#synth x kanye

[jade-green-butterfly]

Yo, peeps! :3 Here's a little something I did back in June and decided to upload before the grand unveiling of my annual Christmas piece in December~✨

Meet Tempo!🩷One of Synth and Kanye's twin sons~ ^.^ I drew him a long while in 2022 and was introduced by Ely as seen here, along with his twin brother, Trance c: We felt we've improved a lot since then on our Trolls style, and decided to do a revamp of the twins!😃 And I must say, Tempo looks so much better than before within comparison of his first appearance, yet his baby form is still a real cutie~🥰I wished to add more character to his revamp, including some ideal accessories >w< Although both twins were adorable little balls of energy as trollings, growing up, Tempo became more chill like Kanye, who he and Trance refer to as their 'papa' while Synth is of course, their dad~😚

Tempo works in a popular coffee shop as a skillful waiter and server. The place also has its own poetry corner, which Tempo likes to take part in now and again. He found out he was bisexual when he fell for a lady, who surprisingly turned out to be a crossdresser (and Tempo's possible future partner, and soulmate~😉)🤭The family were surprised yet really delighted and supportive of Tempo when he bravely told them💞 Hope you like, my lovelies!👍🏻💕I am so chuffed with how Tempo's revamp turned out, it was so much fun to do~💖😊

*~Reblogs are also deeply appreciated as well, so please do reblog as well as like! Thank-you kindly!~*

Kanye (c) @x-elyssa-x~💜& @jade-green-butterfly (Me~!) Tempo (c) @jade-green-butterfly (Me~!)

Synth (c) Trolls TrollsTopia/DreamWorks Animation

[king-trollex-fangirl]

Synth: K-Kanye...YES!! YES!! *tackle hugs him*

Kanye: *chuckles and hugs him back*

A Synkaa proposal! >W< I'm so happy I drew this!! 😍😍😍 Happy Valentine's Day! 💖💖💖🌹🌹🌹💘💘💘

Kanye belongs to @x-elyssa-x & @jade-green-butterfly

Synth belongs to DreamWorks

[x-elyssa-x]

I drew something!

Here, take this Synth x Kanye pride pic.

[trollexfangirl]

Kanye x Synth

Kanye hypnotizing Synth

Kanye belongs to @jade-green-butterfly & @x-elyssa-x

[donakidoy]

LOVE your art, thank-you so much for the follow! ^.^ Me and my bestie have a Techno Troll OC, who is inspired by a hypnotic snake named Kanye~ X3 We ship him with Synth~<3

OMG OC x SYNTH?!

SIGN ME UP BABY❗❗❗❗🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[glitchy-witchy1994]

Commission for HealerCharm on DeviantArt

This is Kanye @x-elyssa-x and HealerCharm shared Oc with Synth having a cute dance at a party!!

I hope you like it!!!!

[gerogerigaogaigar]

Another aspect of hip-hop music that is often unfairly maligned is the instrumentals. The common complaint that hip-hop instrumentals are just boring rudimentary drum loops is simply untrue. Provided in the following playlist is a series of beats that show off the creative range in hip-hop. There's funk grooves, some scratching, psychedelic influence, and incredible sampling across the board. Some of these beats are legendary, some are really different and interesting, and others are ones I just think yall might really enjoy.

What Is A Booty Passin' Me By Who Am I (What's My Name)? The first three tracks here are examples of funk influenced beats. What Is a Booty? and Who Am I (What's My Name)? pay direct homage to George Clinton of P-Funk fame, while Passin' Me By has a solid jazz backbone. all three have catchy basslines.

Diamonds From Sierra Leone I'm not here to talk about who he is nowadays. Kanye West used to be one of the best beatmakers ever. The Diamonds Are Forever sample is incredibly integrated and the simple synth line that counterpoints it is pure sex. Diamonds Of Sierra Leone has one of my favorite beats period.

Dance in the Water Danny Brown has some really wild beat and this one is so rowdy. the bass is barely holding the shouting and drumming in line. It barely sounds like hip-hop and is clearly a bit punk influenced.

SICKO MODE This song was memetic when it dropped so you might be aware of it. SICKO MODE switches it's beat up throughout giving an unstable effect. Fitting for music that is supposed to have the vibes of being on lean and xanax. The whole of ASTROWORLD has psychedelic influence and it really brought an interesting sound to the then stagnating trap scene.

