Issue 8: Dance Dance Resolution
Reviewing the new album from Beyoncé, plus a few more!
Welcome back to Band Practice, where I listen to a new album every day and write about my favorites here. This week I’m doing a deep dive into Beyoncé’s new album RENAISSANCE and sharing why it’s an important album to give a listen—even if you’re not a card-carrying member of the Beyhive. If that’s really not your thing, I’ve got two other (very different) quick recommendations at the end that you might enjoy. Let’s get started!
Intro
In these past few years, I’ve seen a trend of artists breaking genre and making dance albums. There’s Drake’s new album Honestly, Nevermind, Lucius’ Second Nature, Foo Fighters’ Hail Satin (released under their alter-ego the “Dee Gees”), just to name a few. And now, in perhaps the most brilliant example, we have Beyoncé’s RENAISSANCE. It made me wonder “why now”? What is it about this moment that’s triggering this “dance” craze? I think it has something to do with release and resolution.
We’ve been through a lot these past few years: trying to survive a pandemic, racial violence, an insurrection, the loss of bodily autonomy (for some)—and that’s not even an exhaustive list. If you are reading this, you have survived all of this—and that is no small feat. It’s a lot of trauma, and we can’t just sit in it—we have to do something to move through it.
I’m reminded of an episode of Brené Brown’s “Unlocking Us” podcast from 2020. Her guests were Drs. Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski, authors of the book Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle. They talked about how stress is a cycle that our whole nervous system goes through. During a stressful event, we may find ourselves in fight or flight or freeze mode but, once it is over, our brains and bodies don’t know that it’s safe until we do something that completes the cycle. According to the Nagoskis, physical activity is the most efficient way to do that. Movement—not the change in circumstances—triggers an actual change in our nervous system to let us know we are safe.
Perhaps this dance album trend—and the urge to dance—is an expression of that. These artists, who have been stuck in fight/flight/freeze mode for the past few years, are using dance to move through and finish their feelings. I have a hunch that it might be why there was an uptick in dance crazes that emerged during the roaring 1920s. Everyone had just been through a pandemic and a World War—there was plenty of trauma to deal with. Maybe they were all moving through that cycle of stress.
Movement heals. Dance heals. It tells our bodies we are safe. If you feel like your body could use that message, I invite you to dance (in whatever way you are able) after reading this—whether it’s to RENAISSANCE or something else that makes you want to move.
Pick of the week
RENAISSANCE - Beyoncé
Pop
As a household name and the closest thing our country has to royalty, Beyoncé is someone who definitely needs no introduction. In her latest album, RENAISSANCE, the first of a three-album project, she harnesses the energy of dance music to initiate a rebirth into an even more confident and powerful version of herself. The evolved Beyoncé of this album is someone who is comfortable in her skin, looking for love, and in her own groove.
RENAISSANCE is an enrapturing immersion into Beyoncé’s dance club—drawing inspiration from many sub-genres of dance music including disco, house, vogue, ballroom, and EDM. The smooth transitions make it feel like a continuous DJ set (this album is not meant to be shuffled). The production is as slick as a freshly-Zambonied ice rink, Beyoncés vocals are unmatchable, and there is an obsessive amount of care with which she handles the genres within the album. And while there are some things I appreciated right away, it took me several listens to fully absorb and appreciate the album as a whole. I didn’t immediately respond to it like I did to Lemonade.
In RENAISSANCE, Beyoncé’s point of view is clear but her personality doesn’t always shine through—she fades into some of the tracks instead of putting her own spin on them. At the same time, I don’t think anyone could execute this project as well as she did. What makes the album u-n-i-q-u-e to Beyoncé is her intention behind it, her ability to bring in the right team of people to execute her vision, her attention to detail, her masterful vocalizations, and her swag (that palpable power you feel throughout the album).
The meaning behind the album
As with anything Beyoncé does, RENAISSANCE is imbued with meaning. In a message on her website, she shared that her intention behind the album was to, “create a safe place, a place without judgment.” It is not only intended to be a safe space for herself but for others. She acknowledged that the genres she uses have a deep connection to the LGBTQ+ community and that its, “pioneers who originate culture,” served as inspiration for the album. “This is a celebration for you,” she said.
