmistakable elements of indie and hyperpop on each track. This sound is their own, and despite the insistence of their growing fanbase that Magdalena Bay has long been A-List-ready, this has the feel of a true breakthrough album. Does that mean they’ve reached maximum speed in their lane? Absolutely not. The borders of pop music broaden every year, opening endless opportunities for a group with this level of ingenuity to become even more prolific. Their versatility and song-making ability are on display throughout this 2024 product, but some tracks undeniably stand above the rest and consistent replication of that elevating ‘it factor’ would vault them to the pinnacle of any given year in music. Imaginal Disk is a 8.3. 15 "Killing Time" "Love Is Everywhere" "Cry For Me" CHROMAKOPIA - Tyler The Creator For the fourth time in a row, Tyler The Creator released an album that perfectly met the moment. Settling somewhere in between Igor and Call Me If You Get Lost , he continued to hone his own pop/alt hip-hop sound with yet another noticeable increase in maturity and production quality. Tyler covers every corner of the sound he’s spent a decade zeroing in on, which makes for a wide musical range that allows him to address anything on his mind and lean into whatever stylistic tropes he wishes. My favorite trope from this particular record was his brilliant song progressions. While he adheres to portions of traditional song structure, Tyler has cultivated this unique ability to make songs with a definite directional vision minus the limiting aspects of typical song design. Much like Igor, most tracks feel more concerned with the build and payoff than creating the literary definition of ‘song’. The difference is that CHROMAKOPIA has years of realized talent and acquired skill aiding its ambitious track-by-track undertakings. It’s clean, and while not groundbreaking, singularly focused, or conceptually compelling, it feels personal and complete. Tyler’s most recent success is a 8.4. 14 "Noid" "Sticky" "I Hope You Find Your Way Home" Manning Firewords - MJ Lenderman I’ve seen and spoken to folks who hail this record as the year’s best. I understand the appeal - besides his strengths as an artist, MJ Lenderman’s music simply feels good. Lenderman has an earthy genuine way about him and it leaks all through his music. From his chest-voice vocals to his recognizably pleasant guitar, there’s no mistaking the Wednesday guitarist for any other day of the week. Speaking of his main gig, the North Carolinian group does a lot of bridging their folk-rock influences with the world of alt-noise, and while it can result in an occasionally elevated sound, it’s been a treat to hear Lenderman get so much solo exposure this year. Some things don’t need elevating, although I suspect his best work has yet to come. Manning Fireworks is a 8.4. 13 "Joker Lips" "Wristwatch" "You Don't Know What Shape I'm In" GNX - Kendrick Lamar Well yeah. Between his triumphant feud with Drake and this chart-topping record, Lamar reached heights of celebrity this year that no rapper has quite seen since Travis Scott dropped Astroworld (‘19). His reinvigoration of the West Coast sound he emerged and, for a time, separated from is largely responsible for this album’s success, and while the record will likely go down as the release that followed “Not Like Us”, I believe it may one day receive credit for establishing the sound the next generation of Kendrick Lamar fans grew up with. Kendrick’s victory lap is a 8.5. 12 "squabble up" "hey now" "heart pt. 6" Underdressed At The Symphony - Faye Webster If you haven’t heard Faye Webster you’ve been missing out - all she does is make good music. Her mellow indie-rock often relies on breezy instrumentals and the pureness of her voice but ultimately focuses on simply finding catchy grooves, which she does with ease. On Underdressed At The Symphony the 27-year-old upheld that standard and included some more active listens for fans who may want more than to float beside her for 10 songs. Whether you came for the Lil Yachty feature or to find the next Faye Webster fixtures on a playlist of yours (that’s me), you’ll be pleased with this record. Faye’s most recent people-pleaser is a 8.6. 11 "But Not Kiss" "Wanna Quit All The Time" "He Loves Me Yeah!" I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU - JPEGMAFIA By this point, if you’ve heard JPEGMAFIA you’ve got an opinion. He is the foremost artist in his field of - let’s say ‘abstract’ rap. Known for his hyper hodgepodge instrumentals, loose performances, and goofy lyrics, assessments of his music range from ‘he’s the best rapper ever’ to ‘this isn’t music’, but I’ve always found his records to be mixed bags. Last year, with the help of Danny Brown, he released his most coordinated and listenable album at the time, and now he’s done it again. This 2024 LP reaches new heights of sonic palatability over a quality tracklist with perhaps the most stylistic and contextual range he’s ever shown, strongly displaying some of his most digestibly emotional songwriting ever, without compromising his signature nonsensical internet humor. His ability to seamlessly accommodate his features - namely Vince Staples and Denzel Curry - resulted in some of the best tracks on the record, and his production-based execution of increasingly ambitious song concepts is getting better and better. Peggy has always had all the tools he needs and I couldn’t be happier to see them come together in such a thorough and diverse offering. I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU is a 8.7. 10 "New Black History" "JPEGULTRA!" "either on or off the drugs" Bright Future - Adrianne Lenker There are few things I love more than supplementing a great album with a related Wikipedia scroll, and the latest LP from Big Thief’s timid leader Adrianne Lenker sent me to my favorite internet encyclopedia faster than any other record. I’ve always felt as though her pointedly midwestern blend of folk and alternative must’ve come from somewhere other than New York - her band’s home base. Turns out I was right (what else is new?). Much like her music, the sheer amount of life Lenker lived before recording her first album at the age of 13 lands somewhere between incredible and unnerving. For the length of Bright Future she toes that line, effortlessly communicating both the messages and moods she intends with the musical equivalent of comfort food for her fans. It’s yet another well-executed project from a woman who was born to be an artist, and while it may not touch the heights that certain Big Thief tracks do or have the pent-up energy of Songs (‘20), you’ll be hard-pressed to poke many holes in this safely stellar project. Bright Future is a 8.7 9 "Sadness As A Gift" "Vampire Empire" "Donut Seam" Dark Times - Vince Staples Vince Staples seems to have secured a solid B+ reputation across his first 7 studio albums, with The Big Fish Theory widely considered his masterpiece. That’s the status he’s been awarded, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the now 31-year-old never saw an upgrade in that respect. That’s what consistent coordinated releases do for an artist like Vince, and to me that’s a travesty. Vince Staples is one of the best artists in the rap game right now, and while he won’t throw it in your face, I will. Dark Times marks his third consecutive album-to-album improvement in terms of artistic and stylistic maturity. From the well-written songs throughout the record to the sonic palette which is the very best of the year, bar none, Vince is in complete control. His music feels calculated yet genuine, smooth yet rigid, laid back yet cutting, and you can only produce that kind of product if the product itself is your ultimate focus. This record, while not stylistically groundbreaking maximizes the sound he’s been working to perfect. If he chooses to move on to something new and does so with the same level of artistic execution he brought this year, everyone else better watch the hell out. Vince Staples’ best record yet is a 8.8 8 "Justin" "Children's Songs" "Little Homies" Almighty