When I bought this album, I think the first song kind of turned me off to it and then I didn't spend much time with it. I'm glad I got a chance to listen more closely. I like this album. Not love, but definitely like. I think the opposite of "Into My Arms" is the kind of monotone chanting Cave sometimes does, but a song like "Albert Goes West" has a nice mix of that and a more melodic chorus. Also, I like the whole isn't-the-brutality-and-weirdness-of-the-bible-interesting? thing. It seems like this album is probably somewhat conceptual, but I haven't spent enough time with it to see how.
I hadn't heard of Janelle Monae until I got this matchup. When I looked up the album and saw the cover, I was excited.
It looks like Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica and disco, but the best disco where the bass is an analog synth making noises that are almost farting noises. My expectations were unreasonably high.
I like the symphonic interludes and how it starts with strings. Too much of this can make an album seem too self-important, but this has about the right amount. The first song has a nice sound and a good beat and Monae has a wonderful voice. Neon Gumbo is a nice backwards sound novelty. The beginning of Come Alive got me excited that this was going to be the really great track on the album, but then it got all swingy like that Joni Mitchell song that is the one stain on Ladies of the Canyon. As the album goes on, though, there's not really that much variation, other than the song Of Montreal join her in, which just sounds like an Of Montreal song.
So The Archandroid is mostly okay and sometimes good, but the cover and title are the best things about it. Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! is good, not great, but that beats mostly okay and sometimes good, even if it has Star Wars disco running against it. Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! advances.