Go Go Pop Afrikaa Bambataa was influenced by German electronic group Kraftwerk when he made the album Planet Rock. The result is a hip-hop album that doesn't sound like anything before or after. Go Go Pop in particular is the track that feels the least dated. it still sounds pretty corny mind, but I like corny.

Workinonit J Dilla was the best beatmaker ever. Dilla didn't just flip a sample he would mutilate it. Workinonit also shows that hip-hop isn't just rap, there are instrumental hip-hop songs out there. If you find yourself enjoying the beats, but are still having trouble with the rapping then J Dilla's iconic album Donuts might be for you.

Eric B. Is On The Cut I couldn't talk beats without getting some turntablism in there. Eric B. shows of his scratch skills on this instrumental piece that is meant just to show off his technique.

Prophets Of Rage The last track is a bit more turntablism. Public Enemy's production team The Bomb Squad pretty much defined the sound of late 80's-early 90's hip-hop. And The interplay between the beats and Terminator X's turntables could have made everything else about the track an afterthought if Chuck D wasn't also at his absolute peak here.

To Be Continued ===> Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

[aaronafgash]

10 NEW SONGS - 3/15/24

Some disappointing releases from some big artists today (*cough cough* Justin Timberlake *cough cough* Kacey Musgraves), but overall, a ton of new tunes today. Let’s get it.

P.S. To the 3 people who read this, next week is about to be a DOOZIE for new music. Full albums from Waxahatchee, Khruangbin, Good Morning, SiR, Matt Champion, and Future x Metro Boomin’, and that’s not even including any singles that will inevitably be dropping as well. What a year for music. Anyways, here we go.

1. I Guess - Lizzy McAlpine

Lizzy’s just going to keep dropping heat, eh? Absolutely adore this. The “beat drop” around two and a half minutes in borders on being a tiny bit corny, but also reminds me of Fleet Foxes, and I bet that melodic chant at the end will be fun to sing at her live shows. Really appreciate the choices she’s making production-wise, including brass horns and Phoebe Bridgers-esque electronic indie sounds to add some texture.

2. Classical - Vampire Weekend

Probably my favorite of the three singles Vampire Weekend has dropped so far. For lack of a better term, it’s just a classic VW song. That little synth lead (maybe synth? Genuinely cannot place what instrument I’m hearing) on the hook / chorus makes me want to hit an Irish jig, just in time for St Patrick’s Day. Really beautiful piano on the 2nd half of this (played by Ezra Koenig himself, according to Genius!).

3. HATE YOUR GUTS - INJI

It always blows me away when artists I’ve barely heard of casually have production like THIS so early in their careers. I heard “GASLIGHT” by INJI at some point last year and was immediately entranced - she’s done it again here. Her Spotify bio reads “making music you can scream along to :)” and that is exactly what my ass will be doing when that chorus comes on. This kind of lands somewhere between Kim Petras (sonically) and Olivia Rodrigo (thematically). If you feel like you’re in the middle of that Venn diagram, this is absolutely worth a listen. 

4. Down Swinging - Holly Humberstone

Holly Humberstone is the queen of “pretty sad songs that absolutely slap.” I love the chord progression when she sings “Watch me keep my cool tonight”. Also enjoyed the unexpected saxophone appearance.

5. Neva (feat. Monaleo) - Flo Milli

This was a standout from Flo Milli’s new album Fine Ho, Stay. The Juicy J x Lex Luther production was not something I expected to hear on a Flo Milli album but she sounds super comfortable here - I’m not used to hearing her on the more laid-back beats, but I dig it. Things I also dig: how her name appears on the album art like the VH1 logo back in the day.

6. BURNING BRAINS - Tierra Whack

I was a bit nervous going into this album considering my disdain for the two singles Tierra Whack had dropped for it, but I was delightfully surprised to hear quite a few songs I enjoyed. “BURNING BRAINS” specifically stood out to me. That chorus - “Soup too hot, ice too cold / Grass too green, sky too blue” - combined with the slow, prodding beat makes for a sad, depressing ass vibe, but one that I enjoy living in for a few minutes. Hip-hop has felt quite stale lately, so I appreciate Tierra doing something different and outside the box.

7. Enough (Miami) - Cardi B

Nothing crazy from Ms. Cardi here but it feels like a proper return to form - a catchy pop-rap beat, energetic raps, some memorable bars. No complaints!

