Issue 2: The Good, Bad Bunny, and The Ugly
Reviewing albums by Kendrick Lamar, The Smile, Jack Harlow and more!
If you’re new here, I’ve been listening to a new album every day and reviewing seven of them here weekly. This week I’m doing a deep dive into Kendrick Lamar’s new album—my pick for this week—with brief looks at six other albums (plus a couple of bonus ones). This whole thing is brand new, and I’m still getting the hang of it. I greatly underestimated the amount of labor involved in writing seven new reviews every week, so I’m changing it to every other week with my top five recommendations for those two weeks. I think it will be better and more focused content. You’ll love it even more.
Moving on.
Intro
There are good albums, great albums, and albums that defy the form itself. This week I listened to six albums that fell along this spectrum and one that was…not good (sorry, Jack Harlow). It made me wonder about the artists featured in this issue and their paths to greatness (or just okay-ness). How much practicing, how many badly written songs (if any) did it take them to get to this place? At some point, Thom Yorke had to learn to sing and Kendrick Lamar had to learn to rap, but we rarely see the ugly, cringe-y process of working things out.
There’s no other way to greatness than the ugly, cringe-y process of practice. It is painful, vulnerable, and humbling—because we know what it looks like to be great, but we don’t know how to get there yet. Ira Glass describes this dilemma well:
“All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have…It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions.”
Work until you close that gap—that’s the path to greatness. I think about myself and the process of writing this. It’s painful, vulnerable, and humbling. The gap between where I am and where I want to be is vast. I feel ill equipped to write about most of these artists (especially Kendrick Lamar). But I’m not giving up. For those of you that keep reading this newsletter, you bear witness to this whole process: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Thank you for sticking around for it.
Maybe I’ve been too hard on Jack Harlow. Maybe he’s just practicing.
Now, on to the albums!
Pick of the week
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers - Kendrick Lamar
Hip-Hop/Rap
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is an astounding opus on growth and reconciliation. It is essentially a therapy session (in two parts) that we are invited into. He creates a safe space for himself to work things out: confronting hard truths and trying to right his wrongs. “I’ve got some healing to do,” he says in “Father Time,” and he does show profound growth and healing (sometimes imperfectly). Whether he achieves true transformation at the end is for the listener to decide, but his journey to get there is deeply moving.
The beginning of the album is immediately compelling and sets the stage for what’s to come. It begins with an a cappella chant, “I hope you find some peace of mind in this lifetime.” Then a few staccato notes on a piano underneath the directive “tell them the truth”. The first words we hear from Kendrick are “I’ve been going through something.” We are invited in to his personal experience, but he sets expectations that this won’t be a typical or linear healing process. “I grieve different,” he states.
Throughout the album there are a few devices used to call Kendrick to truth telling: tap dancing, and spoken words from both Eckhart Tolle and Kendrick’s longtime girlfriend Whitney Alford. The tap dancing is identified at the end of “We Cry Together” as a symbol for avoidance, “stop tap dancing around the conversation.” Eckhart and Whitney’s voices are meant to provide grounding and encouragement.
Kendrick takes us through various stages of grief and healing throughout the album. In the first act, he is confronted with his issues. In “Father Time,” he is told he needs therapy, but he rejects the notion. Later, in “We Cry Together,” he is called to own up to his issues in a relationship. This jarring moment in the album is less of a song and more of a play that breaks the bounds of genre.
The scene is an emotionally charged argument between Kendrick and a partner (played by Taylour Paige). It is one of my favorite moments on the album because it is so raw—but it is a hard listen. The lyrics are extremely explicit and may be uncomfortable if you’re sensitive to that. But, it’s perhaps the most stunning instance of being confronted with his issues and being called to change (he doesn’t yet).
In the album’s second act, Kendrick digs deeper into childhood issues and starts to own up to the consequences of his actions. “One of these lives, I’ma make things right with the wrongs I’ve done” are his opening words in “Count Me Out”. We see him reach toward reconciliation. But, the a cappella voices from the beginning of the album return again reminding us—and Kendrick—that the path to get there may be rocky and non-linear, “we may not know which way to go on this dark road.”
One of Kendrick’s attempts at reconciliation is in “Auntie Diaries”—another jarring and raw moment on the album. It’s controversial. The subject of this song is out of my lane, so I will refrain from saying too much. I’ll just note that it’s about two of Kendrick’s trans family members and his attempt to heal his relationship with them. It can be triggering and contains deadnaming and explicit slurs. This article has a good round-up of thoughts about it from the LGBTQ community and I encourage you to read it before or after listening to the song. It’s a pivotal moment on the album, but whether its a transformational moment is up to the listener.
