Album Review: Justin Timberlake – The 20/20 Experience

Look, before we even get into it I’m going to address the delusional elephant in the room. Yes, Justin Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience is in reference to me. As I’ve mentioned an infinite amount of times on Twitter and in all past articles about one of pop music’s most versatile figures, Justin Timberlake and I are married. In fact, we’ve been married for a long time. So, it just so happens that since my music and musings are released under the moniker 2020k, he figured it’d be a great and romantic ode to me if he named one of his records after me. A record that Timberlake lovers have waited an almost rockin’ seven years for. If you’d like, you can learn more about and hear the music that inspired every note on this record by clicking here.

…April Fools, guys. Come on…

Okay, so now that we have all of that information sorted, the only thing that’s 100% true in the previous paragraph is that we have waited almost seven years for a new Justin Timberlake album. In that time though, we’ve at least gotten somewhat of a fix. You’re going to tell me you didn’t like him as Sean Parker in The Social Network or when his speeches at the MTV Video Music Awards basically bashed the network for their skewed  view on what music television actually is? And his glorious Saturday Night Live & The Lonely Island appearances? They’re great, solid, entertaining pieces that sincerely show an artist having fun with his career and pleasing the fans while he branches out into other realms of the industry. We all know this though. Every single one of us. But, still, for seven years we’ve begged for new music.

Now, we have it: The 2020k Experience. Oh, shit, excuse me…The 20/20 Experience. And what’s better? This is only volume one of music. ?uestlove of The Roots has confirmed a second volume of music to be released in fall of this year. Considering this March released record debuted at the top of Billboard’s charts with a stunning 968,000 copies sold, it’s safe to say the anticipation for the second installment is present and ready.

For now, what we have is seventy nine minutes and twenty-three seconds of hook-heavy, funked out, smart pop music.

Where to start on The 20/20 Experience is to keep in mind that the Timberlake/Timbaland collaboration hasn’t withered in the slightest. All songs on the standard edition of the record have been produced by Tim and with Jerome “J-Roc” Harmon lending a helping hand, these come across as Timbaland’s most ambitious beats and creative production strength since his massively successful 2006 year with Nelly Furtado’s Loose, and Timberlake’s previous record FutureSex/LoveSounds. The majority of the songs, in fact, are a great continuation of Justin’s previous record, as there are a lot of key changes and interestingly long song lengths. Where this was semi-explored on FutureSex/LoveSongs, the abrupt change in songs were treated as interludes, whereas the derivatives on this record are streamlined and meant to be one uniquely produced track. At times, there also seems to be layered vocal layers that sound in dedication to Aaliyah records (Timbaland worked quite closely with Aaliyah throughout the bulk of her career) or the more layered portions of a Janet Jackson album track.

In terms of looking back at Timbaland’s many signature styles, the Bollywood sampling in which he’s has taken on throughout the start of his career is also present. “Don’t Hold The Wall” displays this sort of tight rhythmic structure with Indian vibes, but first starts with the Timberlake a cappella, in which the Aaliyah reference is blatant. As the song continues on with it’s eerie jungle vibe, there’s a darker moment within it at four minutes and twenty seconds. A sampling of a woman saying “Well, how do you like it?” plays amongst an extremely low-end kick drum and synthesized stab. “You shouldn’t have to ask me that question” Timbaland responds as delay bounces through the stereo mix. Some of these same themes are also semi-explored on “Let The Groove Get in,” but with “…Groove…” containing more of a Michael Jackson vibe than anything.

However, while the two mentioned tracks contain a wonderful dance vibe, there’s not a strong low-end presence that brings the mix of the song together as a whole. Unfortunately, this happens for the bulk of The 20/20 Experience. While there are a million aspects of compositional genius on all parts of rhythmic and melodic content, there’s no underlying bass line, pad, or anything that holds everything together as a group. Instead, at times, the songs sound disgruntled, as if they’re still in band rehearsal, as opposed to being ready to assault their audience.  

Continuing through the dark sonics that the record seems to explore, “Strawberry Bubblegum” stands out as the epitome of the more Electronic portion of this exploratory effort. It’s extremely pop at heart, with the bridge oozing with the intimate lines “So tell me you wanna get close somewhere far away. Don’t worry ’bout your lovin’, it won’t go to waste. And don’t ever change your flavor cause I love the taste. And if you ask me where I wanna go, I say all the way,” but rides above hip-hop beats and ambient sounding pads, string samples, and vinyl crackling. Later in the track, a complete beat change transpires, lyrically relating to the NSYNC hit “Pop” and goes in for a more smooth, contemporary R&B vibe for it’s close.