So 2 - Chief Keef Chief Keef struck again! Any year where the patron saint of the Southside sits atop the ranks of hip-hop albums is a good year in my book. Keef has been releasing generally solid projects in the 12 years following his emergence on, or rather creation of the drill rap scene we know today at the age of 16. Now, with the follow-up to his decade-old sophomore release Sosa’s struck gold again. As an artist whose reputation was staked and secured 4 minutes into his debut record, Chief Keef’s artistic development has gone severely underrated. So, if you haven’t been paying attention, he now is the near sole producer of his music, and that happens to be the greatest strength of this record. The production in question is by far the strongest I’ve heard on any drill record - he commands a massive energetic atmosphere on most of the songs which is nothing new to the drill formula, but with greater sonic depth and cleanliness than ever. His generally organic instrumentals only further legitimize the production effort, and he displays a greater understanding of the instruments themselves than producers pushing a similar envelope in the trap scene (Metro). The fact is, Chief Keef built this sound from the ground up while learning and developing his skills as a musician along the way and maintaining the performative stylings that won the hearts of his fans in the beginning. Now, the result is a new high water mark for not only himself but the drill scene at large. Almighty So 2 is a 8.9. 7 "1,2,3" "Banded Up" "Never Fly Here" Wall Of Eyes - The Smile The Smile is what you might call a perfect spinoff, and their third release (the first of two this year) is the perfect proof. When an established artist (or in this case three) embarks on a side project there is a key balance to be struck. First, in order to justify the spinoff in the first place the product ought to vary from their usual work, however straying too far opens up the risk of losing the original audience. If you’re wondering exactly how someone might go about striking that balance, give Wall Of Eyes a listen. Thom Yorke and co. brought the best elements of Radiohead to their 2024 record. Despite lacking the sonic brawn a 5-man band like Radiohead possesses, The Smile did a great job of cultivating similarly fantastic atmospheres, and I think it’s fair to say the thinner cast of musicians opened up greater stylistic flexibility. In a true example of doing more with less, the added air allowed for them to lean further into spacey psychedelic sounds as well as some of Skinner’s jazz inclinations and Yorke's more abstract vocal stylings. It’s a record made by true professionals with complete awareness of the tools in front of them and the collaborative mojo to execute some of the more difficult and conceptually loose tracks of their collective discographies. Wall Of Eyes is a 9. 6 "Wall Of Eyes" "Read The Room" "Friend Of A Friend" Mahashmashana - Father John Misty I’d like to say this is Father John Misty’s best album. A bold claim perhaps, especially for such an established artist with the dedicated fanbase he has, but one that can be easily backed up. While Mahashmashana may not prove to be loaded with signature tracks to the level of his 2012 debut, for instance, this 8-track 50-minute LP is packed front to back with significant undertakings. With 2 songs in the 4-minute range and the rest spanning 5-9 minutes each, Father John bit off as much as he ever has and executed at a new level. There are zero skips across a decently wide variety of songs, from his spiritual balladry to rambling rock and all the alternative space that he occupies so effortlessly in between. To me, it sounds as though the high-potential 43-year-old has reached a new level of comfortability within his music, and frankly, it shouldn’t be so easy to write and execute lengthy yet captivating songs in unwavering succession. That’s why as of right now, I’m placing Father John Misty on ‘perfect 10 watch’ - just wait. Father John Misty’s most complete effort to date is a 9. 5 "Josh Tillman and the Accidental Dose" "Screamland" "I Guess Time Just Makes A Fool of Us All" Diamond Jubilee - Cindy Lee Cindy Lee is a fairly massive talent. The music industry vet has performed in different groups, under different names, and in different genres, and all that seems to have led to the sort of indiscriminate ‘screw-you-attitude’ that can only be properly expressed by someone who’s either highly skilled, highly pissed off, or both. I know this because the murky abrasive nature of this music is exactly the sonic palette one might choose if they wished to avoid the underqualified attention of mainstream audiences. That approach has kept Cindy Lee in that perfect grey area where fantastic music can exist untouched and unbothered, which is no small feat. Unfortunately for Cindy, they might have blown that window wide open with their latest release Diamond Jubilee . The 2-hour 32-track triple record is a peak indie album (available for download on Bandcamp). Lee floats through genre-various influences with ease, challenging the listener on nearly every song while thriving in the tantalizing minimal complexity that makes this gaudy listen bearable. Rock, alternative, indie, folk, and psychedelic are no strangers to one another, but combined with the dual vocal deliveries, highly skilled and uniquely restrained guitar technique, and unwavering intention behind each track, this sound can be contained under just one umbrella: Diamond Jubilee. Cindy Lee’s odyssey LP is 9.1. 4 "All I Want Is You" "Dracula" "Lockstepp" Tigers Blood - Waxahatchee This was perhaps the best album referral I’ve ever received. Thanks Joe. Tigers Blood is not only my favorite record of the year - it’s also home to some of the most well-written and emotionally performed songs of the year, the most productive feature of the year in MJ Lenderman, and what I consider the best collection of vocal performances as well. Waxahatchee is a one-woman music machine who, with the help of a backing band can move you to tears with one song and out of your seat with the next. I found myself hanging on her every word, even considering the cost of a move to Alabama, because each track on this album somehow feels like home. She effortlessly combines elements of rock, alternative, folk, country, even a tasteful tinge of 2010s pop, and it all comes together in a sound I feel as though I’ve always known. I went back and listened to all of Kathryn Critfield’s other work, both under this outfit and in her previous band P.S. Elliot, and I can safely say that while all of her music prominently displays her strengths in one way or another Tigers Blood is simply another gear. I cannot wait to see what comes next. My personal favorite release of 2024 is a 9.2. 3 "3 Sisters" "Right Back To It" "365" Cowboy Carter - Beyonce Well, it’s official Beyonce has broken music. For the second release in a row, she arrived on the album cover on horseback in full pop-star regalia and released the most bombastic project of the year. Why would a veteran pop star with nothing left to prove coming off an unnecessarily adventurous but brilliantly executed electronic pop/r&b album choose to backtrack and release her first ‘country’ album - because she felt her roots have been neglected, because there’s always more to prove, or simply because she can? While my best bet is all of the above, there’s only one person who can answer that question, after all, Beyonce answered every other question with her latest success. Cowboy Carter covers all the bases. It ranges stylistically through her bread and butter, back to Renaissance , and forward to a brand new fusion of pop, r&b, and country that she can call her own. While the album's most potent country tendencies are found in the content and tone rather than the musical stylings, Queen B’s ability to meld whichever genre tropes she pleases is on par with some of contemporary music’s most venerable names. The vocal onslaught was as strong and sustained as ever as she glided through a lengthy record packed with big-name features, gutsy covers, and statement after statement in the form of standout tracks and calculated lyrical presentations. She has mastered the art of the album (it’s like she’s seen my scoring system), from the rollout to the song placement and what I can only assume was a massive collaborative effort behind the scenes. Beyonce’s country takeover is a 9.3. 