In the penultimate song of the album, “Mother I Sober,” we are drawn in by a single, rhythmic piano note underneath Kendrick’s lyrics. The chorus is sung by Beth Gibbons in a style so reserved it’s as if she’s holding back tears. The song confronts trauma. Kendrick is finally fully honest and owns up to his part in it. It’s a moment of acceptance and release. As the music crescendoes he “sets free” those that have been wronged and those that have held guilt. It peaks with the words, “so I set free the hearts filled with hatred, keep our bodies sacred. As I set free all you abusers, this is transformation.” The song ends with Whitney’s words, “you did it. I’m proud of you,” joined by Kendrick’s son. Finally, the a cappella voices that we heard at the beginning of the album return to usher in closure, “before I go and fast asleep, love me for me. I bear my soul and now we’re free”—punctuated by the last tap-danced stomps.
A bright celebratory beat emerges in the final song, “Mirror,” where Kendrick is indeed free and able to see himself clearly. He calls out the pressures of being in the public eye, “girl, I’m not relevant to giving ‘em profit. Personal gain of my pain is nonsense.” It is no longer how anyone else sees him that matters, but the way he sees himself, “lately I redirected my point of view.” With clear eyes, he chooses to “runaway from the culture to follow my heart.” In his final words, “I choose me, I’m sorry.” He has found peace of mind.
Kendrick Lamar yet again defies the form of an album with Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. It’s a worthy follow-up to the Pulitzer Prize winning DAMN. If it is possible to grow from greatness, he has done it. Listen with headphones, if you can—you won’t want to miss a single word.
Favorite track: Almost impossible to choose just one, but the opening song, “United In Grief,” with the hyper-fast drums and rhyming (is it quadruple-time??) paired with the piano and strings blows me away every time. It’s incomprehensible. Perfection.
Also listen on Apple Music
Six more albums I listened to this week
A Light for Attracting Attention - The Smile
Alternative
The Smile is a new project of Thom Yorke’s. Johnny Greenwood joins him along with Tom Skinner and Nigel Goodrich. Their debut album, A Light for Attracting Attention feels pleasantly familiar, with echoes of Radiohead’s past—like the acoustic “Free In The Knowledge,” reminiscent of “Fake Plastic Trees”. It also brings sounds that feel totally fresh, such as “Waving a White Flag” and its dystopian soundscape. Its most invigorating song, “You Will Never Work In Television Again” is a bit of both categories. It’s a veritable “make your way to the front of the mosh pit” type of rock song—a thrilling moment.
The album so beautifully holds optimism in one hand and skepticism in the other—the hallmark of a Thom Yorke project. It’s a must listen for any Radiohead fans—but I probably don’t need to convince you.
Favorite track: “Waving a White Flag” feels so unique from anything else in Yorke’s catalogue. It starts off with an eerie, electronic sequence à la Wendy Carlos. When Thom comes in joined by strings it’s such a beautiful wave of serenity that kicks me in the gut every time.
Also listen on Apple Music, bandcamp
Some Nights I Dream of Doors - Obongjayar
R&B/Soul
It’s impossible to fit Some Nights I Dream of Doors into one genre or sound. It feels like something completely new and from another dimension. Even the style of Obongjayar’s voice morphs throughout the album—varying from light and smooth, to a deep, gruff growl, to rap. Each song has musical surprises. The piano-driven “Parasite” features the faint fluttering sounds of flying insects. In “Message in a Hammer,” fast-paced drumming (one of the most organic sounds on the album), is paired with an electronic trill.
The deep bass throughout the album mirrors the depths of personal experience that Obongjayar is pulling from. But, even in his introspection, he still makes time for dance breaks (Sugar, Tiko Tiko). I highly recommend this to anyone and everyone. Be sure to listen wherever you can get the fullest, deepest sound.
Favorite track: “Try” is my favorite song of 2022 so far. It never fails to give me goosebumps. Two big, unexpected shifts occur from the verse to the pre-chorus to the chorus that are simply jaw-dropping. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever heard. If you listen to one song from the music I’ve shared in this issue, let it be this.