Commitment to collaboration
Beyoncé values collaboration. This album features prior producers and writers like The-Dream, Mike Dean, and Drake (sadly no Father John Misty this time) but also features new collaborators hand-selected to execute her vision. Skrillex and A.G. Cook bring their electronic expertise to the mix on a few of the tracks, and 070 Shake lends her avant-garde sensibility to “ALIEN SUPERSTAR”.
Beyoncé is also intentional about diversity in her writing/production team. For this album, she brought in Honey Dijon—a black, transgender woman and important figure in the house scene—and “Nova Wav”, a production team of two women of color who worked on a remarkable total of eight songs on the album. Everyone is brought together to make an album that is authentically Beyoncé, while creating something she's never done before. As Chi of Nova Wav puts it, “she always is pushing to do what’s not popular and she’s continuously setting trends after being in this industry for 25-plus years.”1
Diving into the tracks
I’M THAT GIRL
Beyoncé makes her entrance with power, establishing who she is and what she’s here to do. Over a thick beat she sings, “from the top of the mornin', I shine right through the blinds touching everything in my plain view, and everything next to me gets lit up too.” She is powerful, she is light, and she has so much swag she’s, “knockin' Basquiats off the wall.” With a giant inhale she sings, “bring that beat in, now I can breathe again”—alluding to the album’s intention to be a safe space to be free. She’s in her comfort zone and she’s hitting the dance floor.
Hold on tight—the transition between “I’M THAT GIRL” and “COZY” is about to knock you off your feet.
COZY
We slide into a shuffling house beat kicked off by the words “this a reminder.” The song is a reminder of who Beyoncé is and what she’s been through. As she looks into the mirror she speaks of the woman she sees, “she's a god, she's a hero. She survived all she been through.” It’s a continuation of the idea in “I’M THAT GIRL” that this album is a safe space that allows her to be, “comfortable in my skin, cozy with who I am.”
It is notable that this confidence isn’t singular. Beyoncé spends the second verse and pre-chorus giving affirmation to the LGBTQ+ community. As one Twitter user noted, she describes the colors of the Progress Pride flag in her second verse. In the pre-chorus she sings, “you're a god, you're a hero, you survived all you been through. Confident, damn, you lethal.” She lifts up the community that inspired this album.
As the beat speeds up, the song ends on the words, “Unique. Unique is what you are.” and makes the perfect segue both lyrically and musically into “ALIEN SUPERSTAR.” If you think you could skirt through this album tapping your toes and bobbing your head—think again. It’s time to move.
ALIEN SUPERSTAR
This track oozes attitude out of every beat, note, and pause. Exhibit A: When Beyoncé’ states, “I'm one of one. I'm number one. I'm the only one. Don't even waste your time trying to compete with me,” she is perhaps the only person who can get away with singing that and have it actually be true. Exhibit B: She interpolates “I’m Too Sexy” and makes it sound 1,000x cooler, fresher, and sexier with her breathy, intimate vocals. Right Said Fred wishes they could. Exhibit C: That saucy moment when she spits, “category: bad bitch. I’m the bar. Alien superstar,” in a nice nod to ball culture.
Behind her attitude, there is meaning. The outro uses a clip of a speech given by Barbara Ann Teer called “Black Theater” that describes the uniqueness of the black experience within the theater and dance world. Beyoncé distinguishes herself as an “alien superstar”—someone who does not bend to fit expectations but blazes a trail for herself from the margins. From the first three tracks she has made it clear that any beats she’s dancing to will be of her own creation.
CUFF IT
In the disco-grooving, “CUFF IT,” Beyoncé declares “I feel like falling in love.” Which, sure, Beyoncé, we’ll pretend that you’re not married and are out on the prowl. We’ll roll with it because her delivery is convincing and maybe we feel like falling in love, too, in this alternate reality. The track goes into juicy funk territory with retro bass, horns, and cowbell as Beyoncé vocalizes with a heat in her voice. But the pièce de résistance is the operatically harmonized line, “we gettin’ fucked up tonight,” during the chorus. It’s so goofy but it absolutely kills.
ENERGY
Without skipping a beat, “CUFF IT” transitions into “ENERGY”—in one of the slickest moves on the album. In a betrayal to its name, “ENERGY” is not, in fact, full of energy but a bit of a lull before transitioning into, “BREAK MY SOUL.” This is the song where you grab some water and check your phone while gearing up for the next banger. It does have some notable lyrics like, “I just entered the country with derringers, ‘cause them Karens just turned into terrorists.”