2 "AMERIICAN REQUIEM" "ALLIIGATOR TEARS" "YA YA" Brat - Charli XCX Well, this should be no surprise. Charli XCX first emerged from the London party scene and entered the pop charts more than a decade ago. Since then she’s carved out a niche of her own somewhere between pop and dance/electronic, become one of the driving forces in the ever-developing hyperpop scene, and secured a reputation as a sort of all-around-icon by the age of 32. Her playful partygirl aesthetic goes just as far towards wrangling new fans as it does towing her most veteran supporters along her musical journey, and with her stunning 2024 release it's safe to say she’s done fans of every kind a service. Brat is a pure hyperpop record, a career-best undertaking of innovation, and the kind of record that cements an artist's legacy, but most of all it is a movement. ‘Brat Summer’, Brat for Halloween, Brat as an adjective - when was the last time you heard the name of an album take on such a socially verbose nature? Never is my answer, and it's for good reason. It’s a perfectly digestible, near-perfect 15 songs over 41 minutes. Each one is danceable, means something to someone, and stays perfectly within the abstract but contagiously understandable world that is Brat . Each time I listen to this album, whether in the car, on my audiophile stereo setup, or in my noise-canceling world-blocking headphones I discover something new in the mix, something that makes a song better, something that further cements Brat as the album of the year. 2024’s best record is a 9.4. 1 "Von Dutch" "B2b" "365"

The Culture Gyre is a blossoming multi-medium magazine based in Detroit, MI. In an era where the practice of reading is slipping further by the wayside and critical commentary has become an industrialized product, the spread of genuine love for art of all kinds may be in danger of falling to the 'underground'. We aim to embrace our function as a product by creating a multifaceted magazine experience focused on the art of fandom. As an artist, your opportunity to contribute lies in the artwork we plan to more frequently integrate into our written pieces going forward, to reflect the grassroots nature of our operation, showcase talented artists, and round out a fuller reading experience. Additionally, the debut of our Gallery is nearing... Get on the boat! YOU'VE LANDED. Get In Contact To reach the Control Room: theculturegyre@gmail.com Head Artistic Coordinator: lucib@umich.edu Contribute! If your work is featured, you'll be credited and your information will be linked and easily accessible. UPLOAD ^ submit art of any kind here! ^ Email* Your craft(s) Submit ^ join our roster here! ^

< Back TABS ON TIGERS III Tabs On Tigers Vol. 3 For a long time, I’ve dreamt that the Tigers would see success with rising prospects and, with the intention of taking themselves seriously, cut Javier Baez to free themselves of his $28 million-mid-career crisis and a roster spot. This is that moment. However, in the undeniably turbulent developments of the last year-plus, it was the Japanese legend Kenta Maeda’s $14 million contract that needed to be shed. Meanwhile, Javier Baez is, for the moment, the Detroit Tigers’ everyday centerfielder. The former all-star shortstop’s infamous struggles at the plate lost him his position to Dodgers’ system acquisition and frequenter of Anaheim’s short porch Trey Sweeney. Forced into a utility role, Baez took on the role enthusiastically, according to manager AJ Hinch on 97.1 FM’s pregame AJ Hinch Show. In that same interview, Hinch added that he’d continue to play Baez because “he’s a winning player” – a compliment that resonated with me. Weeks later, Hinch remained true to that insistence, and Baez has responded accordingly. On top of playing a smooth, instinctive center field Javy is looking like himself consistently at the plate. The hitter that can adjust to pitches and drive balls, who’s only shown up in flashes for Detroit, mostly with runners in scoring position, is showing up on a more consistent basis this season. He’s bumped his average to a perfect .313 over the recent Tigers offensive explosions and is sitting at a 1.6 WAR. In other words, he’s a winning player. As for those prospects, one in particular is starting to act his age. Spencer Torkelson looked like a new man in Spring Training. His stance is more athletic and upright, centered on his right leg. So far, the adjustments he’s retained have allowed for a simpler path to the ball, most notable in his compact homerun swings, of which he’s already had 10 (2 shy of Judge and Raleigh for the most in the AL). Torkelson’s .254 batting average is encouraging, though it fluctuates, and the theoretical benefits of power hitter status may lead to more on-base appearances anyhow. Tork’s success has complicated life for sophomore Colt Keith. His rookie season was ultimately a success at the plate after a slow start, which he’s mirrored so far this season. However, the ball is starting to leave the ballpark for the Tigers system product (and I don’t want to hear about the ‘Coors effect’ because 450 ft is 450 ft). Still sitting at just a .207 AVG and 4 homers, Keith is tasked with recreating last season’s offensive ramp-up while establishing himself in the field (the DH position has Kerry Carpenter’s name written all over it for the foreseeable future). One more Tiger prospect has made pleasantly surprising strides on both sides of the ball. With the injury to starting catcher Jake Rogers, Dillon Dingler was pushed into the everyday starting lineup, and he’s proved ready for the moment. So far, Dingler is batting .290, which is second best among catchers. A strong-hitting catcher in an age where putrid offense is tolerated at the defensive-minded position is no small advantage. Dingler is an athletic young player with a great arm, room to improve behind the plate, and the ability to whack the ball out of the park – who wouldn’t like to imagine a long career for him as Detroit’s backstop? Injury Update I imagined Parker Meadows (nerve) might return early in the year, but that proved a pipe dream when the Tigers signed Manuel Margot to a one-year deal. Since then, Meadows was placed on the 60-Day IL and Margot himself went to the 10-day with a knee injury from which he’s rehabbing now. In good news, Matt Vierling (shoulder) homered in a Toledo win on May 6th in his rehab assignment. Things have been quiet regarding Alex Cobb (back) lately, but he tracks to be rehabbing soon assuming no hangups. Jake Rogers (oblique) has begun throwing but is not immediately close to returning. John Brebbia (triceps) and Sawyer Gibson-Long (elbow/hip) have also resumed throwing. The Tigers have a top 3 pitching staff in the MLB, which was a possibility headed into the year, and a top 5 offense, which was not. We’ll see if the bats stay hot, but they are right now (even McKinstry!) and the Tigers are taking advantage. Do not take it for granted. Previous Next