Also listen on Apple Music, bandcamp
We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong - Sharon Van Etten
Alternative
I want to feel as cool as a Sharon Van Etten song sounds. Sharon sings straight from her guts, wearing her heart on the sleeve of a leather jacket. “We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong” is more subdued than her last album (a must listen) but no less passionate. It’s clear the past few years have been weathering for her—surviving LA fires, a pandemic, and the tough work of motherhood. But, she opens up to the listener with her story—weathering and all. Her sounds range from acoustic to synth-y to grunge-y, but always with her usual builds and layers of sounds. When she breaks her formula in the stripped-down “Darkish,” it brings everything to a halt and forces you to listen carefully. Perfect for weathered souls everywhere.
Favorite track: In “Born” Sharon delivers her lines like she’s pulling them on a rope. Silky vocals replace the more gruff ones found on most of the album. In the last third of the song, she accompanies the swell of the orchestra with just a few high, sustained notes. It feels like a rebirth, indeed.
Also listen on Apple Music, bandcamp
Radiate Like This - Warpaint
Alternative
Life can bring you down, but Warpaint is here for you. They are the four new best friends you didn’t know you needed, and they’re here to hand-hold you through some feelings. In Radiate Like This, they cover themes of love, heartache, and motherhood. Their soft, dreamy style of rock has a vulnerability to it, but it also radiates (sorry) confidence. It’s inviting, deep, and comforting—while maintaining some edge. It’s the kind of album you can melt into.
Favorite song: “Champion” is somehow both slick and rugged. The fact that it was inspired by motherhood1 makes it even more badass. When the guitar comes in about halfway through the song…yes! So cool it makes me want to get a new tattoo: Warpaint 4 Lyfe.
Also listen on Apple Music, bandcamp
Un Verano Sin Ti - Bad Bunny
Latin
When Bad Bunny said that he wanted this album to feel like a summer playlist, I was expecting something a little more boisterous. It’s not the kind of “blast while driving with your car windows open,” summer, but the “relax in the sun with a Piña Colada Moscow Mule” type. A fine summer album nonetheless.
The album spans many genres, but the overall vibe feels consistent. The bossa nova “Yo No Soy Celoso” is delightful and the electronic-leaning “El Apagón” demands that you get up and dance. It would make an excellent soundtrack to a chill(ish) backyard summer party.
Favorite song: “Otro Atardecer” has such a lovely vibe. Vocals from The Marias add a welcomed softness to it. It’s like a breath of fresh air. I will happily put this song on repeat all summer.
Also listen on Apple Music
Come Home The Kids Miss You - Jack Harlow
Hip-Hop/Rap
I was thoroughly disappointed by this album. For the reputation that Jack Harlow has built, I had high expectations, but this album fell flat to me. His style of rapping is so subdued and his lyrics so uninspired that it all sort of faded together. The minimalist instrumentations didn’t add any interest either. It’s like he set cruise control to 20 miles per hour.
The most interesting songs on the album are the ones where collaborators like Pharrell, Drake, and Lil Wayne take the lead. They sound more like their songs than…whatever Harlow’s sound is supposed to be—which I’m totally fine with! They break up the monotony of the rest of the album. Probably not worth 51 minutes of your time.
Favorite track: “Nail Tech” is actually a decent bop. If the rest of the album sounded like this I would be more interested. It feels a little Macklemore-y but it’s a far stronger single than the wispy “First Class”.
Also listen on Apple Music
Bonus albums
There was an electronic/dance-y void that needed to be filled this week. These albums satisfied that and also provided a good soundtrack to work out to.
Let It Be Blue - !!!
Alternative
Great alternative dance music for any of my fellow weirdos and misfits out there. Perfect for when you want to have a dance party but don’t want to actually invite anyone. “Here’s What I Need To Know” was my favorite track but their cover of R.E.M.’s “Man on the Moon” is wiiild and necessitates a listen.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, bandcamp
Loner - Alison Wonderland
Electronic
Loner is an introverted album that dwells in its own depths. I wasn’t captivated by it, but maybe I’ll revisit when I have a lot of feelings to process. The title track, “Loner” and “Bad Things” were the standouts to me.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, bandcamp
AMOK - Atoms for Peace (2013)
Electronic
I don’t know how I possibly missed this entire project. Atoms for Peace is also part of the Thom Yorke multiverse comprising of Thom, Flea, Mauro Refosco, and Joey Waronker. It’s a lovely mix of unique, detailed soundscapes, such as a dripping water-like sound in “Ingenue”. If you somehow missed it, too, it’s worth a listen.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Music
The Playlist!
These are my favorite songs off of each new album I listened to this year listed in chronological order of listening. The songs from the albums in this issue are at the end of the playlist. It’s updated weekly.
365 Albums in 2022 - Apple Music playlist
365 Albums in 2022 - Spotify playlist