As a whole, the lyrical content of The 20/20 Experience doesn’t explore polished themes as suggested by the marketing, live performances, and overall look of this era form Timberlake, but instead focuses direction on light subjects that sometimes come across as bourgeois and simplified. “Hop into my spaceship coupe, there’s only room for two (me and you). And with the top down, we’ll cruise around, land, and make love on the moon. Would you like that?” While it’s not the most thoughtful album, it’s the content and style that this pop veteran has come to be known for since his days in boy band NSYNC, so it’s not particularly a big surprise that the writing on this 2013 release isn’t much to touch.

It is nice, though, to be reminded that the production, song structure, and overall composition are very nice. In complete compliment to “Spaceship Coupe”, the following one, “Tunnel Vision” contains some of the most lovely synthesized work on the album. Sixteenth notes, live played, travel down the snyth throughout the song.

Where this record as a whole gets it 100% correct is on the closing song of The 20/20 Experience, “Blue Ocean Floor”. Timbaland pulls out reversed synthesized and piano bits, creating an ethereal vibe that sounds as if it’s been plucked from Orka Veer’s discography [Bandcamp] and interpolated into the atmospheric wave, pelican, and closing cassette player sounds. This closing track shows Justin’s third solo release for what it was originally intended to be: music you can see. You can see this not only with your mind, but hear what’s going on through the created space. There’s also no need for an abrupt change in it’s musical structure, so while there’s a fake-out fade in the latter half of the track, it smoothly swells back to where it originally stood. It also has a wonderful dynamic range of 9dB average.

Lyrically, this track gets it right as well with the first verse beginning “Frequencies so low” and melancholically continuing “Heart on a string, a string that only plays solos. Rain made of echos, tidal wave rushing on and on.” While the average listener isn’t going to imagine sound waves with the first line, it is a smart opening lyric that blossoms into a brighter picture with it’s following lines. “Blue Ocean Floor” surfaces this sort of positive, honest song craft through the entire seven and a half minute run, making it the most noble song of the 10 standard tracks, and even stands above the extra two on the deluxe edition.

All in all, considering the interesting pop-soul vibe created through “Pusher Lover Girl,” “That Girl,” and “Suit & Tie,” the Coldplay/Hurts lament on the second single “Mirrors,” and all genres thrown into this record, and even considering it’s kind of modest dynamic range, it’s a very solid effort. The 20/20 Experience may lack some of that 20/20 vision (in which 2020k is more than happy to make up for with him while we still got our dress on), it creates a sort of visional pop spectrum that is not explored on most mainstream, major label, Top 40 releases.

Well, how do you like it? We’re looking forward to the next installment.

Purchase The 20/20 Experience on Amazon & iTunes

Sine Wave: Daft Punk Collaborated With Pharrell Williams on “Random Access Memories”

As if this blog’s last article on Random Access Memories didn’t have enough excitement jam packed into it. According to IAmMusic.TV, Pharrell Williams placed vocals on three of the dance pioneer’s new record, which is due out May 21st through Daft Life Limited.

All we have so far is this tweet that links the article by Nile Rodgers, who is also slated to appear on RAM. Guess that sexy one-off collaboration legendary French duo Daft Punk did with N.E.R.D. on “Hypnotize U” wasn’t the end of their work with Pharrell.

Let’s get loose tonight!

Infrasound: Nyetscape

Vaporwave is the latest in a slew of offbeat genres that has successfully spawned off into the underground. At heart, it’s an interpolation of downtempo & chill out electronic music in which sci-fi-esque and throwback soul samples are incorporated into melodic and rhythmic structures. These productions seemingly contain hints of late 20th century nostalgia, and enough delay and reverberation to haze it up, or cause a vapor of sorts, to maintain the memory’s distance. Inside the movements core is a musician under the moniker Nyetscape. Known mostly through affiliations with the genre and his Tumblr page, this artist has crafted out two unique albums to the genre, even progressing them toward conservative Electronic styles and experimental Hip-Hop musings.

Nyetscape started out under the stage name Chip Jewelry for his debut record, but changed it quickly to what it is today. What has resulted from this now self-titled debut is a series of thirteen quick tracks that flourish with pitch bends, tape manipulations, and loops. Quick cuts also make their way into Nyetscape’s sonic journey. “Belief is Natural” demonstrates all of these techniques, that seemingly find their way balanced and interestingly flow into one another, as part of mini-hyperized movements.

