Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch The Throne

When you decide to name your release: Watch The Throne, and have your cover art designed by Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy, your album is already swimming in pretension.  Hubris of this level comes with incredibly high expectations that can definitely suffocate average artists and certain athletic royalty.  So, with that being said I will admit that my standards are definitely sky high when evaluating Jay-Z & Kanye West's newest offering.

Here are a few of my thoughts:

Bedstuy Betty Reviews The Weeknd's House of Balloons

These days the world of R&B is taking on a more hallucinatory and surreal approach with artists such as Frank Ocean, James Blake, and Beach House at the wheel.  With that said, The Weeknd is definitely the newest alum.  House of Balloons is equal parts grimy debauchery and polished production as 22-year-old singer Abel Tesfaye belts in falsetto about drugs, sex, and partying. Initially generating a low buzz in late 2010 when a few tracks were uploaded to YouTube for consumption as well as a cosign from Drake on his blog, not much was known about the Toronto-based group which is also comprised of producers Martin “Doc” McKinney and Illangelo.  With such themes, I probably would like to maintain an air of anonymity myself.  Don’t misunderstand though, House of Balloons is exactly what you want playing after a party at 5 in the morning when almost everyone has gone home and there’s littered glasses and bottles everywhere.

With the opening lyric on the first track “High For This”, “you don’t know what’s in store, but you know just what you’re here for...” Tesfaye creates a seductive aura over a hypnotic beat with light distortion. Throughout the song, there’s an evident quality of desire that is both visceral and alluring as he assures a girl for whatever act they’re about to engage in, she should be in an altered state. The Weeknd samples Siouxie and the Banshees’ “Happy House” for its title track as his falsetto implores the listener throughout the chorus that “this is a happy house” but as the song progresses it becomes slightly more mournful. Then like walking through a portal into an almost Odd Future setting, “Glass Table Girls” is quite obviously about that powdery white stuff while Tesfaye switches his style up opting out the falsetto for a sing-songy rap that’s more ramble than structured. The raw element of honesty present throughout the album also appears here as one lyric states: “I heard he do drugs now, you heard wrong I’ve been on it for a minute...”

Suffice to say with such hints, The Weeknd obviously lives it up and knows the party scene intimately. However their body of work thus far, also carries an honesty that’s indicative of the potential growth in R&B. While there’s little news about their next moves, Drake has tapped the singer for the OVO Festival in Toronto for late July along with rapper Rick Ross and there are rumors that he may end up working with Drake’s producer Noah "40" Shebib. We’ll see how long The Weeknd maintains their air of mystery.

Bedstuy Betty Reviews Frank Ocean's Nostalgia, Ultra

It’s increasingly rare that one finds a song, let alone an EP that possesses a cinematic feel coupled with stellar production, and innovative lyrics that provides a fully satisfactory experience. Most would scoff that such an occurrence is impossible. Well non-believers, your search is over; Nostalgia, Ultra by Odd Future’s Frank Ocean is exactly that and more. While most have come to expect from the group, their standard version of horror core in a vein similar to that of Eminem, Ocean’s mixtape is akin to a breath of fresh air. However, don’t romanticize him too strongly. His lyrics still belie a crassness that’s in good standing with the group’s general archetype.

The EP starts off with the interlude “Street Fighter” which is essentially the sounds of someone going through the motions of switching between cassette tapes (remember that, kids?). The first actual song is “Strawberry Swing”, which is sampled from a Coldplay track of the same title. It speaks on a remembrance of simpler times, the nostalgia almost tangible as you drift away into the prettiness of this track, only to be brought back to reality by a harsh alarm clock towards the end. The next track “Novacane” has a slight early 2000’s R&B swing to it as Ocean croons about his craving for a girl with dentistry aspirations as she pays for her tuition “doing porn in the valley”. He doesn’t appear to be put off by it though as he wishes to be with her constantly, equating her love to the numbing effects of the track title.

Ocean reveals another facet to his soul with the song “We All Try”, a simply evocative piece where he speaks on his beliefs with the resounding assurance that we all try to be better people despite our faults. Very similar in vibe to any one of Marvin’s socially conscious classics, I wouldn’t readily admit to this but it moved me to tears. A following track “Lovecrimes” reverts back to the familiar direction of this EP, as Ocean sings about a certain girl that drives him insane while a scene from Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut” plays out underneath both the melody and the lyrics. While one would think of this as disconcerting, the juxtaposition is oddly perfect. Other notable tracks include “Songs for Women”, “There Will Be Tears”, “American Wedding”, and “Nature Feels” where Ocean samples from artists such as Mr. Hudson, The Eagles, and MGMT.

Most of the content in Nostalgia, Ultra exhibits a surrealistic edge as well as a realistic depiction of how we play our life out in our heads. For a new artist, Ocean is a great indicator how good pop music could be in this generation, and it appears that folks are ravenous for it. Despite conflict with Ocean, Def Jam will be re-releasing the EP on iTunes on July 26 with “Novacane” as its first single. There are also reports that Nas has recruited him for a project. Guess I’ll be waiting around with the rest of the world for that to drop, hopefully sooner than later.