THE POP SHOP BY: Ian Sherry 9/5/2023 If you came for Faygo I apologize. In the grand scheme of music creation and consumption, genres are completely trivial. However, they are one of my favorite things to noodle around. The most noodley of the bunch is pop. As music continually evolves, defining pop gets increasingly difficult. Michael Jackson is the ‘king of pop’, yet he falls under the same general mega-genre as Ethel Cain , The Beach Boys , and Shania Twain . Strange but true. The pop quandary is most evident, to me, in a record store. Most often, you’ll find a pop/rock section. Certainly that model was sensible at a time, especially in a stretch like the 80s through the 2010s. These days however, I’m not sure those two genres align as closely. With acts like Imagine Dragons and Fall Out Boy fading, the bridge between the two has narrowed in favor of the slow-motion collision of rap and pop. Therefore, everytime I see a pop/rock section, I’ve granted myself permission to chuckle at whatever dinosaur constructed it. As a freshman in college without a credit rating (or whatever you need to own a business), I have no chance of running a record shop anytime soon. Admittedly, my opinion is from the outside looking in, however my occasional frustration with genre organization is justified. So, because my writing this article is conveniently inconsequential, let’s organize my theoretical record shop: The Pop Shop. Here at the Pop Shop, we operate under the assumption that all of our customers are equally, if not more, opinionated as myself, especially regarding genre placement of their favorite artists. Now that I’m a shop owner, I suppose I’ll have to make compromises here and there to accommodate customers with diversified taste. As I touched on previously, pop is what holds most genres together. Pop is the key to a broad musical palette. Therefore as a record store owner with fairly diverse taste and an equally multi-interested customer base, my first order of business is to define pop. Is pop linear? Well, I’m not sure but I might be by the time this paragraph is done. My instinct is to say yes. One of my favorite music-listening activities is creating playlists that transverse eras. It’s very satisfying to look at dissimilar beginnings and endings to tracklists, wondering how they connect, and finding out somewhere in the middle. How did American popular music seamlessly evolve (or regress) from Frank Sinatra to Drake ? That’s an answer for another article, but it certainly did. The keyword to my previous claim is seamless. There is no definite instant in pop music history in which the definition itself suddenly changed. There have been game changing artists, releases, even songs, but mass artistic or stylistic change simply can’t happen over night. The result is a genre which is constantly mentioned but insufficiently defined. Concise or concrete definitions to abstract concepts are futile in nearly every case. That’s why I’m taking a whole article to unpack it, instead of a sign behind the Pop Shop’s front desk. So, after brief deliberation, pop is indeed linear. It’s not linear in a traditional sense though. It’s not a straight line. It’s a chain linked together by genre-bending or trailblazing artists. That chain looks drastically different at some points than others, but it’s all one piece. I’ll take it a step further: it's a gyre. Pop is a gyre If you don’t know what a gyre is, you haven’t explored our homepage enough. Go now . Welcome back. To summarize: a gyre is a linear pattern in which a vortex widens from a point until it reaches a breaking point of sorts, it then continues from a single point in the center of the widened end. The most important thing to understand about the pop gyre, is that it doesn’t stop at any point, which makes it linear, but it does have significant and traceable points of reshaping. These points are marked by collections of those aforementioned artists, projects, and songs. Whether it's Billie Holiday’s shedding the light of pop culture on the horrors of the south, the gay sensation that was Freddie Mercury , or one of David Bowie’s many genre-quaking phases, individual impacts on mainstream pop music have more significance in the real world than we could understand. That impact, if you want to fully understand pop, cannot be separated from the stylistic evolution of the genre. I have no problem with the general opinion that Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra are America’s first pop stars. That makes them ground zero for American music’s gyre. Highlighting an artist is a very useful tool for defining a genre, someone who encapsulates the sound and or attitude of a musical movement. Artists like The Beatles , David Bowie, Michael Jackson , Whitney Houston , Madonna , and Adele have all held that role. You’ll find all of those artists in the Pop Shop’s signature pop section. However, as they don’t currently define 2023’s pop sound, they can’t be at the center of our biggest section. We have to pick a new artist. 2023’s centerpiece of pop ‘Finally some specifics’, says any reader more interested in facts than conceptual rambling. 2023’s pop music landscape is broader than ever. As music continues to evolve, despite the gyre resets, the scale of pop will continue to broaden. That only makes sense. Generally, anything that charts on the billboard is somehow pop-adjacent. Nowadays that means pop directly overlaps with rap, r&b, country, indie, and rock, among others. When Kendrick Lamar was charting with To Pimp A Butterfly , pop had a link with jazz. When The Weeknd and Dua Lipa started stylistically dipping into 80s tropes, pop had a link to a different decade. When Lil Uzi Vert charted with “Just Wanna Rock” , pop had a link to New Jersey club. That’s all to say a diverse landscape makes it hard to pinpoint a centerpiece, but I have a pick: SZA . Although pop is the common ground for any mainstream genre, it always has a definable sound. This sound is constantly shifting, and with rap and r&b packing the charts, it has begun to shift that direction. The more palatable, even inoffensive, approach that a Taylor Swift or Harry Styles brings to the table is no longer the solution. The ideal pop star has to incorporate their own sound, have an interesting persona, a splash of sexuality, but most of all, the ability to collaborate. I don’t just mean Dua Lipa adding Dababy to her song that’s already charting, I mean real sound-altering collaboration. SZA has all of that. SZA has been a fixture in modern r&b since her hit album Ctrl , but her 2022 release SOS launched her into the center of today’s music scene. The hit single “Kill Bill”, which was accompanied by quite the music video, captured a huge audience. Her variety of moods accommodated brand new audiences. Her attitude and personality thrilled her long-time fans. And, her well-executed and occasionally unexpected features further proved her ability to bring together the best in music. Try “Kill Bill” , “Seek & Destroy” , “Snooze” , “Ghost in the Machine” , and “Open Arms” . Though it leans towards r&b, SOS embodies pop. It will be listened to, referenced, and imitated for the rest of this decade. So, when you enter the Pop Shop looking to buy SOS , check smack in the middle of the store. Nitpicking Now that we’ve established the center of pop, we have to do the dirty work: marking borders. I think the best course of action is one mega-pop section subdivided into the various genres of influence and today’s popular sound. The outer walls will be lined with the following non-pop-adjacent genres: blues, punk, metal, folk/bluegrass, hip-hop, soul, jazz, house/techno, reggae, and classical. The border of the mega-pop section will be made up of the following pop-adjacent genres: rock, r&b, rap, indie, country, and latin. Each of those will connect to the mega-pop section like this: genre/pop. Here’s two defining artists for each, but the Pop Shop has everything. rock/pop Elton John Portugal. The Man r&b/pop Whitney Houston Ella Mai rap/pop Nelly Doja Cat indie/pop The Smiths Wet Leg country/pop Dolly Parton Chris Stapleton latin/pop Selena ROSALIA Prince gets his own section. Isn’t this fun? Closing for the night I find it interesting that pop seems to glean a negative connotation. For example, if you tell someone their favorite Canadian rapper, who they might consider a hip-hop icon, is more of a pop artist, they might take offense. In fact, I’ve found it's a good way to immediately turn a conversation into a confrontation. Try it some time. Then, remind them of that elite crop I just listed. Remind them that pop is the confluence of everything that is hot in music today. Remind them that it's a perfect gauge of just how much this divided country has in common. Remind them that ultimately genre has no relation to merit. If they’re still stuck on their anti-pop attitude, send them to my shop. I’ll be waiting.