BREAK MY SOUL
I’m calling gentle bullshit on this song. Beyoncé sings, “Now, I just fell in love and I just quit my job. I'm gonna find new drive. Damn, they work me so damn hard. Work by nine, then off past five, and they work my nerves.” It has been beaucoup years since Beyoncé has worked anything remotely resembling a nine to five job (if ever), so I can only assume that she is cosplaying as a normal person here. The beat is good—albeit an up-cycled one. Beyoncé gives it some soul but Big Freedia’s exuberant presence gives it life—without which it would not distinguish itself much from the source material.
CHURCH GIRL
Only Beyoncé can integrate gospel into a dance album so smoothly. In one line she flaunts her gospel pipes, singing, “Nobody can judge me but me, I was born free.” In the next, she’s singing about droppin it like a “thottie”. But she makes it clear that these are two connected pieces of the liberated woman that she is. Her freedom to let loose comes from a spiritual place within herself. Transitionally, it’s a pause between what is an otherwise (mostly) continuous set of tracks. Thematically, it’s a way to hype herself up before entering into a space where she’s really feeling herself.
PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA & VIRGO’S GROOVE
These two tracks are a masterclass in vocalization that were, at first, so dizzying I couldn't even absorb them.2 “PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA” has so many delicious runs and flourishes it is hard to pick a favorite moment, but the jazzy glottal stops around 3:30 are all of the chef’s kisses gathered up into a sensible reusable tote. “VIRGO’S GROOVE” is maximum melisma—for six whole minutes Beyoncé evades landing on a single note. Vocally, this is the peak of the album. It is clear that Beyoncé has found her groove—and we are worthy enough to be invited into it.
The transition between the two tracks is so sickening, I almost took a COVID test.
MOVE & HEATED
Thematically, “MOVE” and “HEATED” go hand in hand—both illustrative of Beyoncé’s power. They run on the verge of snooziness, but have just enough interesting elements that keep them in bop status. Grace Jones’ presence saves “MOVE” from feeling like “ENERGY” part 2, along with the melodic bridge in the second half of the song when Beyoncé silkily sings, “this is how I move.” It’s an unexpected and effective shift in texture. In “HEATED,” the afrobeat rhythms give it some welcomed oomph under sharp lines like, “only the radio could play me.”
THIQUE & ALL UP IN YOUR MIND
This is the section that I just never came to love. Beyoncé’s use of dubstep and electronic sounds in “THIQUE” and “ALL UP IN YOUR MIND” is less successful than the other genres on the album. Instead of meshing with these very stylized sounds, she seems to get lost in them. With (relatively!) simple vocalizations and lyrics, her personality doesn’t shine as bright. Granted, her “worst” is still better than the best of most.
AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM
This is another song that I had a hard time loving, but I came around because of that wacky, “just know I roll with them goons” line that she adds so much swag to. The song doesn’t really build or go anywhere—it feels a little landlocked—but it has attitude enough to punch along with the sub-bass beat, matching its energy instead of dissolving into it.
PURE/HONEY
This track is an epic two-parter. Beyoncé comes in with the lyrics “you wanna feel my technique? It’s pure,” slithering out of her mouth. At this point in the album, she has proved her technique is, indeed, pure, and she’s going to flaunt it. And what better way to flaunt it than to vogue. You can feel the strut when the beat drops. The confidence in this track makes, “I’M THAT GIRL” seem demure. She’s here to slay with killer lyrics like, “four, three, I'm too fucking busy.”
The “HONEY” section launches us into the disco vibe that will close out the album. It provides a little lightness in contrast to the edgy first half of the track. It’s full of treats like the Destiny’s Child throwback harmonies in, “you know it's Friday night and I'm ready to drive. Throw me them keys, baby, let's go,” and the cheeky sample of underground music artist Moi Reneé in the outro. And the transition into “SUMMER RENAISSANCE” is so good, it's so good, it's so good, it’s sooooo good…
SUMMER RENAISSANCE
We’ve reached the end of the album where disco goddess Beyoncé has been fully actualized. Beyoncé is “in her bag”—unstoppable and in her element. The track is a decadent celebration with synthesizers, thumping bass, breathy vocals, and key changes with every chorus. It requires everyone’s presence on the dance floor.
