Daily doses of the best new music - audio, videos, reviews, mixes, and more.

nothingsounds@gmail.com

If you would like to write for us, send a bio, a sample, and a description of what you can contribute to:

farvahanan08@gmail.com

Review: Joe Brown [11/17/2011]

Donald Glover is in the best of worst positions. As one of the two breakout stars from NBC’s inventive, critically adored, genre-mash-up sitcom Community, Glover has put himself in a place where he has to fight against being lumped in with the Lonely Islands of the world, a place where any comedian’s musical output must have a comedic bent. As a comedy writer (on 30 Rock), a stand-up comedian, former YouTube sensation (with Derrick Comedy) and budding movie career (#Donald4Spiderman anyone?), Glover’s talent and amount of output seemingly leaves no time for a serious music career anyway. Childish Gambino, Glover’s rap moniker, released Camp this week. It is his first commercial record release and with it he aspires to prove his music career and talent are anything but a joke.

“Outside” jump-starts the album with keys reminiscent of Grizzly Bear’s “Two Weeks,” Gambino’s harder-edged rasp and gang vocals and harmonies populating the refrain. By packing so many pieces into the first song, it would be easy to fear the album would be filled to the brim with excess, but the lyrical content quickly squashes any concerns and tells a story of Glover’s trip from where he came to where he is now. It is a display of eclectic taste and experience transformed into a song. It sets the bar and expectations for the rest of the album in a meaningful way. The emotional heft of Glover’s lyrics has taken a more prominent place in his music alongside his wordplay, giving this group of songs a more relatable quality than his previous albums.

“Fire Fly” follows and slows thing down ever so slightly as it leads into lead single “Bonfire,” one of the heaviest songs of Gambino’s career. It is brimming with an energy that intensifies the song and accentuates the punchline rap that Glover has nearly perfected. His songs can feel like the means to incorporate as many pop culture references as possible at times, but “Bonfire” escapes that fate by constantly questioning listeners about why they’re really listening.

“All the Shine, “Letter Home” and “Heartbeat” form the emotional core of Camp. The tracks work together as pieces that are more pop-oriented and display Glover’s ear for melody and segue into the album’s consistently stunning second half. The songs are far from ballads, especially “Heartbeat” as it evolves from a nearly spoken word piece into a song that flourishes due to the number of layers added and a double-time flow that displays some of the technical proficiency that would be missing if Gambino were to be taken as a joke. “Heartbeat” is destined to be one of those songs flooding sedans on college campuses that the occupants will mindlessly sing, for better or worse, though the song deserves closer attention.

The second half of the album is incredibly strong. “Backpackers” starts as one of those grimy, late-90’s New York rap songs that turns into an attack on everyone who has ever attacked Glover’s race, sexual orientation, lyrics and really any other slight he has perceived. This song and “You See Me” are unadulterated examples that Glover can successfully create bombastic, confident, gloating rap songs, though they are not his strengths. “Hold You Down” falls between the two and is an exceptional display of the contrast between his rapping and singing voices, both literal and figurative. His singing reaches for the surface emotions while his rapping voice looks to cut into the experiences that led to his current worldview.

Camp closes with “Sunrise” and “That Power,” two of the strongest songs in Childish Gambino’s catalog. “Sunrise” explores Glover’s desire to not follow the trends that populate popular rap music and define his career by his own boundaries and expectations. While many other artists are satisfied with their current place, Glover strives to pave his own path. It’s a mission statement that is full of confidence without being brought down by the braggadocio that kept “Backpackers” and “You See Me” from reaching the highs of “Sunrise.” “That Power” is simply stunning.  The song has a bounce that Glover’s flow dances with throughout that works together to build a tune that is memorable for the way it sees him morphing his voice through iterations that sound like Kanye West early into a Quality-era Talib Kweli-like flow as he hits the pocket late in the third verse. It is a virtuoso performance that leads beautifully into the spoken-word piece that closes the album.

Written by Glover’s best friend D.C. Pierson, the short story that closes the album explains why Donald Glover has chosen to put everything in his personal life out in the open. There is a soft guitar, drum and keyboard beat that backs the story that speeds up ever so slightly through the story until it reaches a frenetic pace at the end that matches the racing heartbeat of the protagonist to tie the story and the music together. By putting everything out in the open and getting through those nerves, it is impossible for him to feel the worry with secrets growing in circles beyond his control. It is an interesting, chilling end to the album and closes the artistic exploration of Camp exquisitely. Glover continues to prove himself in every arena to the point that one has to wonder how much brighter his star can burn. With the work ethic Glover possesses, there is no doubt that the album will be a success and he will have the chance to be a figurative Spiderman for a generation that needs him more than they needed him to be the literal Spiderman. We are all lucky to have had the chance to go to Camp with Childish Gambino.

Score: [9.2/10]