Similar to me for first listen, but album grows on you the more you listen to it.
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly |OT| It's The American Dream
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breakfuss
Member
At the risk of sounding corny I want to say....the layers. The LAYERS exist. The layers are real.
Peel back the lyrics and what do you have? Lush soundscapes.
Peel back the instrumentals and what are we left with? Spoken word worthy of its own showcase. We could feed off these lyrics alone.
Peel back the features one by one. Each makes sense. Each fits and and is indicative of an incredible musical intelligence. Kendrick is clearly a fan of music. Goddamn Ronald Isley? Parliament? Lalah Hathaway? Bilal? None too obscure as to suggest he's "deeper" than the average listener but indicate of an effort that most artists would not bother with.
Peel back the the themes and there is still a narrative worth following. Or vice versa. There is still something to follow. Some meaning to glean.
This album is layered...dense. There's a sense of discovery with each listen. Peel back the horn and hear the strings. Peel back the strings and hear the snares. After the snares meet the keys. Each part of this is meticulously positioned. Nothing is overlooked. That's what makes this so incredible.
Peel back the lyrics and what do you have? Lush soundscapes.
Peel back the instrumentals and what are we left with? Spoken word worthy of its own showcase. We could feed off these lyrics alone.
Peel back the features one by one. Each makes sense. Each fits and and is indicative of an incredible musical intelligence. Kendrick is clearly a fan of music. Goddamn Ronald Isley? Parliament? Lalah Hathaway? Bilal? None too obscure as to suggest he's "deeper" than the average listener but indicate of an effort that most artists would not bother with.
Peel back the the themes and there is still a narrative worth following. Or vice versa. There is still something to follow. Some meaning to glean.
This album is layered...dense. There's a sense of discovery with each listen. Peel back the horn and hear the strings. Peel back the strings and hear the snares. After the snares meet the keys. Each part of this is meticulously positioned. Nothing is overlooked. That's what makes this so incredible.
inked_illusion
Member
These Walls has become my new jam, so smooth especially when the saxophone kicks in mid-song... just oh so good
Kinda hoped it'd be a single, highly unlikely though considering the subject.
Kinda hoped it'd be a single, highly unlikely though considering the subject.
I've listened to album at least 12 times now.K Dot delivering with another classic, just unbelievable.
First track still has me like:
This is some Xavier Renegade Angel shit.
lol see wtf does this even mean? You've just described every song made on the past 20 years that recorded instruments separately and brought them together with pro tools.
Not to mention a number of tracks that are using samples of old songs....
Just_myles
Member
Van Owen said:
I agree. It is supremely produced. Same vein as any other major release. I/You want to be careful though, in no way is this overproduced like Beyonce body of works(why she may get snubs every now and then or more recently like the grammys).
Vicetrailia
Banned
DAMN I LOVE THIS ALBUM!
Had to use all caps...may listen to this like I listened to all of Pac. Well never that, but still WOAH!
Had to use all caps...may listen to this like I listened to all of Pac. Well never that, but still WOAH!
Just_myles
Member
I have seen the liner notes on tpab. Yes like I said it is supremely produced. But, in my honest opinion doesn't come off as 'over produced'. Like it was manufactured. The lyrical content takes care of that.
breakfuss
Member
Ok? And what are you saying? Every song since the beginning of time has words/lyrics. Does that mean they're all created equally? "Itsy bitsy spider" the same as Lennon's "Imagine"?
The compositions here are exceptional. Pretend otherwise if you want.
Just saying your description is ridiculous since I can take any song and peel back a "layer" to hear another instrument.
Apparently no.
This is more to do with the fact a lot of it was recorded with backing vocals/instruments and there were 3-4 who are on practically every track. You'll see a lot of credit for Thundercat, Sounwave, Terrance Martin and Anna Wise (along with guests obviously). I think he just included them so prominently cause they were there at all of the sessions in the development of these tracks. Probably brainstorming.
Not much different than a band.
Thought the same thing
PhoenixDark
Banned
Only a few tracks have samples.
Only 3 samples in total right? Very few for a hip hop album.