8. Lonely Millionaire - Kacey Musgraves

This new Kacey Musgraves album was not for me, but this one landed - at least more than anything else did on Deeper Well. The “what good is being rich if you’re alone” sentiment is one that often works for me (thinking about Kanye West on “Welcome to Heartbreak”). Nothing revolutionary happening here, but the chords are nice, it’s a laid back vibe, and I can appreciate the message. More of this!

9. What Lovers Do - Justin Timberlake

This new Justin Timberlake album was ABSOLUTELY not for me, but there’s something funny about me perking up and enjoying the production on this song specifically only to realize it’s one of the few that Timbaland contributed to. Do I need to hear a 43-year-old JT sing about banging Jessica Biel? Absolutely not. But if he’s going to do it, at least he’s singing over a smooth ass Timbaland beat. I’m also really struggling to get to 10 songs now, so on a stronger week, I would have been happy to completely ignore this one. Alas!

10. STOP BY (feat. Garret Sparrow, Max Leonard, & Joshua Raw) - Bilking With Francis

I know truly nothing about Biking With Francis, nor do I know anything about the featured artists. But I heard this on my Discover Weekly on Spotify a few days ago and was so impressed by how catchy it is. Steve Lacy-esque production and I can’t get enough of this hook - I genuinely wish this was longer than 3 minutes.

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 12/08/2023 (Doja Cat, Travis Scott/SZA/Future)

For a 10th week, and maybe the last, “Sprinter” by Dave and Central Cee tops the UK Singles Chart. And for once, nothing else is happening. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

Yeah, it’s one of those weeks. Well, I guess some things are happening, those being our notable dropouts, songs exiting the UK Top 75 - which is what I cover - after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. This week isn’t exactly the busiest in the world, so we have only a few farewells to give out, those being to “HYAENA” by Travis Scott being three-song-ruled out by another song from UTOPIA as well as “Mourning” by Post Malone not even making it to three weeks, then “Trojan Horse” and “UK Rap” by Dave and Central Cee, “Sittin’ on Top of the World” by Burna Boy and “Side Effects” by Becky Hill and Lewis Thompson. Now that song has been on the chart for 12 weeks, and all of the songs that also dropped out range below that. I say this because we have tons of returns and gains this week, and they’re primarily for songs past their prime, and there are a ton of them so bear with me as half this episode - given our measly two new arrivals - will consist of me listing songs that have been out for months. How delightful.

“Mr. Brightside” is at #55. Christ. Outside of that, we see the returns for “Don’t Say Love” by Leigh-Anne, “Everywhere” by Fleetwood Mac, “Toxic Trait” by Stormzy and Fredo - all from #75 to #73 - as well as another steak from #71 to #68: “I Ain’t Worried” by OneRepublic, “I’m Good (Blue)” by David Guetta and Bebe Rexha, “Tattoo” by Loreen and “Escapism.” by RAYE featuring 070 Shake, followed by “Bad Habits” by Ed Sheeran at #66 - seriously? - and “Boy’s a liar” by PinkPantheress at #65. These are all bottom-feeders, but a particularly big week will need to shovel it all out, especially since in our gains, we have boosts for “Die for You” by The Weeknd at #64, “Kill Bill” by SZA at #62, “Wish You the Best” and “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi at #61 and #57, “Baby Don’t Hurt Me” by David Guetta, Anne-Marie and Coi Leray at #59, “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift at #38, “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus at #34 and “Miracle” by Calvin Harris featuring Ellie Goulding at #27, though to be completely fair, there were plenty of other gains for songs that are more contemporary, like “What it Is” by Doechii at #67, “Rave Out” by Skepsis, Turno and Charlotte Plank at #52, “Highs & Lows” by Prinz featuring Gabriela Bee at #51 probably thanks to that remix with A1 x J1 which is, of course, not credited, “Bittersweet Goodbye” by Issey Cross at #47, “Asking” by Sonny Fodera and MK featuring Clementine Douglas at #41, “Closer” by Bou featuring Slay at #26 (must be a USB stick discount), “Baddadan” by Chase & Status and… everyone else at #21, “So Much in Love” by D.O.D at #16, “Desire” by Calvin Harris and Sam Smith at #12 and finally, Chase & Status get their first top 10 hit since 2013 with “Disconnect” with Becky Hill up to #9. I’m not complaining, it’s a great song.

