Really aggravated by Hannah's vocals.


otherwise, I like all the rest. it'll be a pretty decent 1 and 1/2 Prince albums to cobble together into a playlist, along with everything else that's come out in the last 2 years.

The snippets are......

[img:$uid]http://i.imgur..../img:$uid]

[Edited 9/23/14 17:37pm]

BOYTROUBLE features Lizzo and Sophia Eris.
Strangely this song hasnt it lyrics printed on booklet

It could be Madhouse track, if the chorus would be played by sax or synth instead those girls.
And yeah, they rap exotically on it.

I'm really digging Anotherlove... That is deff a classic sounding Prince.

AOA samples on repeat...this will be his best since 3121 or Musicology...a couple observations

damnnn thats a long interlude...totally diggin affirmation III

FunkNRoll is labeled as Radio Roll on AOA?

UPDATE: now changed on both PE and AOA???

[Edited 9/23/14 18:28pm]

tab32792 said:

Way Back Home sound REALLY cool. Sounds very introspective. Provided he doesn't cheese it up in any parts, I think this could be my favourite Prince song of the last 20 years (based on the snippet)!

The rap at the end of Art Official Cage was SICK! I dont listen to rap, but it blew me away. Really trippy vocal effect! Love it when P gets in touch with his freak!

I think I might be looking forward to AOA more than PlectrumElectrum now...

2020 said:

AOA samples on repeat...this will be his best since 3121 or Musicology...a couple observations

9th

affirmation I & II

12:40

damnnn thats a long interlude...totally diggin affirmation III

FunkNRoll is labeled as Radio Roll on AOA?

UPDATE: now changed on both PE and AOA???

[Edited 9/23/14 18:28pm]

what are you looking at?

it says 0:40

and FUNKNROLL

Prince is unreal...dude is a bonafide genius. To be at it this long and still be able to produce suprising new sounds, new flow...geez! I freakin can't wait...who cares about awards but this right here needs some recognition from the industry don't you think?

popgodazipa said:

Prince is unreal...dude is a bonafide genius. To be at it this long and still be able to produce suprising new sounds, new flow...geez! I freakin can't wait...who cares about awards but this right here needs some recognition from the industry don't you think?

He is a genius.

It's 2 bad there's going 2 b many of his fans that come from the old school and still stuck in that purple bubble that will say this album is horrible or trash...

His genius is his ability to produce new sounds even though he has lived generation upon generation in the music business. His essence and being is to create music that moves people and others and being in an age where the music is just all about sound rather than substance... I'm glad I'm still a Prince fan.

AOA is another proof that Prince can create music in any style, any era and appeal to any generation.

I think the poster that said AOA was a mix of old school and new school Prince is spot on. I think I'm really going to dig it, just like many others around here. I initially loved the new version of FunkNRoll, then I had some serious doubts about it, but then after a few more times jammin it, I'm all in. Had it on repeat all day today in my car. All I gotta say about the new tracks is.....The Gold Standard and What It Feels Like sound particularly awesome.

feeluupp said:

Already know half the songs from both albums.

The snippets of new to me songs for AOA sound good. Still don't like Funkroll.

PE is meh, not into heavy rock. Hannah's voice in that snippet of Aintturninround sounds real bad. Anotherlove snippet sounds good though.

siim said:

i have both of the albums

i'm not as enthusiastic as feeeluupp is

ART OFFICIAL CAGE- one of the most stupidest tracks he has ever done. Definetly it has Joshua written all over it - it's cheesy eurodance (maybe you call it EDM in states), a genre i've hated all of my life

It has football horns (!!!), it turns operatic at the end for a moment, really outdated dance music sounds, some woman at the start hypes it up in a language i cant recognize (Danish?), laughable "come on, let's go, bring the people"-hook (bhhh...), Prince sings from a artificial phone, and guitar drives all over the place above that ridiculous beat.

And I'm not sure anymore it's a guest MC rapping at the last half, it might be Prince himself, manipul

it made me laugh at first, but it makes me really sad now... There's this guy I've loved all of my life, now he is old and tries to sound up to date, but some Joshua leads him to... oh well...

THE GOLD STANDARD - at first two listen it had a Black Album feel, not anymore... Guitar lick reminds the one from U Got The Look extended versions beginning. Well, there's many many 80s tracks it reminds, cuz it has so many different elements which turn up just for once... Slowed down voice sings "New power!", and here's that MC again who might be Prince. Maybe like "Purple Medley" but all the citations are musical and cleverly hidden.

THIS COULD BE US - in falsetto, as you've already heard i believe. Standard ballad i really dont care about, i lazily compare it to "The Sun, The Moon and The Stars".

And if I hear right, there's a line - "sex with me aint enough, that's why we have to do it better physically"... hahahaa

WHAT IT FEELS LIKE- duet, (with Andy Allo, right?). Mid-tempo R'n'B, unimaginative chorus, best part is the womans voice - she sounds a bit sad

AFFIRMATION I & II - new age synths, and i guess Leanne Levas speaking something on it - "Before you have any interaction with members of the opposite sex, we goint to have to... " (Is he leaving JW now? For new age? I'd surely like that).. It segues to "Way Back Home"

WAY BACK HOME - Joshua sounds through, yep. It seems like a epic stadium track (like "Gold" for example), but its arranged produced as a tiny pop track which won't fly anywhere. Drums are like some kind of march, but not really military. (Greatly arranged female back vox, maybe like FKA twigs)

TIME - duet again. or maybe there's more than one woman singing on it, can't say. Prince sings through phone-box again. Hypnotic and (new age-)prayer-like. Think "Love Song" with a mellow groove; i like the background synths (I can hear ghosts of "Girl" and "God" in them). And it citates the other album tracks at the second half

Can't compare AOA to last ten years output, i just can't rank those albums. And this doesnt seem to stand out.