ROCK'S PATH FORWARD BY: Ian Sherry 3/22/2023 HEADLINE: Rock is no longer the most popular genre. I could go on and on about the downward trend of the former super-genre. However, to be prompt I’ll simplify it to this: after being the dominant genre of the 70s and 80s and the 90s to an extent, mainstream rock sat too comfortably headed into the age of computers, autotune, and one-trick production brought on by the 2000s. The result is two decades of uninspired pop-rock (a real and pitiful genre in my opinion) and an experimental rock reaction, which often tries too hard to be different and not enough to be good. I could name a lackluster band like Imagine Dragons here, but I won’t because I’m a nice guy. This is all, of course, generalization, but the rising consensus is that rock is in serious trouble. Everyday the internet's ‘hot takes’ become more condemning towards the genre, with many declaring it dead. These claims gain credibility through validation from well-respected critics like Anthony Fantano. Fantano is not anti-rock, he’s realistic. Not only are these opinions reasonable, they are fairly true. Rock’s days as the number one genre are done for the foreseeable future and for good reason. For a long time rock was associated with pop, but pop is often just a reflection or variation of the most prolific and replicable style of music at the moment. So, with pop shifted in a non-rock direction, rock has become limited by its lack of reputable neighboring genres. However, rock is not dead as a genre, and, while I could point to countless contemporary artists and projects, I choose one man: Jack White. If I could have a conversation with the genre of rock I would request the following: steer away from pop (it will find you), dip into other contemporary genres, and don’t be afraid to draw from wherever you want. In 2022, Jack White did all of that and more. His two albums Fear Of The Dawn and Entering Heaven Alive cover all the bases and showcase his mega-talented studio presence. Between the two of them they display aspects of folk, hip-hop, and a plethora of rock sub-genres; I’ve even picked up on some reggae influence in songs like “Esophobia” and “All Along The Way”. There’s also a wide variety of emotions and themes, something White has employed since his White Stripes’ days. I know that all sounds fantastic, so allow me to elaborate. “Taking Me Back” is the first song on Fear Of The Dawn and “Taking Me Back (Gently)” is the last song on Entering Heaven Alive. Often artists will give you two versions of one song on the same album, with rap you may get a remix or instrumental version and with other genres, artists will often tack on an acoustic version. What White did here is less common. He took the same song lyrics and some of the bones, and stripped everything else, rebuilding it nearly from scratch. The original is a hard rocking loud track that leads into Fear Of The Dawn perfectly. It sets the pace of the album and introduces some of the tools he’ll use throughout it. My favorite is this sputtering guitar that cuts overtop the instrumental intermittently in this song and some others on the album. It seems like his equivalent of a record scratch and it brings energy every time it's used, breaking down layers of instrumentals that would’ve been overly dense otherwise. “Taking Me Back (Gently)” is much simpler. The rhythm is slightly different and the instrumental is more relaxed without killing the energy of the track. While it’s less of a standout in the scope of the entire album, it is a really enjoyable song with an energetic violin and a lengthy instrumental break that entertains and provides breathing room that the original version lacked. By including these two songs, and placing them on either end of the albums, White bookends his 2022 releases and puts an undeniable emphasis on the diversity between the two. He also showcases the kind of energy each album possesses, so if you’re deciding which to listen to first, I would suggest starting with these tracks to help you decide. “I’ve Got You Surrounded (With My Love)” is my pick for the best song on Entering Heaven Alive. It is a fantastic groove that uses a heavy bassline to give the track pace and depth. Over the top, White layers keyboard and a buzzy guitar as well as vocals that sound like they’re in the other room (in a good way). All these elements are mixed perfectly to create a unique atmosphere complete with well timed instrumental breaks. It is a 4:25 minute song that feels like two minutes, which is a great sign. A big reason for that is the song’s structure. There are technically two verses, with only two lines each, and two bridges, as well as several variations on the catchy chorus that works as a transition between unique instrumental breaks. What stands out when listening to these albums is Jack White’s creative abilities in the studio, but “I’ve Got You Surrounded (With My Love)” is a songwriting clinic. One of the biggest complaints about rock recently is its inability, or more accurately, its tendency, not to branch out into other genres. On “Hi-De-Ho”, featuring Q-Tip, White takes that step outside the confines of traditional rock stylings without departing from his aesthetic. The track opens with an impressive intro from that same buzzy electric guitar followed by a sample of Cab Calloway’s “Hi-De-Ho Man”. After about 1:20 of what can only be described as confusion, the baseline drops in and so does Q-Tip. He just flows over the looped baseline while drums roll over the top. Simple, but effective. Then White joins in on the bridge for some moaning vocals, that mainly serves to cut the track before it gets too repetitive, before riding out on the same catchy looped beat. It’s a fun song with lots for a listener to easily unpack, and on top of that, I enjoyed the Q-Tip feature which is frankly unusual. “Into The Twilight” is my favorite song on Fear Of The Dawn. It has the wailing guitar of “Taking Me Back” and the energy of “Hi-De-Ho”. It jumps in with another great baseline, a gentle piano riff, and that same guitar sputter. The vocals are kept to a minimum and the focus is on the rising and falling synths and various soundbytes that White weaves in. Brief samples of The Manhattan Transfer are twisted and woven throughout, being used to cut through the heavy guitar and replace the need for verses or bridges. On the way to the conclusion of the song the entire instrumental is torn down before being built up layer by layer. The chorus repeats one more time and it rides out on what feels like a fun improvised keyboard. But, nothing is improvised in this song. It is perfectly mixed and cut, showing a level of expertise Jack White seems to always have in his back pocket. Listening to an artist like Jack White forces me to understand I belong on this end of the music business. Because, I can’t fathom doing what he does in the studio; a depressing thought that is often washed away immediately by pure sonic pleasure. White, to me, should be the prototype for a genre that desperately needs innovation. His ability to involve traditionally genre-specific techniques without leaving his own stylistic comfort zone might be unique to him, but his willingness to try it shouldn’t be. Rock is not dead, but it needs help. In 2022, whether he meant to or not, Jack White gave the genre what it needed. It’s up to his peers to follow suit.

WALK WITH ME V 1/18/2024 BY: IAN SHERRY Smiles aren’t worth a thing anymore. Aretha Franklin holds many titles and distinctions, the Queen of Soul, Rolling Stone’s greatest vocalist of all time , and the best funeral featuring an Ariana Grande performance - to name a few. She grew from the shockingly powerful youth vocalist in her father’s church choir to the voice of the world’s foremost musical city, and she built a career steeped with superlatives along the way. June 10, 2017. My dad and I hop on our bikes and take a ride into the heart of Downtown Detroit to see Aretha Franklin. The Queen of Soul’s hot summer performance was free to the public and it attracted the perfect crowd. Lifelong fans from around the metro area poured in. As my dad led me through the crowd looking for familiar faces, which he correctly assumed was inevitable, there was a buzz I haven’t felt in any setting or any form since that day. I was young, which placed me in the minority (in more ways than one). Aretha’s audience mirrored herself. It was the generation that had to choose whether or not they’d flee when the city fell on rough times, and whose choice to stay was rewarded with a musical movement unparalleled in its time. As I rode up, chained my bike to a lightpost, and followed my dad into that crowd, I stepped into Motown. In that moment, ‘Motown’ became much more than the legendary record label or a nickname for the city I’d spent my whole life in. Motown is a people, and just as that understanding began to sink in, The Queen took the stage. Suffice to say, even at her age, she was still Aretha. Covering hits from all corners of her catalog with the help of a masterfully curated cast of supporting performers, she gave the crowd more than our money’s worth. One year, two months, and six days later, she