As for our top five, there’s very little movement - we see “Barbie World” by Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice and Aqua down to #5, “vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo up to #4 and the top three completely unchanged: “Dance the Night” by Dua Lipa at #3, “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish at #2 and of course, “Sprinter” at the top. Now to talk about two songs.

NEW ARRIVALS

#31 - “TELEKINESIS” - Travis Scott featuring SZA and Future

Produced by Travis Scott, BoogzDaBeast, Wallis Lane, Kanye West, Jahaan Sweet, Nabeyin and Hudson Mohawke

As I predicted, “HYAENA” was swapped out for a better-performing track from the album, with this being the third song for this week and it was a net loss in my opinion. I know this is one of the most highly-acclaimed on the record, partly because of the features and the fact that it was originally a Kanye song from the Donda sessions. I’ll admit - I was excited initially when I heard the woozy synths open the track as they clip in the mix and you can hear the drums in Future’s recording despite them being taken out… okay, it doesn’t sound exciting but Future is fittingly hypnotic here - it’s the typical flexing and toxicity delivered richly but he handles most of this song’s first part and he’s more of a personality than Travis about droning that he can “see the future”. Very funny. Future may not be saying much of interest, but at least it’s coherent, as Travis announces trumpets only for them… not to arrive, being completely obscured by the cloudy yet still mediocre mix, instead dropping into this stagnant beeping with military-esque drums trying desperately to rattle out and never fully skittering to an actually substantial intensity. I did get a decent laugh after this snooze of a track when Travis asks “Do you like the way it sounds?” and the worst, cheapest FL Studio-sounding trumpets come in. He brags about something you haven’t heard yet, and when you hear it, it’s an off-beat ass-blaring that even SZA is close to giving up on savouring. The worst thing about this song, though, it’s just that it’s way too long. Future has two verses and book-ends one with a repetitive refrain, Travis has some malformed verse or bridge for no reason, SZA’s verse drags on, and all of it’s for a decidedly non-immersive track that seems to go for the hypnotising, drumless experience whilst also forgetting that it has to be 1.) seamless and 2.) interesting. But hey, keep bringing out fascists at your shows, Jacques. What do I know?

#20 - “Paint the Town Red” - Doja Cat

Produced by Earl on the Beat, Karl Rubin, Jean Baptiste and DJ Replay

There’s a lot of buzz regarding some behaviour by Doja Cat on social media that I have no clear understanding of so I don’t completely comprehend the turn to a more vindictive aesthetic and persona, but it’s not exactly never been in her wheelhouse and she has that kind of playfulness that could make it work for a full album. We didn’t get much of a good first impression with “Attention”, but this one is pretty great, and honestly, we can probably thank the producers. Earl on the Beat in particular is a producer I really like, thanks to his sense for twinkling yet basic melodic leads that give an off-kilter vibe when his more static trap bounces, and he’s worked in the past with people like Drake, the City Girls, and extensively, Lil Yachty, who he’s made some great beats for. This twinkling melodic lead in particular is a sample of Dionne Warwick’s “Walk on By”, an old Bacharach-penned classic from 1964 that peaked at #9 in the UK, and was later out-charted by covers from Sybil and Gabrielle. The original is an excellent song, but also a remorseful and kind of embarrassed one, not wanting to communicate with their ex after a breakup, pleading with him to just walk on by her if he ever sees her. That’s not a Doja Cat thing to do, so she flips it for a track about she does not care, she’d rather be famous, she couldn’t be less bothered about what you have to say. Sure, the sample is kind of monotonous and the time-stretching and looping is a bit more awkward than it should be, but once the slick snap and bass groove comes in, it’s very hard to care, and Doja as always is full of charisma as she… refers to herself in third-person in the post-chorus, of course, and otherwise making pretty blatant references to her recent actions that collate as some kind of villain origin story, in a more compelling way than “Attention” because things are kept just that bit vaguer and more psychological than just celebrity gossip BS. Oh, and there’s actually some decent wordplay, fun flows, it’s not the most brilliant song she’s ever put out but it does have me somewhat interested in how this new album is going to shape.