The follow up, Nyetscape 2.0, expands on the foundations of the debut record by playing more as an auditory soundtrack than it does a record. Because of this, it’s difficult to describe the sound other than it’s unique approach to being highly visual. A creative Pink Floyd sample queues up near the five minute mark of Nyetscape 2.0, but it’d be hardly recognizable without listening intently for the signature, delayed slide guitar. It’s buried underneath layers of atmospheric ambience, sometimes borderline crumbling and adding to the somber vibe of the song. As it fades, a more abrasive track enters and the concept continues.

The near end of this almost seventeen minute sophomore project highly demonstrates the crossover appeal Nyetscape has toward electronic music through the use of a few techniques. In the last three minutes of the record, an emotional segment in which a female vocalist is chopped, looped, and placed at the forefront of the song along side mild side-chain compression, glitch sounding offbeat percussion, and at a slower tempo shows the vulnerability inside the chaos.

To say the least, the Nyetscape projects are extremely imaginative, psychedelic, and to definitely be experienced. Kavinsky influences are present and it’s difficult sometimes to not compare it to the attention MACINTOSH PLUS‘ Floral Shoppe gained in late 2011/early 2012 (but it is safe to say that the mixing and mastering on Nyetscape is far superior to the coarse mixing on the MACINTOSH project). However, the massive layers and density we’d see on a Boards of Canada project are astounding and references to the work of Kamas are unmistaken and embedded into the soul of Nyetscape.

As a matter of fact, Nyetscape is no stranger to the alternative electronic music scene. Though only two releases are seemingly under his belt (with a third record called Nyetscape 3.0 slated for an April 20th, 2013 release), there’s even more great productions that leap more into the ambient and downtempo world under the alias of his last name: Kamas. In fact, there’s a great review of his 2012 release Cerulean on this blog here and “Child” from this record was named the number three song of 2012 here. Even more recently, a remix by Chris has been placed on the 2020k single for “Contagion” [bandcamp free download].

While Vaporwave, and many rogue sections of mainstream genres of music seem to be pinned as come-and-go thing of the moments, Nyetscape has certainly left his mark on two, soon to be three, wonderful pieces of instrumental storytelling. 

See & download Nyetscape releases via his Bandcamp by clicking here

Commentary: CBS Airs 60 Minutes Pussy Riot Segment

Pussy Riot is something I’ve come to the defense of since the beginning of it’s ascent into international discussion. This isn’t just a group of girls coming together as a means to promote hooliganism or spread any sort of religious intolerance, but a provocation of thought. Their use of punk music and unsatisfactory musicianship contribute toward their political activism, combined with promotion of speech freedom is brutally honest and unapologetically bold.

CBS News aired a 60 Minutes segment on the aftermath of the Pussy Riot trials, in which three of the members stood up against a harsh, public legal battle surrounding their performance at Moscow’s largest cathedral. The defense ultimately lost. Two members of the collective are still in captivity, working in labor camps while others are in hiding, and one member chooses to speak freely, without blanketing herself, to Lesley Stahl.

At a performance I did at Rex Theater in Pittsburgh, PA back in 2012, I performed a slightly altered version of my Britney Spears Vs. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross “Piece of Me” Ambient Remix [Stream & free download by clicking here]. It was prefaced as a political statement and social commentary on the exploitation of the entertainment business, as well as the voice that can be heard throughout it. The most conscious decision was to combine “Painted Sun in Abstract” with the vocal track to “Piece of Me” for the duration of the first two verses and chorus, but take out Britney’s highly compressed and processed vocals and replace them with my own live voice. It was unpracticed, except for once, and was a move calculated to demonstrate the humanity behind the music. The man behind the machine, the band behind the movement. The result? Imperfect, raw. Just the way I wanted it. [You can see the end result by clicking here].

Pussy Riot is an extremely pertinent commentary on the social stigma of speaking out, a political movement smartly aimed at freedom of expression, a feminist declaration, form of peaceful protest, and much more. The Russian government can attempt to stop them, but their efforts will and are presently backfiring on them. Whether this band of women are able to accomplish a movement powerful enough to achieve all of their initial plans is for the future to know, but what they’ve accomplished so far and will continue to consummate has far exceeded what was thought to be a force weak enough to be stopped.

No matter what these girls do from here on out, their moves will be watched, documented, and archived.

Free Pussy Riot.