The name of the track is partly a nod to the queen of disco herself, Donna Summer (an interpolation of her song “I Feel Love” is used here). Blu June of Nova Wav lends some insight.
She was very inspired by Donna Summer, and so we really wanted to feed her that inspiration. Even Donna Summer being a pioneer of disco — some people don’t know that back story, so we wanted to make people dance, but also give them a little history, too, and say, “Hey, look, we have roots in this.” Being two women of color, to be able to bring that to the forefront is something that we really wanted to do.3
Through several years of trauma, through the pressures of being a black woman making art, where does Beyoncé draw her strength? From these roots. The rebirth that she experienced through this album was not achieved in a vacuum. The pioneers of these genres were her midwives, helping her along and providing inspiration. With their energy behind her, and the help of her collaborators, she created something that—even in its lulls—is remarkably profound and will have a strong imprint on the future of dance music.
Also available on Apple Music
And now for something completely different
Cave World - Viagra Boys
Punk
Cave World is a delightfully raucous, somewhat satirical album from Swedish band Viagra Boys. It straddles the line between punk and post-punk possessing a pleasant quirk-to-rock ratio. It is a pseudo-conceptual album about the de-evolution of man, jabbing at conspiracy theorists and denialists. The production is polished, with a sophisticated mix of instrumentation—don't be surprised to hear synths, flutes, and saxophones over rollicking riffs and baselines. If you maintain punk sensibilities, you would be remiss to pass it by.
Also available on Apple Music
Could We Be More - Kokoroko
Jazz
Kokoroko, the eight-piece band hailing from London, uses their blend of jazz and afrobeats to create a breezy, soulful, lyrical album. The whole album feels inviting and bright. The longing trumpet riff and light vocals in “Dide O” feel like a friend calling you over to sit beside them as you watch the sun set together. “We Give Thanks” feels like being welcomed into a backyard celebration, and the harmonies in the beginning of “Those Good Times” are liquid sunshine. It’s extremely listenable and has served as my palate cleanser between listens of other albums. Listening to it will better your day.
Also available on Apple Music, bandcamp
11 more albums I listened to
The Unscratchable Itch - Sniffany & The Nits (Rock)
WASTELAND - Brent Faiyaz (R&B/Soul)
You Still Here, Ho? - Flo Milli (Hip-Hop/Rap)
Hold On Baby - King Princess (Pop)
Surrender - Maggie Rogers (Alternative)
NOT TiGHT - DOMi & JD BECK (Jazz)
Take It Like A Man - Amanda Shires (Singer/Songwriter)
19 MASTERS - Saya Gray (Alternative)
Multiverse - Wiz Khalifa (Hip-Hop/Rap)
Big Overdrive - Art vs. Science (Alternative)
After Hours - Delicate Steve (Alternative)
The Playlist!
These are my favorite songs off of each new album I listened to this year listed in chronological order of listening. The playlist is long so, if you want to hear the songs from the albums in this issue, scroll to the end. I update the playlist with every issue.
365 Albums in 2022 - Apple Music playlist
365 Albums in 2022 - Spotify playlist
Thanks for reading! For the next issue, I’ve listened to albums from Danger Mouse, Sylvan Esso, Megan Thee Stallion, among others. I’ll review my favorite(s). If you haven’t already, make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss it.
What have you been listening to lately? Anything good? Let me know in the comments.
Thanks to this video for helping me better understand Beyoncé’s vocalizations.
Thanks for this great in depth look at Renaissance. I’ve never gone to a disco, or been into the dance music scene at all, but could appreciate the craft and incredible thought that is apparent in this album. I found myself looking up references, like the difference between house and trap. I’m not sure I can develop a great appreciation for these styles, but will listen to the album again with your notes.
I generally listen to jazz. I think we get imprinted by the music we listened to as teenagers and in our 20's. It’s not impossible, of course, to learn to appreciate other music, but it takes intention. That’s why I like your newsletter. It gives me the nudge I need to get out of my rut sometimes.
So thank you!
There are definitely a lot of references and layers to unpack with this album--I wish I had time to write about them all. Glad you’re giving it a second listen, and I hope you give Kokoroko’s album a listen, too, since you’re a fan of jazz.
Thanks for reading and for giving your feedback! I started this whole project to help get out of my own rut, so I’m glad to hear it’s doing the same for others. :)