Conclusion

You read the reviews. Well, I hope you did. Travis Scott gets Worst of the Week for “TELEKINESIS” featuring SZA and Future, whilst “Paint the Town Red” by Doja Cat gets Best of the Week, though honestly these songs both suffer from not cutting some of the fat. As for what’s on the horizon… I don’t know, hopefully more weeks that require me to do as little work as possible? Thank you for reading and I’ll see you next week, if there are even new songs to discuss, that is. We could just have no new songs. If that happens, I genuinely would have no idea what to do. For a week, I would have no purpose in life. Then Drake would drop an album and I’d be fine again.

[x-elyssa-x]

Aawww, this is one of the most adorable gifts I've ever got! Such a beautiful pic ❤️❤️❤️

Thank you for drawing this and thank you @jade-green-butterfly for requesting this for me, it's so, so sweet of you 💕💕 I love it sooooooo much~ UwU

Synth & Kayne

Chibi Commission done for @jade-green-butterfly who requested a fun gift for their friend @x-elyssa-x . Together they created a Techno Troll Oc named Kayne.

[jade-green-butterfly]

Voila~!😃My fave gay fishes are back, baby!🥰🐍🤎❤️🩷💚💜🎧 I've been meaning to draw some more Synkaa as requested by my sweet sis herself, @x-elyssa-x and I finally got the chance before Halloween and the return of the kitty boop fest, but spookier!😗🐾 I really wanted to draw Kanye being flirty with Synth and hypnotizing him~😏Yush, Kanye has hypnotic powers (just like Kaa) and since he's therapist/hypnotherapist, he uses them to relax and help others during their sessions, especially Synth with his fear in me and Ely's stories. Yet...Kanye still likes to hypnotize him every now and then, for he's just as adorable when hypnotized~😚 And the song that Kanye is singing, is from a really good fanimation called The Sun's Tear (made in 2022) and titled, 'You'll Be Mine'. I made a lowered tone version specially for Kanye, and you can listen to the original song here~🎶

I am also dead chuffed of how Synth's pose came out exactly how I wanted it during Kanye's flirting (this took place after meeting and becoming friends, though for Kanye, it was love at first sight~💘😉) and them resting in bed together with their hair down~💖😍You could say...potential afterglow, hehe~🤭 Hope you all like, dear!👍🏻✨Especially you, my lovely Ely~💗🫂It feel so good to draw our cute gay little fishies once more - I just love them SOOOOO MUCH as you do~!🐍🤎❤️💚💜🎧🤗💕xoxo.

*~Reblogs are also deeply appreciated as well, so please do reblog as well as like! Thank-you kindly!~*

Kanye (c) @x-elyssa-x~💜& @jade-green-butterfly (Me~!)

Synth (c) Trolls TrollsTopia/DreamWorks Animation

[king-trollex-fangirl]

🎶The bad days are over

Because we come together

The bad days are over

Cause we come together now~🎶

Here you go! Despite being absent,I managed to finish it before Christmas! ^w^ Hope you like it! ✨✨✨🥰🥰🥰🤗🤗🤗

King Trollex/Billy Reverb/Queen Poppy/Branch/Viva/Clay/Lownote Jones/Synth/Laguna Tidepool/Bliss Marina/Prince D/Cooper/Queen Barb belongs to DreamWorks

Jussy & Amalthea belongs to @jade-green-butterfly

Kanye belongs to @x-elyssa-x & @jade-green-butterfly

Queen Rose belongs to @artstar1997

Luka belongs to @kingtrollfan

Marley belongs to @sweetcinnamonrolls

Neap belongs to @djkingxxxdm

Torrent belongs to @sparklijam

Queen Melody/Tango/Dub/Rap/Sarah/King Will belongs to me

Merry Christmas!! 🎄🎄⛄⛄🎁🎁

[x-elyssa-x]

This is what happens before every performance. Kanye always shows support to his husband ❤️❤️❤️

[jade-green-butterfly]

