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Janelle Monáe, "Tightrope"
This week is a ridiculously good one for new albums that you can acquire via legal means — LCD Soundsystem's pain-suffused This Is Happening, Tracey Thorn's brilliantly meditative Love And Its Opposite, and Janelle Monáe's next-level debut The ArchAndroid all landed in stores yesterday. Last night, Monáe made her network-TV debut on Late Show With David Letterman with this raucous performance of her tightly wound new single Tightrope. Be sure to watch her amazing footwork at the 2:51 mark! (And don't mind the cameo by "Sean" at the end.)
GOD JAMES MURPHY WAY TO MAKE LEGALLY OBTAINING YOUR DISK THIS FUCKING HARD
Related: I am not upset I never paid for any Metric albums. HOW ABOUT THAT TERMINAL 5 SHOW?
buy this car to drive to work, drive to work to pay for-this car, blahblah, blahblahblah
say you wanna get in, then you wanna get out
but you caaaant
cuz its a traaaaa-aaaap
::sung in the tune of couldn't be bothered to make it compelling::
::sung in the key of I don't care what it sounds like, I'd still hit it
Cape! JB is proud.
The JB reference is fly. (Though a little understated, dramatically — where's the fainting spell?) But I'd just like to throw out there that the Tightrope choreography feels a lot more Jackie Wilson.
Still, I'm as surprised as anyone that Bad Boy signed her. I didn't realize they signed artists with actual talent?
Hrm. I didn't like it cause her throwback was obvious to me from the start. Maybe if she went 150% overboard and DID faint, it'd work?
I feel like the people who don't understand what she's doing wouldn't know JB anyways …
I believe that Janelle's move at the 2:51 is some modified version of the gliding heel-toe. At any rate, it was teh awesomez.
You know, the thing about Ms. Monae really is that: she honestly is everything people say she is, up to and including The Next Coming.
In this way, she is like The Wire. People just can't hate on her.
KansasCity girl HOLLA
just when you think showbiz is dead… honeychild here throws you a cape
I can't count the number of times I have been burned by "ooh look look it's the next big pop thing," but what the hell, I heard she's featuring Of Montreal on the album, so I figure she deserves at least a click and four minutes of my time.
But that performance was incredible! I am actually going to buy this album now! Thanks Maura!
Holy fucking shit. Janelle Monáe is SICK. That song's been stuck in my head since I first heard it, and even though the James Brown reference was a bit of a plot anvil, I am impressed with the live version.
When she sounds even better live than she did on the record, you know something good has come along.
She sounds REAL (i.e. not processed and unnaturally perfect), while her band is using the best of technology to wrap around the live musicians without overwhelming them.
Seriously, I haven't been this impressed with a new artist since … Jamiroquai came on the scene?
I really like the ending in the album version of the song with stuff about ukuleles and happy birthdays. Kinda sad she didn't work it into the live performance.
ukuleles???
Yeah, it goes:
"Do you mind?
If I play the ukulele
Just like a little lady"
Can I just brag for a moment? Saw her live last night at Highline Ballroom, and she kicked ass. She'll be back to New York in June with Erykah Badu …
I wanted to see her with Badu in Boston but the cheapest ticket is $100 (for the bloody Orpheum!) which I just refuse to pay.
I agree. I've tried everyone I can think of in town, but can't get a ticket without paying some stupid amount of money. Also, I despise Badu: I'd only be going for JM. Sucks.
$100 for the Orpheum? Pshaw.
Pardon my French, but fuck me she's good.
One thing that bothers me about retro-soul acts like Sharon Jones is, even though I enjoy them, I feel like I'm listening to a museum exhibit. With Janelle I can hear the past but it still sounds forward-looking.
And the Black Keys came out with Brothers yesterday! Good stuff!