misspoptart

First of all, I just want to express my sadness that there are no collaborations with Ratatat. He promised.



Nonetheless, CuDi basically wrote and produced the album alone. So bravo!



1. The Resurrection Of Scott Mescudi
2. Un****wittable
3. Just What I Am Feat. King Chip
4. Young Lady
5. King Wizard
6. Immortal
7. Solo Dolo Part II Feat. Kendrick Lamar
8. Girls Feat. Too Short
9. New York City Rage Fest
10. Red Eye
11. Mad Solar
12. Beez
13. Brothers
14. Burn Baby Burn
15. Lord Of The Sad And Lonely
16. Cold Blooded
17. Afterwards (Bring Yo Friends)
18. The Flight Of The Moon Man

I get the sense that every one of these songs is for stoners. So.

Q: Is the album good when not high on drugs?
A: As a whole, not really. I wouldn't listen to it from start to finish again. It drags at parts, and the beats are pretty monotonous and repetitive. I got bored by the end of almost every track.

However, there is something distinct and unique about the sound of the album, a certain hint that KiD has grown up since his first mix tape and MOTM 1 & 2. That said, there's something much darker about his sound now. His lyricism is as good as ever, and the choruses are familiar enough that you can connect it to his earlier work.

"Just What I Am Feat. King Chip" is once of my favorites, and it was released as a single back in 2012. I also like "Girls," because it is so funny. No prejudice! I see pretty girls/like, everywhere!



I also dig "Brothers."



Another interesting piece is "Cold Blooded." Would be EXCELLENT for a movie soundtrack. Amazing writing. I don't know why, but the first word that comes to mind when I hear it is "tempting."



Tracks I really don't "get" are the intro track, "The Resurrection Of Scott Mescudi." It's weird and eerie and it doesn't make me want to listen to the rest of the album. Interlude "New York City Rage Fest" has a title that makes no sense and nothing really notable about it, so you can skip that one, too.

I didn't like the vocals on "Red Eye." I'm not sure what her shaky voice problem is. The instrumental is sweet, though.

As for the rest...well, it's pretty much forgettable. Sad, but true.

Overall rating: 5/10. You're not missing much if you never give this album a play. But, with good things still expected to come from KiD CuDi, you should give it a listen just stay up-to-date with a very interesting and evolving, talented guy. Oh, and if you're a stoner, you'll probably like it, too.

djchameleon

First things first, I know this is your opinion but Holy shit do I disagree.

I'm certainly no stoner but the first half of the album is pretty damn great. Every single track then comes the interlude and it's every other track that is good imo. Also about the darkness of his sound, that was introduced on MotM 2 so I take it that you didn't care too much for that album either.

How can you not like Immortal? I believe he sampled a MGMT track for it or they co-wrote it with him. I love that playback skip sound in the beat so delicious to my ears.



Brothers did nothing for me but I love Red Eye.

The sound of the intro is supposed to symbolize his resurrection so he has a warped spacey sound like he's being summoned back then worked on to reconstruct himself it makes sense to me but maybe that's just because I think a little outside the box.

The interlude might not make much sense as far as the title but it does signal the second half of the album which has a different vibe to it compared to the first.

The second half of the album gives you great tracks like Red Eye, Beez, Burn Baby Burn, Cold Blooded and Afterwards has that sexy driving bass in it makes me love that track it also transitions about two different times and it feels like three tracks smashed into one.

Just reading this review is making me want to go listen to it fully again which I've already done so much over the past few days anyways.

It seems like maybe you are the type of Kid Cudi fan that just likes Day N' Nite, Pursuit of Happiness and a few other singles.

__________________

Fame, fortune, power, titties. People say these are the most crucial things in life, but you can have a pocket full o' gold and it doesn't mean sh*t if you don't have someone to share that gold with. Seems simple. Yet it's an important lesson to learn. Even lone wolves run in packs sometimes.

misspoptart

Hey Dj, thanks for all the insight. I never really said I was a fan of this artist, I'm not sure where you got that impression. I'm actually just a really big fan of Ratatat, and I was expecting a couple collabs on this album.

Nevetheless, I appreciate a lot of his work on MotM and I think he is a very talented producer. The only songs he's done that I love are "Alive (Nightmare)" and "Trapped in my Mind."

I don't like Pursuit of Happiness and I really hate Day N' Nite.

Since it was released as a single, I didn't feel the need to talk about Immortal. It's good, but not one of my favorites. Overall I stand by my feelings that this album is not great compared to his previous work, and just because I happened to be a pop music lover doesn't mean I only like the most popular tracks of a certain artist.

djchameleon

I got the impression you were a fan based off of you mentioning his other works but at the same time if the darker sound is new to you then I should've known that you weren't really a fan in particular since he's been heading in that direction since MoTM 2.

I only mentioned those popular tracks because they are a bit lighter in mood and that's what you seem to lean towards not just because you are a pop music lover. How do you not like Pursuit of Happiness? hehe It was one of my faves off of MoTM AND Ratatat was involved with it. I didn't keep up the release of singles from off this album so I didn't know about Immortal being released as one.

I wasn't trying to convince you that this album is great because your listening experience isn't going to be the same as mines. I just wanted to state that I disagreed with you that a large majority of the tracks are forgettable when they aren't to me.

__________________

Fame, fortune, power, titties. People say these are the most crucial things in life, but you can have a pocket full o' gold and it doesn't mean sh*t if you don't have someone to share that gold with. Seems simple. Yet it's an important lesson to learn. Even lone wolves run in packs sometimes.

Deviouz

Love CuDi's sound. Real chill to listen too! King Wizard & Immortal are my faves so far, haven't heard the rest of the album yet though. His production is great, giving of a dark vibe.

Red Eye was also a great track, loved HAIM's indie vocals.

Ya, Immortal samples MGMT's track, "Congratulations"

your favorite weapon

Cudi really experimented with different styles and sounds on this album, but I see what misspoptart's comment about music for the stoners.