@yasmimgo760​​ =O0O=❣❣ D’AAAAAAAWWWW~!! ;////0////; 💓 💓 💓 OOOHHHH, MY GOODNESS, MY DEAR YASMIN, I CERTAINLY WASN’T EXPECTING THIS WONDERFULLY ADORABLE SURPRISE!! ;///W///; 💖 💖 💖 I FEEL LIKE MY HEART IS GONNA BURST WITH RAINBOWS FROM SO MUCH CUTENESS- JUST LOOKIE AT SYNTH AND KAA/KANYE’S LIL’ TWIN DARLINGS WITH THEIR DADDY’S ARMS~!! 💗🌈 🌈 🌈💗 EEEEEEEEE~~❣❣ 😍✨😍✨😍 I ABSOLUTELY, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE TO THE HEAVENS~!! *mega-cuddles* THANK-YOU SO, SO MUCH, MY DEAR!! 💝💝=^o^=💝💝 You have captured me and @x-elyssa-x​​‘s SynKaa family ever so preciously together, they all look super sweet in your lovely style! n//.//n 💘💘💘 I also believe and can see that this was shortly after they were born and are already surrounded by love and affection for their parents~💞🎶💜💚🐍💞 Awww, and I can also feel Synth’s happiness and emotions, and also Kaa’s happiness and pride from here, eeeee~💝✨^//v//^✨ Thank-you ever so much again, Yasmin! *mega-snuggles* You’ve done a marvellous job and this heartwarming masterpiece really made my evening too!👍✨💕 😍 And I am totally sure Ely will truly LOVE this tenderly memorable moment as much as I do as well! 💗💖=^3^=💖💗 Bless you, sweetie and keep up the amazing work~💞 ✌ xxx.        

I couldn't resist and had to draw these cute brothers

I really liked your creativity Jade and Ely,so I really wanted to draw Tempo and Trance,and here they are babies in daddy's arms >w<

And Synth happy and very emotional for his children and also not resisting their cuteness :3

I also I like to think that this was shortly after they were born and were already surrounded by love and affection for their parents ^w^

Tempo,Trance and Kaa belong to @jade-green-butterfly and @x-elyssa-x

I hope you both like it ♥️

[adevotedappraisal]

The Carter Trilogy, part four of five

Everything is Love: we broke up and got back together, to get her back, I had to sweat her

The narrative had been set in cultural stone by the time 2018s Everything Is Love appeared out of nowhere one Summer afternoon: there was the dutiful, overly ambitious wife betrayed, and the profligate, amoral husband, atoned for his sins. While this surprise album finds the bruised and dynamic duo finally together again, under moniker The Carters, the nine song set doesn’t really show us where they want to carry their renewed union, the two content with a measured celebration of love in the sounds of right now.

“713” is alert and engaging, not only with the piano-led boom, but from Jay Zs tale of how he and Beyonce met off-and-on throughout tours and flights, a tentative love forming between hectic schedules, while “Summer” is a cool, relaxed Soul ride produced by Cool & Dre, who give them the type of heavy-bottomed Soul that Wilson Pickett or Bobby Womack sang their hearts over. Here, Beyonce takes stage, strings floating behind some of her gut-bucket runs, suggesting “let’s make love in the summertime, and be in each other’s arms,” while Jay toasts to “let it breathe, let it breathe.”

“Black Effect,” the best song on the set, immerses itself with a booming sway of love and a yearning for black excellence, and it shows the two at their most natural and nonchalant, like Lebron in the fourth when he stops passing and just goes off. “I park my ride at the Projects I’m so reck-a-less/ Extra magazine, hopped off the Jet with an Ebony chick” Jay says, and later, when the drums fall out, and just that sample is echoed into an articulate cloud that abides by him, he says “the FCC, the FBI or the IRS/ I pass them alphabet boys like an eye test.”

Meanwhile, Beyonce cradles the song with yelping ad-libs (I’M MALCOLM X!), swooping harmonies, and this recurrent, resonant mantra of “higher, higher” that fill out and accentuate the secular praise going on. Along with “Lift Off" from 2011s Watch the Throne, it’s her performance that makes these songs their two best collaborations over the years.

It is on single “Apeshit" though, that finds the couple finally foiled by their insatiable ambition. The beat is pure trap energy, however it subsumes them, the song only strung together by the chorus and the violent repetitions and ad-libs from Migos. Jay flounders here, hanging his verse on a toothless Lion King-referencing opener that sounds only like product placement upon reflection, while Bey is muddled and unremarkable with her rapped verse, a couple of designers names slipping out every once in a while.

And their turn on “Friends” is a half-hearted attempt to create a hazy, late-summer stew of memory and cool, the type of twinkle-dark synth stuff Jaden Smith, Drake or Frank Ocean shrug off on a beat in their sleep. Here though, the song comes off cold and anonymous, Jay listing his known cohorts, and mentioning the bond around funerals and gang codes, but the both never delivering a line to express why friendship is truly important.

