Kendrick Lamar - "To Pimp A Butterfly" (2015)

I don't have a musical background in hip hop (at all), but over the past couple of years I have been (very) slowly exploring the genre, starting from this album. This was the first truly hip hop album I ever listened to, outside genre crossover acts like Gorillaz and Rage Against The Machine, and I was blown away even at the first listen.

I was captivated by Kendrick's enigmatic and powerful delivery, dynamically switching up his pace and flow, as well as tone and presence. Sometimes hard and purposeful, like on Hood Politics; sometimes bragging and flashy, like on King Kunta; sometimes reflective and thoughtful, for example How Much A Dollar Cost. On u, Kendrick puts on a voice that sounds mid-mental breakdown, and it really adds an intense emotional edge to the song. The instrumentation is equally creative and dynamic. The album is stuffed full with funky and jazzy beats which constantly switch up and change direction, sometimes multiple times in a song. They are consistently entertaining, and never take the backseat to Kendrick's vocals. It is exceptional that these two elements work so well in tandem, it never feels like there's any kind of back and forth considering the complexity of both elements.

Kendrick's lyrics are engrossing, covering multiple topics including: life as a black American, institutionalised racism, growing up in Compton, the exploitation of an artists work in the music industry, and his own personal struggles with religion and his role in society. He switches between these topics effortlessly between songs and even within them. His lyrics are so dense that every time I've listened to this record over the past couple of years I discover something new, it's like a gift that keeps on giving. I don't pretend that I fully understand everything he mentions here, and I don't think I ever will, which draws me in further.

The album goes on such a run from For Free? through to Alright. All of these tracks are fantastic. For Free?, much like u, employs some of Kendrick's more deranged vocals. That combined with the frantic jazzy instrumentation gives the track a uniquely entertaining vibe. King Kunta takes shots at other rappers, and Institutionalized references growing up in Compton and has a great guest verse from Snoop Dog. These Walls and Alright have more fun to them, however still have intelligent lyrics and incredibly catchy choruses. The Story told on How Much A Dollar Cost is personal and spiritual, detailing an event where Kendrick came across a beggar who he initially dismissed as a scam artist, who then is revealed to be Jesus and that this was a test of his faith. This track is set to a moody piano line and some restrained saxophones, adding to this spooky and otherworldly atmosphere. The Blacker The Berry goes for the jugular, with Lamar aggressively rapping about the endless cycle of institutionalised racism and gang violence, and how even he can't get away from it despite being one of the biggest rappers in the world.

The closer, Mortal Man is slow track which winds down the album and its many ideas well, and after the track finishes there is a section where Kendrick has edited an old Tupac interview to make it seem as if they are having a conversation. This could come of a little awkward, however it is edited so well that it is very endearing, especially the end where Kendrick Shouts out "PAC!" as if hes disappeared, obliviously in reference to Tupac's untimely death.

This record is fantastic. It is bursting it's seems with creativity and character, as well as being poignant and thought provoking. It's focus on instrumentation also provides a nice starting point for people getting into the genre. Of the few hip hop releases I have listened to since, none have come close to beating this one, even some of Kendrick's other work. If you ave never been into hip hop, this record may change that.

Top Tracks: For Free? King Kunta, Instiutionalized, These Walls, u, Alright, Hood Politics, How Much A Dollar Cost, The Blacker The Berry, Mortal Man

9/10

Tame Impala - "Currents" (2015)

Currents is a quite the shift from Tame Impalas previous record, Lonerism. It ditches many of the guitars for more of a psychedelic synth-pop style. This new approach makes the record feel much more sonically dense than Lonerism, which I'm not really latching on to as much (I really liked the spacious atmosphere of Lonerism). I find it slightly impenetrable, as if I can't really get absorbed by the record.

The album opens with its best cut, Let It Happen, a track driven by its thumping, dance-able bass riff. The track goes through multiple phases, one of which where the track chops up like old scratched CDs do, only to do it again and then more frequently until the track bursts out of it with the return of the bass line. The Less I Know The Better has a similar bass line, with Kevin Parker singing some pretty catchy falsetto vocals. I also get a bit of a disco vibe from this track with the strings which float around in the mix in the back half of the song.

Disciples sounds far more similar to Lonerism than anything off this record, being a more guitar driven track. It's such a shame that it is so short, as it has the spaciousness the rest of the album lacks. I feel like Nangs is the best exploration of the synth style, which is also far shorter than it could be. The track is rich in atmosphere, having this wobbling, warbling noises. I also feel it benefits from having no vocals. The vocals across the album are in this heavily processed falsetto style, which works on some tracks, including the aforementioned Let It Happen and The Less I Know The Better, as well as Reality In Motion. However they feel far less dynamic than on Lonerism, just sitting on top of the mix where they used to dart around all over the place. 

A friend also brought to my attention that the lyrics feel just a little whiny. While Tame Impala has always had somewhat sad undertones, there are points on this record which verge into self-pity. The worst offender for this is Past Life, a track which has these really cringy pitch-shifted spoken word vocals about a previous partner. The track also has this incredibly bad sounding distortion effect placed on the entire mix at points which really doesn't mix well with the rest of the tune.

Current's is an incredibly made and produced album, but almost too so. Outside of some really great tracks (I mean Let It Happen is phenomenal), it's just too dense for me to really find myself being absorbed by the music. It is still enjoyable to have on in the background and has creative moments in most of the tracks which I appreciate. I can imagine someone else with slightly different tastes digging it a lot more than I did.

Top Tracks: Let It Happen, Nangs, The Moment, The Less I Know The Better, Disciples, Reality In Motion

6/10