What We're Listening To:
Following a successful outing collaborating on songs with Kanye West on his "808s and Heartbreak", Scott Mescudi (Kid Cudi) was ready to strike out on his own with his first major record label release, 2009's "Man On The Moon: The End Of Day". This album was considered by many to be one of the most anticipated albums of the year at the time, and its appeal has endured for many fans both old and new over the years. With Cudi's impending performance at Firefly 2015, I thought it would be appropriate to weigh in on his first and arguably best LP.
Working with a bevy of producers such as Plain Pat (Ludacris, Drake, Lupe Fiasco), Jeff Bhasker, Emile (Lana Del Ray, Eminem) and even Kanye himself, Cudi goes for a trippy, deep-space sound early on in the track listing and continues a similar style throughout. The album's overture introduces the theme that will carry throughout the rest of the songs and ushers in the concept that the listener is observing the dreams and ambitions of the performer. This is accomplished with mellow synths, soft strings, and Cudi's signature srapping (sing-rapping?) that he deploys on the majority of his vocals.
After Chicago's own Common offers his own storyteller-style introduction of Cudi, the following two tracks are mid-level emotion-neutral songs, "Soundtrack 2 My Life" begins to expose who Kid Cudi is as a person and the issues he has dealt with in his life. "Simple As..." provides infectious samples and a catchy beat.
Following these opening tracks, Common announces "the rise of the night terrors", a phase in the album marked by creepy string plucks, darker themes of loneliness and hopelessness, and above all some of the most exposing verses on the album (see "My World", "Sky Might Fall"). "Day 'n' Nite" carries great weight as a "lonely stoner" anthem and has seen many a popular remix. The only throwaway seems to be "Enter Galactic", which is marked by cheesy attempts at seducing the proverbial woman in the club and a backing track that seems to not have realized its full potential.
In the next phase of the album, where Common announces that "our hero" has found "his new home". Cudi dives right into "Alive", which lyrically seems to involve a woman and a werewolf (Jacob?). Here Kid Cudi and his team invoke deliberate emphasis on the synth/guitar sounds, and this trend continues especially in this latter part of the album.
The last tracks on this album with the exception of the blatant filler "Hyyerr" are a home run. "Make Her Say" is a playful track that features Kanye West, Common, and even a Lady Gaga sample. "Pursuit of Happiness" begins to signal the light at the end of the tunnel for the album and has one of my favorite guitar solos of the 21st century in its duration. The collaboration with Ratatat and MGMT was a risk and it totally works. Finally, the "morning" comes after a night of dreaming on the album's finale, "Up Up and Away". This song is more pop-rock chill than straight hip-hop, and Kid Cudi makes this track shine with optimistic verses and an inspiring chorus in spite of his understated lead vocal.
Although there are some moments on this album that feel less than inspired, "Man On The Moon" is largely comprised of solid indie/hip-hop/electro-pop songs that are catchy and for the most part inspiring. Cudi stays true to his dreamland theme while simultaneously exposing his emotions and his past experiences and always having an ear for a big chorus or catchy hook. His vocal delivery is such that it can bend itself to the listener's ear and mood on command. One of the album's biggest strengths is the prowess of the backing tracks and the masterful use of synth/guitar/bass/drum tones that create the spacey and ambient sound that compliments the theme so perfectly. The mix of genres on this LP seem to pull in a bigger audience than if Kid Cudi and company had reined things in and played it safe on this debut, and lets all be glad that they didn't.
Rating: 8/10
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