Perhaps 2018's most anticipated release, ASTROWORLD has finally been revealed. Teased since the release of his 2015 master-class fusion of genre - Rodeo, an album I like to label as experimental pop-trap - expectations for his third studio release were severely lowered after his second album, 2016's Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight, failed to even stand up on it's own compared to it's predecessor. The latter was a rushed follow-up, released just a brief year after the success of Rodeo, and it appears the doubled production time allotted to ASTROWORLD has done an extreme amount to improve Travis's sound. Although perhaps not as ambitious as his studio debut, ASTROWORLD is worlds apart from the disappointing blandness of Birds, and offers just enough fantastic moments to scratch the same itch that before only able to be done by Rodeo.
The introductary phase into the album is undoubtably the strongest. 'STARGAZING' begins with psychadelic and spacy chords, before tipping the listener down the metaphorical rollercoaster and throwing the beat out the window in favour of a faster, racier, punchier sound, and Travis delivers a standout verse as synths roll and woodwinds swirl in the background. "Just to drown out all of these thoughts I've tried all kinds of things / If I take you to my past you would be traumatized". Frank Ocean emerges from his retreat to sing fantastically on 'CAROUSEL', and lastly 'SICKO MODE' demonstrates impressive artistic vision, switching instrumentals 3 times as Travis weaves the beats around his and Drake's vocal contributions to the track. Phase one is calm, but Drake's verse gets stopped dead before it begins to warp into phase two - the most bombastic, primal, animalistic sound that has ever been heard on any Travis Scott album, as a head-knocking ice-like synth ricochets off the sound stage with the force of a ram, and tribal drums pop rhythmically to the beat. It's wildly enjoyable, an epic moment on ASTROWORLD, and dashes all doubts that Travis has lost his musical ability post-Birds. Drake returns for a much mellower third phase, Travis utilising his star power by taking his guests on unexpected musical ventures just as he did on Rodeo. From here, the quality of the album doesn't exactly "diminish" noticeably, but it definitely doesn't maintain the fantastic beginning momentum throughout. Some tracks, while still possessing a satisfying sound, are plain in comparison to the opening sequence - 'R.I.P. SCREW', 'WAKE UP' and '5% TINT" being some examples of this from the mid-section of the tracklist, the latter perhaps being the best with a slowed-down sample of Goodie Mob's classic Soul Food cut 'Cell Therapy' to great effect as Travis frantically tries to cope with his paranoid thoughts of being watched. The album also doesn't thematically or sonically shift in tone significantly across the runtime, leaving a bit to be desired structurally from the album, leaving it slightly short of the intended "carnival" feeling. The scattershot nature of the album could be Travis's attempt at this - each song an individual ride, all being a thematically and sonically a disconnected experience - but even though the album isn't elevated above the sum of it's collective parts, there are certainly more worthwhile tracks on ASTROWORLD than there aren't. 'ASTROTHUNDER' is a mid-album highlight, a hypnotic keyboard loop that is backed by shimmering piano, and Travis's crooning regains it's fulfilling, melodic tone that was so severely lacking post-Birds. 'Yosemite' is a softer ballad-like song with an understated guitar instrumental - it sounds pretty, being melancholy enough to apply a sedate-like effect on the listener, but the track is limited by it's oddly-chosen guest features. New-schoolers Gunna and Nav don't exactly fit the aesthetic, feeling out of place on the mellow beat, and of course Nav's now infamous half-volume recording (reportedly due to the fact that Nav rapped with the microphone behind him) is an obvious deterrent of the song. It's slightly concerning - if rappers these days can't even figure out if they're in front of the microphone or not, the future of the genre looks dark. But that's besides the point. Travis has always been a visionary of arranging his guests in for real artistic purpose, as opposed to simply shoving star power any and everywhere to blindly boost his recognition, and his stacked roster shows this. The features here differ from Rodeo. His debut enlisted the most unlikely source of great guest appearances, checklisting almost every sub-par rapper at that point and giving them a platform to impress those who would never have considered their music - he managed to wrangle a half-decent Justin Bieber rap verse, and '3500' was undoubtably the catalyst of 2 Chainz's artistic skyrocket - while ASTROWORLD opts for a slightly slimmer, yet more ambitious roster. There are of course the obligatories - namely Drake, Migos (who continue to squander the formidable chemistry that Travis and Quavo shared on 'Oh My Dis Side' on late album snoozer 'WHO? WHAT!'), The Weeknd (who's godly vocals on 'WAKE UP' are instantly memorable), and 21 Savage, (who remains sounding as lifeless as a cadaver) but for every expected name there's another nobody would have guessed - Travis enlists Stevie Wonder and James Blake for harmonica and vocals respectively on 'STOP TRYING TO BE GOD', and has both John Mayer and Thundercat perform on 'ASTROTHUNDER'. Travis handles more tracks than ever by himself this time around, ending the album with a three-peat of solo ventures with 'BUTTERFLY EFFECT', 'HOUSTONFORNICATION' and 'COFFEE BEAN'. Travis already proven he can do great tracks by himself at this point - 'STARGAZING' being perhaps his best, while solo cuts from Rodeo like 'I Can Tell' and 'Apple Pie' still sound crisp to this day - but of the ending suite on ASTROWORLD, only 'COFFEE BEAN' lives up to this potential. 'BUTTERFLY' is a year-old Birds leftover, agreeable while it's playing but infinitely forgettable. 'HOUSTONFORNICATION' fares better; an ominous bass rumbles and Travis raps to the best of his ability before darkly growling the chorus - "I might need me some ventilation, a little vacation / Houston fornication". But 'COFFEE BEAN' is unquestionably the winning track here, nicely returning to form to end the album equally as strong as it opened. Travis spits his most introspective bars to date, voicing his doubts about his situation with his girlfriend Kylie Jenner and his loyalty despite his rejection by her family ("I know they told you I'd be bad for you / don't worry, I'll be back for you") over soft, old-school hip-hop drums and a soothing string section. ASTROWORLD is a collection of great songs, but it's effectiveness as a great album is limited by the addition of filler and a disjointed song structure. Unmemorable cuts like 'CAN'T SAY', 'SKELETONS', the 21 Savage-featuring 'NC-17', and the unrewarding crunk-style throwback 'NO BYSTANDERS' are all padding for space, seemingly there simply to push the album out to an hour's length. Teased for over two years, ASTROWORLD doesn't match the ambition, artistry, and mastery of Rodeo, but it absolutely returns Travis from the creative rut he made Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight in. Finally back to making interesting, worthwhile music, ASTROWORLD is a relief to hear, and begins Travis's journey to the second act of his career - having now completed his promised trinity of studio albums, the future remains open and unpredictable. 76/100 |
201820162015Scores0-30 = Bad
31-49 = Sub-par 50-60 = Average 61-70 = Decent 71-80 = Good 81-89 = Great 90-99 = Incredible 100 = Perfect Archives
September 2018
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