And although I really like that final run she does on the end of the song, that does not assuage the frustration I feel about how opaque Beyonce is here, relying on flat cliches for lyrics, and providing no real look into her life through songcraft, only through the broad, waving flag of her voice.

Also weighing down Everything… is the Pharrell-produced “Nice," a song that tries to create a jagged, textured jam and let the bass smooth it out, but instead results in a plodding, belabored series of affirmations, made dull with an uninteresting chorus and production, even the back-and-forth between Beyonce and Pharrell only slightly entertains. Somehow, the best line of the album is here, with Jay in the cut of the ringing piano, acutely reminding us “I have no fear of jail, I was born in the trap/ I have no fear of death, we all born to do that.”

Jay has played to his strengths in collaboration, expressing self-reflection and atonement with Jay Electronica in this year’s A Written Testimony, and, most famously, in a black excellent parade with Kanye West in the aforementioned Watch The Throne. On Everything is Love though, he seems compromised, like a dealer trying to get rid of a stash before a deadline, or, yes, like a peccant husband on a make-up. It’s a clear cash-in, like Marvin and Diana was for the floundering mid-seventies careers of Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross, but at least those two had the decency to give us a “You Are Everything” in the process.

Ultimately, like all unions, it’s a calculated union, except remember, this one concerned a billion dollars on an elevator. “Y’all made up with a bag, I had to change the weather,“ Jay says on closer “Lovehappy,“ a back-handed boast, which is then followed by Beyonce riffing on the state of the marriage, as the band and the harmonies swing low, kinda like a sitcom theme, rapping the straight-backed rejoinder like a threat, “in a glass house, still throwing stones.”

[luvneedsnosyt]

My Favorite Albums of October 2019

Here’s my monthly list of albums released in October I was feeling.

My Previous monthly lists from 2019: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September

You can find my list from June of my favorite albums halfway through 2019 here

Best:

Angel Olsen - All Mirrors Genre: Alternative / Indie Rock

Proof: Lark / All Mirrors

Anna of the North - Dream Girl Genre: Synth-Pop

Proof: My Love / Playing Games // Snakehips - Summer Fade (Feat. Anna of the North)

A R I Z O N A - ASYLUM Genre: Synth-Pop

Proof: Nostalgic / Freaking Out // Bonus: Freaking Out (Matoma Remix) / Find Someone (DROELOE Remix) / Nostalgic (Blonde Remix)

Berhana - HAN Genre: R&B / Funk

Proof: Lucky Strike / California

bülow - The Contender EP Genre: Synth-Pop

Proof: Own Me / Puppy Love (Feat. Jimi Somewhere)

Busy Signal - Parts of the Puzzle Genre: Reggae / Dance Hall

Proof: Real Born Gallis / Balloon

Caroline Polachek - PANG Genre: Synth-Pop

Proof: I Give Up / So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings

Chromatics - Closer To Grey Genre: Indie Pop / Dream Pop

Proof: You’re No Good / Twist The Knife

Cigarettes After Sex - Cry Genre: Indie Pop / Dream Pop

Proof: Heavenly / Touch

City and Colour - A Pill For Loneliness Genre: Indie Rock / Alternative / Folk

Proof: Astronaut / Mountain of Madness

Dermot Kennedy - Without Fear Genre: Pop / Soul

Proof: Moment’s Passed / Redemption // Bonus: Outnumbered (MJ Cole Remix) / Outnumbered (aboutagirl Remix)

DROELOE - A Promise Is Made Genre: Electronic / Dance

Proof: Broken Bricks (Feat. Kalulu) / Written Maze (Feat. Iris Penning)

Electric Guest - KIN Genre: Synth-Pop

Proof: Dollar / Get Out // Bonus: Dollar (Lemaitre Remix) / More (Franc Moody Remix)

Fantasia - Sketchbook Genre: R&B / Soul

Proof: Bad Girl / Warning

Foals - Part 2: Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Genre: Rock / Alternative

Proof: The Runner / Neptune

Gallant - Sweet Insomnia Genre: R&B / Soul

Proof: Crimes / Sweet Insomnia (Feat. 6LACK)

Gryffin - Gravity Genre: Electronic / Dance / Future Bass

Proof: Baggage (w/ Gorgon City Feat. AlunaGeorge) / Hurt People (Feat. Aloe Blacc)