was gone. Lumped into one massive and incredibly significant memory, I’ll never forget walking through my neighborhood after Aretha’s passing. As my family and I walked to dinner, her voice and music poured out of houses on every block. Listening to the neighborhood’s memorial serenade, I kept thinking back to that concert. Though it felt like just days before, with The Queen of Soul at rest, it had fully sunken in, to a level that can’t be easily smoothed over with time. Now, whenever I listen to the Aretha Franklin songs that live in the air of my childhood memories, the first thing that comes to mind, fills my chest, is that final loveletter she sang to her city on that summer day. It’s a difficult pill to swallow. Like any other member of that 2017 summer concert crowd, I am very familiar with Aretha’s work from the 50s through the 70s as well as her commercial resurgences in ‘85 and ‘98 . In that time she covered all the bases. Regarding emotions, she took her audience through it all: the anger and sadness of a breakup, the longing of romantic loneliness, the fatigued satisfaction of finally finding the right one, catching a break. She speaks to friends, lovers, exes, you, me, and nobody in particular. An untouchable songwriter, performer, and short-form storyteller, walking in stride with The Queen is a privilege that any member of her audience can experience. But there is one emotion, one mode, that she seldom lets show: pure unbridled joy. Now, as my dad aptly pointed out in a brief discussion of this article, 'she’s pretty fired up on “Doctor Feelgood.” ' A great point that I nudge to the side for two reasons. 1, With a discography as vast as Aretha’s, you're bound to stumble across almost any mood. 2, I hope you can imagine, I bear a fairly hefty weight each time I listen to the songs I was raised on, including “Dr. Feelgood”, which may well have played on the way to the concert that morning or as we strolled through the neighborhood a year later. So to the fault of nobody but myself, in order to share a purely joyful, burden-free moment with Aretha Franklin, I needed something new. Luckily, about a year ago, I stumbled upon a record that I’m sure did not play on those summer days in 2017/18, a record that finally flipped my emotional script when listening to The Queen of Soul: So Damn Happy . In 2003, admittedly after her final return to commercial / critical relevance, Aretha released So Damn Happy . The record did not gain any critical traction, which is understandable considering that stage of her career, however it's the cited reasoning I take issue with. In their brief but harsh, paragraph-long review, Rolling Stone gave props to the efforts of Mary J Blige on the production, but ultimately thrust Aretha’s 2003 effort aside because the vocals were ‘shrill’. They claimed the vocalist, who they declared the greatest singer of all time two decades later, didn’t belong on the 2000s contemporary r&b instrumentals. Why is that? I have a theory. The music critic community, into which I seem to have injected myself, has an unspoken responsibility to conform to fairly uniform taste. Meaning, even if a given writer’s individual taste doesn’t align with what is widely considered high quality work, there is pressure to recognize its merit. This year's best example of this tendency is the critical acclaim afforded to Sexyy Red . The newest culturally dominant female rapper, her style is unapologetic, and to me, unappealing. I am certain that I’m not alone in this opinion, however taking an anti-Sexyy stance at this point in her career is risky to say the least. Blowback could take any number of forms, including accusations of gender-based disrespect and being disregarded as someone who simply isn’t up with the times. (So if you’ll allow me to cover myself briefly), Sexyy Red is one of the most talented artists we’ve seen in generations; she is the future, no doubt. The reason for my digression is simply to highlight the fact that coordination is important, from sharing opinions on a given album to the validation of the most common musical tropes. Artists like Phoebe Bridgers have built a career on their ability to elevate their easily approachable sound with heavily emotional writing and performances. Bridgers could easily sit in the mainstream of pop like Taylor Swift , but she sets herself to the side through her complete commitment to all things melancholy. In doing so, she limits, or rather, concentrates her audience, creating a distinct although not overly unique sound, and placing herself in the favor of critics everywhere. It’s the same factor that elevates artists like Big Thief or Jeff Buckley who dip into the sad sack and happen to be some of my favorites. Effectively conveying emotion through music is an achievement critics recognize across the board, however, they seem to disregard one key emotion: Joy. This brings me back to Aretha. For my money, there is no song in her entire discography more joyful than “Wonderful,” from So Damn Happy . After years and years of listening to The Queen battle through heartbreak and romantic confusion, there’s nothing more refreshing than experiencing a new thing, a good thing, by her side. She brings us into “Wonderful” with a bouncy and simple instrumental highlighted by flourishes on the keyboard. As strong a singer as ever, she rips through verses with her own flare, pace, and attitude, leading her backup singers through the sing-along-worthy chorus. As the energy builds throughout the song, Aretha begins to riff more on the microphone until the emotional climax in which her excitement takes control and transforms into joyful, nimble scatting. The entirety of So Damn Happy dabbles in a lot of musical and emotional elements, which may be largely responsible for its low profile, but “Wonderful” puts them together more effectively than any other song on her 2003 record. It's a simple yet perfectly executed step outside her wheelhouse, which is something that is critically celebrated in nearly any other scenario. So why haven’t you heard of it? Why is the song that makes me happier than any other not championed by critics the way they do Big Thief’s “Change” or Jeff Buckley’s “The Sky Is A Landfill?” Why is the nagging sadness I feel when listening to the music I associate with that final concert valued more than the joy I feel at the hands of my new discovery? Why is it that pulling your audience up into your state of happiness isn’t as critically significant as dragging them into your misery. Is it an industry trend? Is it the assumption that suffering is more relatable to the masses? Is it the widespread use of music as a coping mechanism for the streaming generation? Is it a societal obsession with hardship and misery? Don’t ask me, I love being happy. Listen to “Wonderful” if you do too.

WALK WITH ME (2) 9/17/2023 BY: IAN SHERRY I Don’t Know If I’m A Dog There’s this rapper named Drake , and he’s reached my last nerve. I woke up this morning to finish off my Teezo Touchdown review. Unfortunately I was sidetracked by the news regarding Drake’s upcoming album For All The Dogs . A few weeks ago, the second most streamed Canadian artist of 2023 announced he’d be releasing his eighth studio album on September 22. The excitement was, of course, evident all over social media. Drake has remained in the center of the industry for a decade now. He has leveraged the perfect mixture of palatability, swagger, industry firepower and occasional skill to amass one of the most widespread and dedicated fan bases in the world. So, what does he give those fans? A delayed release. The new date: October 6. Well, at least this gives me room to knock out my top priority articles before deciding if I’ll give Drake the time of day. I recently wrote about the importance of album releases in my review of Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist ’s Voir Dire . Allow me a brief call-back (to this article ). Album releases are the trendiest way to energize a fanbase for new music. The rollout of a new music release should be tailored by the artist to appeal directly to their unique fanbase, and it should fulfill one objective: adding value to the fan’s experience. For a true artist, making art is the foremost pleasure, followed by setting the stage for its reception. Now let’s compare that approach to Drake’s For All The Dogs. I don’t hang out with Drake much these days, so from an outside perspective this doesn’t feel artistic. His line of reasoning, which is logistically reasonable, is that he needs to finish his tour with 21 Savage to allow more time in the studio. He doesn’t want to deliver a substandard product. My question is this: was he planning on releasing a substandard product on September 7 when he announced the original date? I’m reviewing Teezo Touchdown’s debut on my other browser tab. I could expect this kind of indecisiveness from him because he’s never released a full length album before. But this is Drake’s 8th studio album. Number eight. Drake is the most popular rapper in the world, and he certainly knows what he’s doing. If he really thought the original date would work, he wasn’t considering quality. If he didn’t think