THE CULTURE GYRE 

10/22/23

By Ian Sherry

I’ve returned! Rejoice, but contain your excitement. The world as we know it is fragile enough.

On September 8, 2023, Teezo Touchdown released his debut album How Do You Sleep At Night?.

On the same day, James Blake released his newest solo album Playing Robots Into Heaven.

On September 22, 2023 Doja Cat released her new rap-focused album Scarlet.

On October 10, 2023, I decided to review all three of them in the same article.

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How Do You Sleep At Night?

     Teezo Touchdown stumped me. Despite rarely being so excited to review an album, my creative wheels fell off midway through the process. Though I own much of the blame, I believe Teezo’s share stems from his uniqueness. To be clear, this isn't negative, but attempting to understand his creative direction is difficult. It was a challenge before the release, and it hasn’t gotten any easier despite a compelling effort on his part.

     Teezo is a rookie. Though he’s been featured on major projects this year, his individual catalog isn’t deep. That put a lot of pressure on this album to showcase his abilities. He succeeded, showing skill across the board. Previously I assumed songwriting wasn’t his strong suit. Instead, he excels at moments on this album. Not always, as his personality naturally skews towards goofiness, but “Neighbors” is a well written piece of music, a pleasant surprise. His greatest strength though, is his chorus and hook game. Complicated and elevating choruses salvage less promising tracks but take the best ones to a new level. Try “UUHH”. He also accommodates features nicely, like the Foushee feature on “Sweet,” which melds perfectly with Teezo’s quirky take on the contemporary r&b/pop intersection. The result is one of the most pleasant and directionally convincing tracks on the record. He is able to deliver high quality collaborative outcomes because of his versatility. The role he plays on the Don Toliver album is completely different than on Travis Scott’s. On top of that, his ability to pull from other styles and influences is a great bridge for artists to enter his world. His world is still under construction, but in the early running it looks like a fun mixture of Steve Lacy and Lil Yachty, though comparisons are increasingly difficult with Teezo. He’s raw, and so is this record, but he has fun and he thinks out of the box. In fact, he won’t let himself inside of it. That should serve him well, and as he settles in and gains more connections, the artistic polish will come.

     Teezo Touchdown was the subject of a scalding Pitchfork article in 2021. The writer, Alphonse Pierre, disemboweled Teezo’s place in the music industry to the point that his negative opinion piece was the first result if you searched the artists’ name. I believe Pierre looked through the wrong lens. Teezo’s catalog was weak at the time, but his creativity and enthusiasm (something the music industry lacks) were evident. You have to enter Teezo’s world and be willing to hear him out to enjoy his music. If you don’t want to, don’t bother listening and don’t expect him to change. He’s not a rapper or an r&b singer. He’s a youthful, genre-fluid, black guy from Texas. Do what you will with that, and give him a real listen.

     Once again, this album is raw. Some tracks never catch their groove, some have sudden twists that are shocking minus the payoff, but some are unique successes, displaying just how much potential he truly has. How Do You Sleep At Night? is a good album. It is the perfect length and has replay value, innovation, and stylistic diversity. The best part: it won’t be his best. Teezo will make better music. The purpose of a debut is to set the tone for an artist’s career, showcasing their talent and ambition while providing a launching point for their future endeavors. By that definition, this is a great debut.

How Can You Sleep At Night? is a 6.75.

 

Playing Robots Into Heaven

     James Blake is a music industry secret weapon. His features on major rap projects always hit their mark, his production credits show up on great songs all over the market, and his solo work includes some of the more interesting collaborative efforts in featured artists catalogs, including Rosalia, Andre 3000, and JID. His sound is unique. His raw vocals often lead the way over ambient, occasionally trappy, production. He relies on the contrast between the two, and when he executes it he strikes a balance very few can. Some of his music, however, doesn’t find the right balance. The result can be songs that aren’t compelling, or aren’t able to connect with a significant audience. This is probably why he flies under the radar despite his high profile collaborations. His unique set of skills and stylistic preferences set him apart, for better or worse.