Some really nice elements, nice tracks - but i wanna be euphoric like I used to be

Great overview! Seems to be a lot of duets on this album. Also the credits list The Golden Hippie (Marissa Jack), Paloma Ayana (which is Delilah- sounds like her voice on Art Official Cage) and there must be a mystery name for Lianne La Havas. I think the song Time also features Andy Allo...sounds like her voice!

[Edited 9/23/14 19:14pm]

HOLY SHIT AOA IS THE SHIT IMO! Haven't even listened to PE yet! Blown away by TIME and GOLD STANDARD and MY WAY BACK HOME! Played it for my wife who is on the fence about most music and she said you need to pre order that album." I already did babe. Thank you Prince, only song I can see skipping is WHAT IT FEELS LIKE but that will get some burn. His best conceptual work since Rainbow Children and certainly his best efforts to create hits in a very long time.

Askani said:

2020 said:

AOA samples on repeat...this will be his best since 3121 or Musicology...a couple observations

9th

affirmation I & II

12:40

damnnn thats a long interlude...totally diggin affirmation III

FunkNRoll is labeled as Radio Roll on AOA?

UPDATE: now changed on both PE and AOA???

[Edited 9/23/14 18:28pm]

what are you looking at?

it says 0:40

and FUNKNROLL

Weird? Its fixed now...someone over there was messing with the site as a few other things changed temporarily too

All I can say is if we never heard any of these tracks prior and heard this entire album as a whole the first listening would have been mind blowing...

WOW! AOA IS AWESOME!

have the albums leaked? feeling envious right now

[Edited 9/23/14 19:39pm]

TrueFunkSoldier2 said:

have the albums leaked? feeling envious right now

[Edited 9/23/14 19:39pm]

i think people are just talking about the snippets. except for 2 people who seem

to have a real copy because they work for papers/magazines and are supposed

to write a review.

/

or have they leaked?

IstenSzek said:

had a fourth listen... oh gosh, "Art Official Cage" is horrible
I dont wanna hear that track anymore.

And it actually ruins the whole album, more so as it's a welcoming track/entrance ("Welcome home, class!" are his first words).

Without "AOC" the album could be solid. Not exceptional, but solid.

On "The Gold Standard" he really plays with his fans who will now try to track down every tiny bit which might be a replay from some of his old (golden) tracks. It starts with a nod to "Head", and i thought i even heard acoustic guitar lick from "Forever In My Life" at some point. (Maybe "The Gold Standard" also explains the platinum (?) discs on cover? This cover still puzzles me...)

PS i like how the different vox run through album - Camille, phone-box-voice, slowed down voice (mostly rapping), all those different female voices (many of them) and Prince's normal voices, from low to high. They arent just in one track, they come up there and there again.
At the end of "The Gold Standard", he does something similar to "Cloreen Baconskin" funny-voice and it turns into something so weird that at the first listen (which was soundtracking mu cooking) i thought - oh wow!, Prince has let some other man to sing so prominent vocals on his album

[Edited 9/23/14 20:10pm]

I'm kind of surprised at how my opinion has shifted. Up until now, between the 2 albums, I've been more excited for ART OFFICIAL AGE. But based on the snippets I just heard, PLECTRUMELECTRUM is the stronger, more cohesive album as a whole in my opinion. I still love both albums, of course.

Edit: I just listened to both sets of snippets again and the albums are now pretty much on the same level to me...fantastic! C'mon, September 30!!!

[Edited 9/23/14 20:50pm]

I was hoping PE will have extra long jamming tracks amongst those short glamrock'n'roll standards. You know, 8 minutes, 10 minutes, 12 minutes tracks.

Alexandernvrmind said:

feeluupp said:

Couldn't have said it better.

AOA is the 2014 version of 1999.

AOA will be one of the top Prince albums of his career...

Cmon now. Slow ur roll lol. Besides I don't want 2014 sounding 1999 Prince. 1999 is over. I will never be that age again or feel the way I did when I heard those songs. I'm looking for a New Position [Edited 9/23/14 19:00pm]

Personally, I don't mean it sounds like 1999 -- no, it's the recording stance: cohesive, modern sound, wanting to explore "art official" means.

This is based on the snippets, I'm not seeking any leaked album because it would just cheapen the experience literally and figuratively -- another reason why i don't put much stock in the full reviews we're getting, will wait and make my own mind.

Officially pumped! The snippets sound great. I'm the loving the funky R&B flavor of AOA. The Gold Standard sounds like the kind of classic funk jam he used to rattle off regularly in the 80's for the Time and also himself. I wouldn't be surprised to find out it was a vault track refurbished. I like that he has his ladies helping out, too. Lianne on CLOUDS and the affirmations. Andy on THIS IS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE and TIME. It sounds pretty cohesive as well.

I'm loving the punchy, aggressive sound of PLECTRUM, too, especially the drums. Hannah's vocals sound pretty decent, too. WOW sounds like it's going to be a beast. The only one that sounds out of place is STOPTHISTRAIN. It doesn't sound like bad song, just completely different than everything else. I may have to snag these high res copies, too, as they're sounding fantastic.

A.O.A is the album that was born to make!!! P.E.'s glam rock slays anything EVER "supposedly" done with Wendy & Lisa..

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

And PS - why is WOW giving me early Pearl Jam vibes? Love it!