03.15.20 - Childish Gambino Review

I definitely can say that I remember exactly where I was when I first bought Childish Gambino's very first album. As a fan I can definitely say where I was when I first heard his music, honestly at the time I didn't know his name, but I did like his style. I was just the type of nerdy Black person who could get down with his brand of nerdy backpack raps. The funny part is when I bought his first album, I was in the only place that sold explicit albums in town looking for Drakes album. That day I walked out of the store with two albums not one and don't regret it for one moment. When I got back to my dorm that day I listened to both albums and of the two I liked Camp better. I also figured out that I had already heard a fair amount of his music, thanks to the other Black nerds on ECSU's campus.

Fast forward nine years, four albums, fourteen films, fifteen TV shows and an Addidas campaign later. I am still and avid fan and have witnessed Donald Glover switch between his rap persona, his writing, his acting and his business persona. His rap persona is somewhat a mystery to some people as he defies genres, is somewhat of a recluse and is not very active at all on any social media platforms. When something Donald Glover/Childish Gambino is released not only is it an occasion, but also proof of life because of his efforts to stay out of the limelight.

As I type I do seem to remember Childish Gambino being the one for surprises long before many artists. I remember the very vague visuals for Because the Internet, and the film script that was supposed to go along with the album. The pop-up secret concert in the desert, where they confiscated the phones of all who attended (supposedly because some snapshots surfaced shortly after) before Awaken, My Love came out. This instance is no different.

On March 15, 2020 at midnight Childish Gambino opened up a web domain www.donaldgloverpresents.com with a cover graphic and a play button. There was no option to fast-forward, rewind or repeat. There were no song titles just a stream with 12 songs playing on a loop. Naturally, fans were excited and were willing to take what was given. Some of the songs we already recognized off the bat, Algorhythm, Time, Die with You, Warlord and Saturday (some of which were featured in the Amazon exclusive Guava Island).We listened and listened, at midnight that night the stream disappeared so we were not able to return to it afterward.

A few days later we got news that Childish Gambino had released the songs as an album called 03.15.20. Needless to say we were ready, we knew it was coming. Now we have the tracklist info on deck.

1. 0.00 - Intro

2. Algorhythm

3. Time

4. 12.38 - Vibrate

5. 19.10 - Beautiful

6. 24.19 - Sweet Thing/Thank you

7. 32.22 - Warlords

8. 35. 31 - Little Foot, Big Foot. Get Out the Way.

9. 39.28 - Why Go to the Party

10. 42.26 - Feels Like Summer

11. 47.48 - Don't Worry About (The Violence)

12. 53.49 - Stand Tall

Right now I'm still listening to the tracks and letting each track stand on its own. The album while it has its tempo and transition issues is still a pretty solid effort. There are some really amazing moments through out the album in its entirety, Right now the songs could stand alone or be listened to in the context of the album. I take them either way. My standouts change everyday, but as of now my favorites are Algorhythm, Time, 32.22, 42.26, and 47.48. The album as a whole is a solid effort and at least for the most part Childish Gambino stuck to a blueprint and gave us some music that will stick.

Albums I Discovered During The Quarantine

In these times we have been quite cooped up and are stretching to find things to do. If you are like me you have began to do things you always wanted to do and never have time for otherwise. This time has become a time of self-care and discovering hobbies. Most of us are catching up on the things we've missed, for me its music that has definitely crowded my hard drive and I never quite got to.

So here is my list of Albums I discovered during the Quarantine:




Blue Bird EP

Most people Jasmine Cephas-Jones because of her role in the Broadway Musical Hamilton. Some know her as Anthony Ramos' fiance. I know her as a singer-songwriter, actress and just all around amazing person in general. I have actually had the pleasure of meeting her and Anthony on the press run for his album. She definitely is a character.

Blue Bird is actually an EP, but this collection of songs are amazing. I love the EP as a whole. I knew it was going to be quite an event when I first heard her first single Wild Thing. The song is catchy as hell, she did kinda fuss at me on Twitter because I took so long to listen to it. My bad Sis. All jokes aside its a great song. My other favorites on this EP are Moonlight, Gone Girl and Alice.

All in all its an amazing debut for a beautiful song bird, we can tell Anthony to take a seat for a little while.


Jardín

I discovered Gabriel Garzon-Montano while on one of my very frequent visits down a COLORS session rabbit hole. This subsequently lead to me finding more about him including his 2017 album Jardín. The French - Colombian singer from Brooklyn was signed to Stones Throw Records after Mayer Hawthorne heard a song of his in a record store and sent them his music. 

Jardín is easily one of the most catchy complete albums that I have listened to in it's entirety. This offering from Montano is heavily R&B influenced and dedicated to Prince. Who can argue with that? No one. Like I said the songs hit and they're catchy as hell. I do have favorites though, as with any album there are standouts. My standouts are Sour Mango, Fruitflies, The Game, Crawl and My Ball. That is damn near the whole album. Quite frankly you can easily listen to these songs all the way through and not feel bad at all.

Juliet EP

Next Town Down is a group that formed in 2016 so you can say they've been together for four years give or take. I started following them in 2017 when I discovered their five part harmony covers of popular songs. You can still check them out on YouTube. I kinda fell off and didn't realize that the youngest member had finally turned 18 and they had come out with two EPs since first coming across their music.

There are two things that I noticed about them that has changed over the years, they have a more polished more modern sound and they have definitely matured. They are not teenagers anymore with the exception of Leon they're grown and it shows in the subject matter. Juliet is the second EP from NTD and it does not disappoint. There are a few really cool features from a few well know artists the most notable is 6lack.

Of course with every album there are still a few stand outs the same is true with an EP. My Standouts are Notice, Easy (feat. 6lack), Because I Love You and Wonderin'. Call me nostalgic, but the reason I liked them in the first place is their amazing ability to do five part harmony and I think Notice, Because I Love You and Wonderin' showcase those abilities. All in all it's a solid project and they will most likely continue to improve with time. Only time will tell.

So far these have been the albums heavily on repeat and are ones that I tend to return to on a daily basis. They're fresh right now and they're going to be in rotation for quite a while. There are so many albums that I own that I failed to listen to. As long as we're here there will be updates most likely daily depends on what vibe I'm on.