#repeat pleasure

One of the fascinating things with this project is going to be seeing how my taste has evolved over time, and this record is a prime example of it. From about the time it came out in 2014 to summer 2016, I would have firmly put this record in my top 50, where as now I think it’d probably make the bottom half of my top 100.  Now, that’s not to say this album is BAD. It’s quite good in many ways: Krell has excellent taste in arrangements, and his hooks can sometimes just take off like a rocket and launch into the stratosphere, but there’s something missing that prevents me from loving it as much as I did any more besides just getting older, and here I’m going to do my best to explain what I think it could be.  OPTION I: THE PROBLEM WITH ALTERNATIVE R&B There was an article last year about the second album from Rhye (who we will eventually get to as I chronicle all these albums) where it talked about this whole sort of hipster soul music was inescapable in the first half of the decade and has now fallen flat. There are more than a few of these albums which will be covered on this blog, so I will do my best to say right now why I don’t have confidence in a lot of these albums surviving: Hipster R&B is essentially the musical equivalent of a prestigious television series: no matter what form it takes, the prestige on some level comes first. So there’s pauses, breathy signing, very orchestrated crescendos, a way of keeping both the listener and the performer at a distance. Often when I was listening to this album I thought to myself “Krell, why are you hiding your voice or melodies behind effects or reverb as if you don’t want us to listen to you?” I would never accuse Krell of faking it (whatever that means in this day and age) but a part of me thinks most of these songs would be infinetly better in the hands of say, D’Angelo.  OPTION II: LYRICAL DISTANCING More and more I realize that I love not only good lyrics, but can sniff out lyrics which are not up to snuff. Krell’s poetics are not terrible or anything, but it often feels like he’s alienating me with how generic some of these lyrics are. Like...just own it, the whole soul music as seen through academia thing is boring, if that’s what he’s going for.  Now, I want to emphasize that this is still a REALLY good album, but I think its ironic distance and refusal to embarrass itself hinders it. There’s still tracks I return to, but it’s no longer the masterpiece I thought it was.  73/100 RECOMMENDED SONGS: Childhood Faith in Love, Repeat Pleasure

I’d beg for repeat pleasure. I wouldn’t think twice. Being high on your love was always worth the pain.

How To Dress Well

“Repeat Pleasure” - How to Dress Well