Extremely powerful song. The production is actually what drew me in the beginning. The subtle use of strings in the first few seconds of the song captured me in a way I get from a small, small percentage of the songs. That in addition to his lyrics honestly make me think that this isn't just one of Kendrick's best, but one of the best songs I have ever heard. Hyperbole yes, but when a song evokes emotion from me that isn't just pure energy I just have to recognize the level of genius the artist has and I have no qualms making a claim of that magnitude at all. It truly accomplishes the vision he saw with this album.
I don't think most people are realizing though, this isn't even close to Kendrick's peak and that is what excites me the most going forward.
These Walls, Alright and You Ain't Gotta Lie are going to be my go to's for a long while. Shit's wavy.
IIRC sounwave said there's probably 3 samples or so, the rest that sound like samples are 'heavily inspired'.
http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2015/03/sounwave-kendrick-lamar-pimp-butterfly-interview/
IIRC sounwave said there's probably 3 samples or so, the rest that sound like samples are 'heavily inspired'.
http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2015/03/sounwave-kendrick-lamar-pimp-butterfly-interview/
I hope they're lawyered up better than Pharrel and Thick.
yep, with every new listen I find something new to harp on. it's honestly like Sgt. Pepper's for me where I can legitimately play the whole album and only focus on one specific thing and still be amazed. like for both of those albums I think that a full play-through focusing only on the bass is pretty much essential.
toastyToast
Member
Nah. The pyramid of notes isn't there. Why even bother sampling for a couples keys?
Eh his Sufjan sample is super short on Hood Politics lol. I think it's just one note even. Wouldn't be surprised if the live instrumentation was at least trying to imitate Pyramid Song. Never know I guess
Dreams-Visions
Member
Hell yea.I've listened to album at least 12 times now.K Dot delivering with another classic, just unbelievable.
First track still has me like:
BishopLamont
Banned
that hood politics intro beat
tooooo smooth
tooooo smooth
yeah the guitar tone for that one is delectable. almost sounds like nylon strings on an electric guitar.
BishopLamont
Banned
seriously pissed he didn't make a whole song with it
was listening this morning and thought the same thing.
BishopLamont
Banned
the album is packed with stuff for kendrick to add random/new verses to at concerts and stuff
Hip Hop
Member
Can we just give it up to how fucking powerful the intro is?
"“Every Ni****r is a Star.”
those lines/sample gave me chills when it came up. You have the potential to do anything you want in life and should embrace your roots. Fuck society for telling you otherwise. It sets up the whole mood of the album.
Same when the outro comes up and Kendrick is having a conversation with Tupac.
From the intro to closing, everything is just so tight up nicely.
"“Every Ni****r is a Star.”
those lines/sample gave me chills when it came up. You have the potential to do anything you want in life and should embrace your roots. Fuck society for telling you otherwise. It sets up the whole mood of the album.
Same when the outro comes up and Kendrick is having a conversation with Tupac.
From the intro to closing, everything is just so tight up nicely.
breakfuss
Member
Yea, that's what I mean. Couldn't articulate it last night since I was drunk and half asleep but being able to zero in on any particular instrument has been awesome. It's not so much that the songs are "layered" lol (what song isn't?) but that each layer is so good. Amazingly I still find that it shows restraint. Album doesn't feel overproduced to me.
Man maybe I'm just easy to please. But when that horn comes in over "allllls my life I has to fight nigga" lolol. Or when the dance between keys and bass commence on For Sale? On Hood Politics there's a moment where what sounds like a vibraphone is played for 2 seconds and never returns. It's random stuff like that is just gahhh. This is some Roy Ayers type shit. From a Kendrick Lamar album. Idk maybe the novelty of it will wear off eventually but for now I'm eating it up.
I had to look up the original song thanks to that intro.
I doubt it's because you're easy to please. I've studied music practically my entire life. this album is that good. it really is. there's clear thought out intent for basically every sound on the album.
I hope I explain this in an understandable way but it's one of those albums where when I listen I have all these different little moments that occur in which I anticipate. the opening of Institutionalized when the beat starts in earnest (~11 seconds in), the chorus effect on the keys in the opening of These Walls (~40 seconds in), the way the horn sort of sounds like a wilting flower during the last verse of These Walls, the entrance of the horn in For Sale? and how somber it sounds (~43 seconds in).
I love this album man. I'll be fluffing it for ages, I can tell.
10/10
I loved that
lastflowers
Banned
K Dot's appearance on the recent Flying Lotus album makes so much sense retrospectively now that tPaB is out.
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