Hoodboi - Breathing Room EP Genre: Electronic / Dance

Proof: Tip of my Tounge (Feat. Tzar) / Tunnel Vision (Feat. Jerry Folk)

James Blunt - Once Upon A Time Genre: Pop

Proof: Cold / 5 Miles// Bonus: Cold (YouNotUs Remix)

Kanye West - JESUS IS KING Genre: Hip Hop / Gospel

Proof: Selah / Use This Gospel (Feat./ The Clipse & Kenny G)

Kim Petras - TURN OFF THE LIGHT [Mixtape] Genre: Synth-Pop

Proof: There Will Be Blood / Close Your Eyes

King Princess - Cheap Queen Genre: Pop

Proof: Cheap Queen / Hit the Back

Lost Frequencies - Alive And Feeling Fine Genre: Electronic / Synth-Pop / Dance

Proof: Truth Never Lies (Feat. Aloe Blacc) / Lost Like Us (Feat. Throttle & Kyla La Grange)

MitiS - Shattered EP Genre: Electronic / Trance / Dance

Proof: Home (Feat. Niko Athanasatos) / Shattered (Feat. RUNN) // Bonus: Seven Lions & MitiS - Brake The Silence (Feat. RBBTS) / Dabin - Alive (MitiS Remix) Feat. RUNN

MOSSS - Pale Blue EP Genre: Pop / R&B / Soul

Proof: Here If You Want (Pale Blue) / Bound To Happen

Nicole Bus - KAIROS Genre: R&B / Neo-Soul

Proof: You / Rain

PVRIS - Hallucinations EP Genre: Indie Rock / Alternative

Proof: Hallucinations / Death of Me

Summer Walker - Over It Genre: R&B / Neo-Soul

Proof: Come Thru (w/ Usher) / I Like It (Feat. 6LACK)

Tourist - Wild Genre: Electronica / Trance

Proof: Bunny / Wild

Vagabon - Vagabon Genre: Indie Pop / R&B

Proof: Flood / Water Me Down

Vancouver Sleep Clinic - Onward to Zion Genre: Indie Pop

Proof: Into The Sun / ZION

VÉRITÉ - new skin Genre: Pop / R&B

Proof: body in my bed / gone

Wale - Wow... That’s Crazy Genre: Hip Hop

Proof: BGM / On Chill (Feat. Jeremih)

Xavier Omär & Sango - Moments Spent Loving You Genre: R&B / Neo-Soul

Proof: Say It / Thief

88rising - Head In The Clouds II Genre: R&B / Hip Hop

Proof: Need Is Your Love (Feat. Joji & GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE) / La La Lost You (Feat. NIKI)

Bonus: A new discovery during the month

April + VISTA - You Are Here EP Genre: alt-R&B / Soul Released August 2018

Proof: Hot Coffee Freestyle / Own2 // Bonus: Every Void

Others:

AKON - Akonda, Anna Wise - As If It Were Forever, Armin van Buuren - Balance, The Avett Brothers - Closer Than Together, beabadoobee - Space Cadet EP, Becky G. - MALA SANTA, Big Thief - Two Hands, Caroline Kole - Freaking Out! EP, Casanova - Behind These Scars, Chris Lorenzo - Late Checkout, clipping. - There Existed an Addiction to Blood, Danny Brown - uknowhatimsaying¿, Deadmau5 - here’s the drop, DIIV - Deceiver, Finneas - Blood Harmony EP, G-Eazy - Scary Nights EP, Jacques Greene - Dawn Chorus, Jess Connelly - ATM EP, Karnaval Blues - You Come With the Rain, Kash Doll - Stacked, Kembe X - I Was Depressed Until I Made This, Lost Kings - Los Angeles EP, Maisie Peters - It’s Your Bed Babe, It’s Your Funeral EP, Melii - MOTIONS EP, MIKA  - My Name Is Michael Holbrook, Mike Posner - Keep Going [Mixtape], Rex Orange County - Pony, Rhi - The Pale Queen, San Fermin - The Cormorant I, Sasha Sloan - Self Portrait EP, Skyler Grey - Angel With Tattoos EP, Tank - ELEVATION, vōx - I Am Not a God EP, Walk Off The Earth - HERE WE GO!, Wilco - Ode to Joy, Wretch 32 - Upon Reflection