7.5/10
Favorite Track: "Screwed (Feat. Zoe Kravitz)
Least Favorite Track: "The Juice (Feat. Pharrell Williams)"
Dirty Computer is unlike anything else that we have ever gotten from singer-songwriter, actress, and producer Janelle Monáe. Opposed to her more rhocus approach on her three previous LP’s; The Electric Lady, The ArchAndroid, and Metropolis, Dirty Computer is less rock or funk than anything Monáe has ever done. In addition it is also her first project to breakaway from the Metropolis narrative that she has followed thus far in her discography. Instead, Dirty Computer seems to be Monáe’s first attempt at pop music or at least a ton more pop elements in her sound than we have ever seen before. She also trades in her usually somewhat lo-fi and stripped down production for an extremely bright, vibrant, and sensual, take on her usual style. This record also flows absolutely beautifully and the track listing morphs into itself almost flawlessly. Track after track these gems seem to compliment each other perfectly. The intro track “Dirty Computer” is psychedelic, trippy and a great transition into the second track “Crazy, Classic, Life”. This track is only one example of the absolutely amazing hooks we receive on this record. The glossy, and fun production provides this track a great platform for the progression that makes it so enjoyable. The way it builds into the chorus provides the listener such a satisfying pay off and really makes it an all around great cut. We also get this groovy outro with a funky baseline which only adds to the list of great transitions on this project. A few tracks later we get one of my absolute favorite songs of 2018 in “Screwed”. I could make a whole separate post about the laundry list of elements that made me fall in love with this track on first listen. The cut starts with this distorted guitar strumming and some clapping which instantly gives this track the sense of urgency and tension that makes it so damn infectious. After each verse Monáe gives us this short pre-chorus section with her whispering melodically which in turn, makes the hook so damn explosive. It makes you wana get up out of your seat and start jumping up and down. That’s the kind of sonic power this track truly conveys. Toward the end of the track the pre-chorus section is elongated and altered for one last time and we get Monáe hypnotically preaching about the contrast that this cut is all about. “Everything is sex, except sex which is power, you know power is just sex so ask yourself who’s screwing you?”. The power in this line is the fact that right after we receive it, it is revealed that it was only a preemptive section meant to explode into yet another monumental chorus where the very essence of the lyrics describe and detail things about the concept of “getting screwed” in the terms of literal sex. The contrast between the power of sex yet people’s inability to perceive it as powerful and a method used to control them rather than just being enjoyable and meaningless, is what makes this track so damn good. After this point the record does hit sort of a downward spiral. We don’t revive any notably bad tracks but outside of a few, the memorable moments start to thin out a little. However, We do get some pretty quotable bars on “Django Jane” that further show Monáe’s ability to tastefully push a political speaking point. One of my personal favorites is “And we gon’ start a motherfuckin’ Pussy Riot Or we gon’ have to put ‘em on a pussy diet.” Her flow and overall rapping on this track does remain decently enjoyable throughout. The closing track, “Americans” is a euphoric and upbeat anthem for equality. This track does a very good job at wrapping a bow around all the ideas and points Monáe made up until this point in the record. “Americans” talks about equality between black people, members of the lgbtq community, poor white people, and many other classes of people and the discrimination they face day in and day out. The outro track truly does a great job of displaying everything Dirty Computer is about. Monáe talks about everything and anything on this record from equality, to the power of sex, to overuse of technology and even things like American youth. Her ability to discuss these topics so tastefully and not become overbearing is truly what makes Dirty Computer the amazing project that it is.