Click here to watch the CBS segment | Tumblr Version

Lana Del Rey Covers Leonard Cohen’s “Chelsea Hotel No 2″ & Releases Video

Lana Del Rey has released a cover version of Leonard Cohen’s “Chelsea Hotel No 2″ with an accompanying music video. Seemingly random, but who cares? Del Rey surprises are always welcome.

Just like with any of Lana’s releases, the music is emotionally beyond words. A lone guitar melodically plays while the songstress declares “I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel, you were talking so brave and so sweet. Giving me head on the unmade bed while the limousines wait in the street.” Reverberation sets the simplified depth, melodic and lyrical content are purely available as the front focal points. (There are some underlying, extra brass sections that are buried deep within the mix, that help carry the song).

I keep trying to Google to see why she’s done this, but all I’m receiving so far are excited emoticons and fans typing “we are not worthy” so it doesn’t seem like a new project has been announced as of yet. Updates will come.

Born To Die: Paradise Edition was released November 9th, 2012. Click here to read my review.

Music Business: Last Chance to Buy a Physical Copy of Esthero’s “Everything Is Expensive”

As if art couldn’t imitate life more than it already has for Esthero’s wonderfully written,  produced, and engineered Everything is Expensive project. The critically acclaimed songstress went independent for the release of her third record and while it was clear that the financial situation to put it all together was strict, it seems as though it’s hindered one of the most prestigious aspects of an album: the physical product.

Esthero posted a letter to her fans on Pledgemusic.com on March 24th, 2013 stating that she has 72 copies of her third record Everything is Expensive to ship out to fans. 36 of them will stay with her for the future, other editions will be available to Canadian shops while they last. But, elsewhere? Gone (and we’re not talking about her collaboration with Cee-Lo Green from Wikked Lil’ Grrrls).

In her own words: “I have no current plans to print up any more, so this is it…for the foreseeable future. Don’t get me wrong – I love physical CD’s. I love to open them up and look at the artwork and read all the credits and stuff: and fuck me if they don’t sound way better than an mp3 – it’s just…. I’m not in the majority. It’s pretty pricey to manufacture them and truly a luxury for an indie artist.”

To read the letter in it’s entirety and purchase a physical copy of the album, please head over to her Pledgemusic.com page. This is depressing, but sadly a reality.

In lighter news, it does look like from the post that we’re receiving a couple more remixes before this era fizzles out. You can also look for an article I’m working on to celebrate the 15th release of her immaculate trip-hop debut Breath From Another. And if you missed it, there’s a pretty in-depth interview I had with her back in November 2012.

Purchase from Pledgemusic.com or iTunes. Read the 2020k review of the record here.

Daft Punk Announce “Random Access Memories” & CD/Vinyl Pre-Sale

There’s no other way to put it: Ladies & Gentlemen, Daft Punk have announced their first studio album in seven years.

Random Access Memories is due out for release under the Columbia Records imprint Daft Life LTD on May 21st, 2013. Collaborators during the recording on this record include Paul Williams, Chic frontman Nile Rodgers, legend Giorgio Moroder, Chilly Gonzales, Nathan East from Fourplay, and Panda Bear from indie favorites Animal Collective.

If the impressive list of talented musicians isn’t enough, there’s an iTunes pre-order up, which doesn’t sound too exciting until you see that iTunes has the track length for the thirteen songs featured on RAM. Recently, I had a conversation with iTunes that went a little something like this:

2020k: How long do you say the record is, iTunes?
iTunes: Oh, I don’t know, RJ. SEVENTY FOUR MINUTES AND TWENTY SEVEN SECONDS.
2020k: Holy shit, that’s a lot of music!
iTunes: Hell yeah, it is! Are you going to pre-order.
2020k: [laughs] No, I’ll probably buy the physical thing. Lossless audio, man! It’s the way to go.
iTunes: Oh, okay. That’s understandable.

(The above conversation may have just been a one sided conversation with myself while I was staring at my laptop, but all that matters is that you all had this sort of conversation with your own computer as well so it seems like a lot of us are crazy).

To top it all off, they’re getting funky. A snippet of one of the songs off this 2013 release has been posted on Randomaccessmemories.com and includes the signature funked out vocal stylings that mention “we’re up all night to get funky.” Also on the website, you’re able to pre-order the CD or pricey $39.98 vinyl.

Check out the website, and don’t forget about the little commercial that debuted on Saturday Night Live back on the 3rd of March. Re-watch it below!