it would work, he just crossed a line by stirring up the public and his die-hard fan base, only to postpone for the sake of grabbing some headlines and building more suspense. By manipulating his audience in this way Drake has violated the purpose of the album rollout. Either way, Drake knows better. Now that my bone’s picked, I'd like to address the music. I’ve been labeled by some as a ‘Drake hater’. I disagree. I think he just does a lot of things I don’t like. In fact, I’m hoping and praying that this album will be great - I want to be won over. Drake’s albums often feel rushed or bloated, which is understandable when you’re under pressure to satisfy an audience so large and hungry. The last Drake album I enjoyed was 2017’s More Life , but I drew the line at 2021’s Certified Lover Boy . First of all, what kind of a title is that? The cover wasn’t any better, and shockingly, neither was the music. Too many features, too little effort. Drake was looking to do big numbers, and he did. He always can, from his Virgil Abloh-dedicated record that he dropped unannounced, to the 21 Savage collab that he’s touring on right now. What I need from him this year is to lock in, ignore the hype, forget about the charts, and make great music. His lead single doesn't give me a lot of hope: “Slime You Out” features SZA and is a typically unconvincing and formulaic performance from a rapper who knows he’s safe. However, there’s still a lot to be excited about for this record. For me, it starts on Travis Scott ’s Utopia . “Meltdown” is one of the better songs on Scott’s latest record, due in large part to Drake’s verse. He delivers it in an aggressive whisper, providing a convincing level of intensity that we’ve been missing for years. But his audience deserves more. I also need more L il Yachty production, he’s on fire in the studio these days, and he’s a member of the production crew on For All The Dogs . If you’re familiar with Yachty’s 2023 album, or his growing list of production credits, you should be excited like me. For All The Dogs should also benefit from the relationship between Drake and Nicki Minaj . The long time friends and collaborators have produced some of their catchiest work together: “Only” , “Truffle Butter” , and “Make Me Proud” come to mind. Drake’s reunion with Travis Scott went very well, I expect his reunion with Nicki Minaj to hit hard as well. I expect a good album, I expect fans to receive it on the 6th of October, and I expect Drake’s son’s drawing skills to take leaps and bounds forward in the upcoming years. (For All The Dogs cover art by Adonis Graham) The stage is set - it just keeps moving. Stay tuned for more insights next month… Cover art for Drake's upcoming album For All The Dogs , by Adonis Graham

Forever Howlong: OK, Now Everyone Play At Once! By Ian Sherry 4/16/2025 Black Country, New Road’s newest project, Forever Howlong , is every bit as creatively constipated and authentically heady as their last cult favorite. In 2022 Black Country, New Road struck a 7 on the alt-rock Richter Scale with their second studio album, Ants from Up There . I listened, my head spun, and I moved on. At the time it wasn’t something I felt ready to formally rate as my thoughts didn’t match my friends’ positive ravings, but Pitchfork awarded it a 8.4 (and Rolling Stone currently has not 1, not 2, but 3 stories about Donald Trump on its homepage – just read The Culture Gyre instead). Now, I’ve got 3 years of patience and unwaveringly correct opinions under the belt I’m wearing to this BCNR review; let’s see what they brought. The density of the Black Country, New Road sound is what makes it so polarizing. While the reception of their music has been overwhelmingly positive, confused and overwhelmed appreciation is the dominant sentiment. I believe I’m starting to see through the haze (or hear rather). A true British situation, the BCNR instrumental repertoire includes drums, piano, sax, and a truckload of strings – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, banjo, and violin. In true folk style, they use that litany of stringed instruments to form a steady sonic bed under the rotation of lead vocalists. From there, tradition is thrown to the wind. On Forever Howlong , the budding sextet of creatives leaned into their art-rock sensibilities in the absence of Isaac Wood, the gravitational center of their last sonic system. With their lead singer and strongest guitarist stepping aside, Black Country, New Road has begun to drift further from contemporary song structure. This record is defined by striking shifts within tracks that are dictated more by lyrical content than rhythmic progressions. The West Coast art-pop scene of the 60s and 70s lived by a similar code. Their dramatics were more so the product of free will than the type of musical reasoning BCNR operates with, however, the results are a bit too similar. Dramatic shifts between or within songs, which were a common issue on those LSD records, became an inexplicable normality on Forever Howlong . The stop-and-go is likely intended to draw the listener in, but the overuse of these atypical progressions makes for a laborious listening experience. “Socks” and “For the Cold Country” took years off my life. Luckily, BCNR has the power to give those years back. Just as soon as “Socks” pushed my face in the dirt, the pleasant build of “Salem Sisters” lifted my back up. A refreshingly decipherable and sprightly instrumental, a bit of solid structure, and beautifully done background vocals throughout the entirety of a track is all it took for me to buy into Black Country, New Road 4 songs in. When organized sonic clutter presents itself effectively, the results often feel elevated from an average band’s sound, but a balance is needed. The abstract needs normalcy to define itself, and BCNR checks that box when absolutely needed. Forever Howlong provides just enough straightforward material to anchor the rest of its content, and “Mary” is the perfect example. The instrumental bones are as simple as any track on the record and with that easy synchronicity on display, the group vocalists are free to steal the show as they deliver one of the record’s most powerful performative stretches over the final third of track 6. Some of their best displays of talent came just like that – naturally. On an album where they’ve clearly reconfigured to fill a Wood-shaped hole, it often feels like BCNR is chasing the dragon of bombastic songs like “The Place Where He Inserted The Blade.” The instinct to mimic one’s best work is tempting, but they don’t need to force conceptual complexity to make high level music. That’s obvious on the title track, which affords the rare opportunity for the listener to sit back and experience Black Country, New Road creating without having that creation thrust in our faces. “Forever Howlong” throws zero curveballs, stays within itself, shows just enough life on the bridge, and concludes with a quality finish, all to beg the question: why don’t they approach every track like this? I’ve got two answers, “Two Horses” and “Nancy Tries to Take the Night.” The first dreamily starts with a singular guitar and some lovely voices, then a whistle and a second guitar that continue to lull the listener through the 2-minute-mark when the track begins to come to life. It takes off fully at 3:00 when a firm bassline, dual guitars, and flourishing high keys flood the airwaves in perfect unison for an organically incredible sonic highpoint the likes of which I’d yet to hear across any of their work. The second begins with a 2-minute-long, guitar-forward introduction that gives way to a temporarily Adrienne Lenker-like vocal performance, before the song morphs into a tight, beat-like instrumental that continuously and relentlessly builds on itself before finally relinquishing to a theatrical minute-long vocal conclusion. It’s a ridiculous but inexplicably well-executed example of the musical behavior I’ve been trying to discourage. Sonic maximalism and track-to-track overambition plague this record but result in songs like those, which makes it much harder to condemn the approach. While the pursuit of 10/10 tracks feels forced on the majority of songs, Black Country, New Road is able to justify those pursuits, even within the songs that suffer from them. This record feels like a step back, but not the permanent kind. Wood’s guitar feels fairly irreplaceable at this point, but the trio of vocalists, Tyler Hyde, May Kershaw, and Georgia Ellery, was extremely effective, and their group vocal ability adds more to the sound than Wood’s vocal persona could alone. The balance of instrumental complexity and dynamic vocals led to their strongest work when properly struck, but the many lengthy intros tend to expose a less complex sonic palate that their structurally ambitious songs work to mask or overcome. Further mastery of their many moving parts and a matured understanding of listenability could result in their best record, but a deepened obsession with sonic maximalism and out-of-the-box track development may lead them down a path of creative anti-progress. Black Country, New Road: professional line-toers. Forever Howlong is a 7.6 .