     On Playing Robots Into Heaven, Blake leaned into his strengths. That’s important, as a naturally creative person. He isn’t someone who has to push himself too far stylistically in order to succeed. I think he realized that this year. This is a producer’s album. He leans away from those raw vocals, using them for effect and emotion, rather than the musical centerpiece. James Blake can sing, but under close scrutiny, his performances can fall flat. Not on this album. He filters and chops his vocals, using them as another instrument in his soundscapes. “Fall Back” is a really good example of this tactic, and he also demonstrates mastery of mashing the worlds of ambient trap and house on this record. A stylistic combo I hadn’t heard before, this sweet spot allows him to toy with additional elements of production, while weaving in something like the Ragga Twins feature on “Big Hammer”. It takes a veteran to leverage a sound like he does, while still accommodating creative wiggle room. As a final point of specificity, I suggest listening to “Fire The Editor”, on top of the two I listed. It’s one of his best songs ever.

     Overall this album is very clean, his cleanest yet. It’s often clear by the end of the song what his aim was, which is a sign of clear vision and execution. While there are some grating parts of the production, and some songs suffer from excessive dead space or too much length, the album is an enjoyable listen as a complete piece. It’s not groundbreaking, but it's a display of his instincts, knowledge and command within his medium. It’s solid. 

Playing Robots Into Heaven is a 7/10.

 

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Scarlet

     Doja Cat wants us all to know that she’s a rapper. Her metamorphosis the last few years has been intentionally provocative. It brought on backlash, which wasn’t necessarily deserved but certainly expected. She knew what she was getting into with the changes to her physical appearance and her brand, and she makes it clear on this record that she’s happy with it. It seems her overly commercial 2021 release led to her weariness as a resident in the elite community, the apex of pop music. Feeling the need for a change, Doja switched to this new ‘hardcore’ version of herself. The Scarlet Doja Cat was billed as a new attitude and sound, focused on rap, not haters. Okay then Ms. Cat, let’s see how you did.

     Someone like Doja Cat has to be careful with the chip on her shoulder, it can fuel good music, or it can interfere with the artistic process. There’s a bit of both here. “Paint The Town Red” is the lead single, first track, and one of the most fun songs of the year. It’s a great intro to her new attitude, followed by the manifestation of my concerns. “Demons” and “Wet Vagina” are misses. She pushes too hard here, and this is a problem at times on the album. But when she doesn’t overreach, Doja Cat produces some very compelling music. She pulls on different styles, showing flashes of all eras of her previous work, as well as the contemporary bass-boosted rap, and even subtle hints of Malibu-era Anderson Paak. Her vocal performances themselves are wide-ranging too. I hear Rico Nasty on “Demons”, Missy Elliot on “Ouchies”, J Cole on “Can’t Wait”, and Rapsody on “Love Life”. Most excitingly however, she displays her ability to rap. I knew she could, and anyone who listens should. She just needed space and motivation to talk about something other than sex. I hope she keeps it up.

     Despite the advances, this album is just too long. She has the ability to make catchy songs at will, but some have less replay value. Some of those, “Go Off” and “Shutcho”, which sit consecutively, for example, could’ve been cut. She bit off a lot, executed much, but overall Scarlet isn’t quite the cohesive end product that it could have been. By my count, the tracks are roughly half rap/pop and half hip-hop. This genre distinction is trivial, yet telling in this case. She is trying to establish herself deeper within hip-hop while maintaining her grip on the mainstream spotlight. That’s difficult, and possibly unrealistic. However, for someone entering a new space in their career, aiming high isn’t the gravest sin. While the album itself isn’t perfect as a collection, it has highlights like “Can’t Wait”, “Attention”, and “Paint The Town Red” that mark some of her best work to date. That was required, and she delivered. Scarlet is both a success and a stepping stone. 

Scarlet is a 6.5/10.