Before The World Blows BY IAN THOMAS SHERRY 9/18/2026 On August 28, in cahoots with The Alchemist, Erykah Badu released her first studio album in 16 years, Before The World Blows . On September 11, 2026, I had the pleasure of seeing the duo live. SETTING THE STAGE It’s been a decade since Ms. Badu’s cell phone-centered concept EP, But You Caint Use My Phone (’16), and her digitimaterial focus has only sharpened in the time since (yes, I made that word up). If you’re lucky enough to see ‘The Abby & Al Experience’ live, like I have, you’d immediately see what I mean. The set consisted of two beds on the far right and left connected by a circular cushion that stretched the back perimeter of the stage, all white, kinda freaky. Two spotlights switch on, and there they are – Abby n Al in their respective beds, Erykah Badu outfitted in red heels, a white trench coat, and a blonde wig, which she’d chuck, and The Alchemist in the boyish black hoodie – speaking to each other ‘on the phone,’ hatching a plan. Quickly, The Alchemist retreated to the platform hidden at the top of the set beside his dark-dressing-DJ counterparts, and the beats began. SOUND REASONING The lines between Abby and Al go back to a wannabe Alchemist selling weed to Badu’s mentor and career-breaker D’Angelo and follow the gyre of neo soul to its current resting place, in the palms of women like Ms. Badu. Her hands have been anything but idle in the years since soul’s sound slipped away. If you caught the two-part New AmErykah series (’08, ’10), or her last LP, you’ll notice Badu’s increased interest in digital hip-hop production. Each record was en vogue, impressive for an aging genre-crossing solo artist, but each aged quickly. Met with the task of creating an updated, lasting product and continually interested in marrying analog hip-hop and modern digital production, Abby went to Al. THE GOODS They played the album in order (with bonus tracks interwoven), starting with the ethereal (Track 1) “Echoes.” As the album chimes and whirs to life, Erykah Badu’s singular aesthetic descends upon this decade of music. Lyrically, she comes out muthafuckin firing: “Ah, if we can't agree on the God we pick / Then, my God / Let's at least agree on this snare and kick / (Red, yellow, black, white, or brown) / Oh, if you can't love the one you with / Ah, then you ain't her God, mm / (Red, yellow, black, white, or brown) / Ah, John Lennon said / “They treat women like the n- of the world,” yes, he did / (So watch how you trеat your girl) / Ah, 'cause the future looking odd thеse days That's on Tyler, Frank, and Earl .” This opening lyrical rampage is more musically dynamic than your Spotify streaming quality can capture; but live, as the synths soared, beat lurched, and Badu wailed through her autotune I was met with a bombastic opening track (only rivaled by Action Bronson’s “Live From The Moon” in my concert-going experience). 7 minutes later it gives way to (Track 2) “I Just Play A Part.” Initially my favorite, and certainly the most climactic song on the record, the first of two Westside Gunn features consists of purely gun sounds for effect as the Clintonian techneo anthem roars to life. Badu picks a cadence and rolls with it for two minutes, until she runs out of bars and resorts to a scream solo that rips at the fabric of the track until it splits and the beat switches for DJ Creole Princess to spit a silky verse. (Track 4) “Witch Doctor” was this record’s lead single and the first look at Abby and Al’s sound. The lurching bassline’s rumblin nicely backs Badu’s mumblin and the simple but syncopated melody allows the entire track to swing in cadence with Badu’s words, before giving way to a hand drum solo which she performed alone at center stage to the crowd’s excitement. The stop and go effect of “Witch Doctor” was something to behold live. The crowd, including myself, floated entranced by her witchly wordplay, and by the end I knew all the lyrics. The sentimental being that I am, (Track 6) “Next 2 U,” which samples Mobb Deep’s “The Realest,” plucked my heartstrings on first listen, and has since burned itself into my brain. “I-IIIIIII wanna smoke blunts with you” too Erykah. (Track 7) “Love Me Not” details the uncertain progression of a relationship before giving way to a tape of Ms. Badu getting her booty waxed – thrilling stuff really – but it was easy to see why she chose to go a different direction for this portion of the show. In place of Track 7, The Alchemist descended to perform a medley of “Life Is Beautiful” and “Hold You Down” (both covers of originals he produced). FLASHBACK When Al was done, attention returned to Abby and her soundboard at center stage. She starts, 'You know, they say 90s babies were born with an irregular heartbeat… and it sounds like this,' - dundun duuuun, dundun duuuun – the first notes of the iconic, immediately recognized, “On & On.” As the crowd revved to life, Erykah Badu, filling with the energy and spirit of her youth as it poured out of the crowd back into her, began to deliver by far her most authoritative, studio-similar, and frankly legendary pair of performances of the night as she medleyed into “Didn’t Ya Know” with ease. When I saw Erykah Badu tour Mama’s Gun a year ago, in the climactic confines of the Fox Theater, she delivered every individual performance with the aforementioned moxie. Not only did this year’s venue, Freedom Hill, lack any sonic containment for her vocals, this year’s album doesn’t feature any such performances. To avoid belaboring my point, allow me to state with absolute certainty: Erykah Badu is 55 years old and holding back (no doubt conserving energy for the arrival of aliens). Badu returned to the tracklist and concluded her flashback with a mashup of (Track 8) “Breezy” (the album’s toughest listen) and “Bennie And The Jets” for the concert’s most surprisingly fun moment. (Track 9) “Abracadabra,” is a good interlude. (Track 10) “To The Moon (Plan C)” features Steve Lacy, who brings his sound to Badu’s record with the same grace she visits his newest release Oh Yeah? The three-way fusion between the sounds of The Alchemist, Badu, and Lacy, all of which are unique and individually decipherable, ought to be an intriguing listen for any music fan. Well-grouped features, Thundercat is next. (Track 11) “They Ain’t You” isn’t the album’s most exhilarating track, but the transition between Lacy’s sound and Thundercat’s bass is clever, but it drags on as TC tracks tend to do. (Track 12) “What The People Say (Apostle 1)” picks up the pace and Badu shakes off the mumbles, ramping up into the fastest-paced rap performance (Track 13) “Hot BiBi (Apostle 2).” Another well-intentioned pairing, but the best bars had yet to come. (Track 14) “No I.D.” captures a true freestyle feel as Badu names legendary DJs over the most quintessential Alchemist beat of the record. It was fitting then, to feature Westside Gunn for the second time, laying viscous flexes over the creepy-crawly instrumental and Erykah Badu’s sweet hook “Ain't nobody fuckin' with the K-I-D (No) / Big ball bangin', need no ID (Doot-doot-doot-doot-doot, ah) / I'ma get a beat from No I.D. (Mm, woo) / Ain't nobody fuckin' with the K-I-D (Yeah) / If Alchemist don't come through for me / I'ma get a beat from No I.D. (Woo).” That’s taste folks. (Track 15) “I Know That Man” mutters Earl Sweatshirt, before stating blankly atop the beatdrop “Everything is not a joke,” at the beginning of the album’s best verse over The Alchemist’s most emotionally charged beat only to give way to this chorus on gospel-style-repeat: “I, wanna be seen / as good / in the eyes of that which made us.” It brings tears to my eyes, even in listening to write this article. Now for the final time, check this shit out: “Too much dopamine can make a man mean / Dimethyltryptamine make a man dream / Ozempic and promethazine make a man lean / Mars' daddy Jay Elec', make a bitch real mean / Turn into a meme, make a big scene / Broadcast it on the whole block, live from the black box / Phone call, liberation or entrapment? / Mercury in retrograde, at midnight all was well / But suddenly the box became engulfed with a beam of light / Somebody gettin' some pussy, tonight.” Is your jaw on the floor? Mine was the first time I heard Ms. Badu rattle this off for a teaser at last year’s show, and so were the jaws of any fan who hadn’t heard (Track 16) “Black Box” before last Friday’s concert. Oh, and the second verse is just as good, so give it a listen and yours may be too. My name is Ian Thomas Sherry, but I’m Mr. Badu if she’ll have me. Before The World Blows is an 8.9.