Aerogram said:

AOC is great because it's a playful take on the sonic cage, that musical girdle that the pop world wears and that some would like Prince to wear -- it's a meta-musical experience and the reason it works is that no one wanted Prince to come back and try to pen that Important First Song of the Album. He's done so many albums, not sure how he's supposed to come out with 1999, SOTT, Controversy - type first songs forever and a day, so here he comments sonically and it's up to you to understand he's seriously NOT trying to have that Gigantic Opener.

I agree.

I also share the POV that he is communicating in the song.

He is still one hell of an artist.

I've loved Art Official Age from the first time I heard it. It sounds very contemporary which I guess could be due to influence by JW while also retaining that Prince retro sound. Way Back Home and Time are classics. 20Ten which I do love retains more of that 80's 1999 sound while this album feels more contemporary. Breakdown has some problematic lyrics but it is a nice ballad. What It Feels Like is a catchy fun song. I disliked AOC for a while, but I've warmed up to it. Like others have said Clouds is a great place to start the album and its definitely one of the highlights of the album. I could take or leave the "concept album" approach as it seems Prince took it only some of the way. The Affirmations are placed in a weird sequence though 3 is quite beautiful.

FunkNRoll I can take or leave, personally I prefer the PlectrumElectrum version.

I've been listening to the album frequently since it came out and I continue to be impressed with many of the aspects. It feels like new ground to me.

[Edited 6/15/15 19:52pm]

Highly underrated if u ask me.

I like everything except The Gold Standard and Funknroll - which are easy enough to skip.

I like the opening track enough that I put it in the playlist I listen to when I run. The BPM is right on and it always gives me a lift.

[Edited 6/16/15 13:37pm]

I like Time, have always loved Breakfast and Breakdown. Not a bad album .

Nice to see a positive thread about a recent album. I don't play it very often but I agree it is a decent effort. Some of the tunes are really quite good, so no complaints here. Clouds, U Know, Breakfast Can Wait and Way Back Home are my favorites, Time, Gold Standard and This Could Be Us are enjoyable, and the rest I don't care about too much. I agree the distortion in some of the tracks is disturbing, especially The Breakdown.

KingSausage said:

funkaholic1972 said:

So true.

[Edited 6/13/15 23:46pm]

It's fortuitous that Clouds has its own little introduction.

Yep! Prince might even have decided to do so purposedly as he expected some fans not to like AOC and skip the track, making Clouds album the opener effectively.

I actually enjoy the opening track more than some of the others, even though it kinda reminds me a bit of artists like Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. The good thing about it is that it is fun, energetic, evolving, has cool instrumental parts etc... it's serves a similar purpose as Let's Go Crazy did for Purple Rain. ANd that's not comparing the quality, but the role it plays. Both songs kinda gives us a glimpse of what to see from start to finish.

KingSausage said:

Aside from the opening track, I still love every song on AOA. I think it's a great album.

"Art Official Cage" is Prince's way of saying:

- Yeah, I learned a lot from KLF about Stadium Dance, I did it years ago and it was called "Thunder".

To me it's like he's trying to take a stupid Daft Punk non-groove,
perverting it verse after verse until it becomes interesting.

But I can understand that the "That's not how it's done" attitude from Prince
can get no your nerves, especially when he uses the very artefacts he's against.

Sure, it makes him sound like an ol' grumpy, but he deserves praise
for presenting the never-ending amusement park that our western lifes are made of,
from a bleak point of view. It's party-pooh, but the void of our times can always use more criticism.

funkaholic1972 said:

Nice to see a positive thread about a recent album. I don't play it very often but I agree it is a decent effort. Some of the tunes are really quite good, so no complaints here. Clouds, U Know, Breakfast Can Wait and Way Back Home are my favorites, Time, Gold Standard and This Could Be Us are enjoyable, and the rest I don't care about too much. I agree the distortion in some of the tracks is disturbing, especially The Breakdown.

I firmly believe this is intentional.

Since the "If I Was Your Gilrfriend" incident, there have been attempts of incorporating "tape distorsion".

"Snowman" by Mayte is a successful attempt in my opinion.
And I don't mind "The Breakdown", because it has a purpose.

Again, AOA needs a great audio signal from start to end,
and you have to be very careful of all the filters, EQ and compressors that nowadays gadgets,
cell phones and mp3 players add to the signal.

Like "The Gold Experience", AOA suffers from Über-EQ and compression that are usually added by FM Radio Stations.
Make sure you are not already compressing the signal in a way or another.

And as always, since a good part of Orgers are in their 40s,
make sure you draw an EQ curve that compensates your unavoidable loss of frequencies.

I kinda feel like fans who don't dig "The Gold Standard" are just plain doing it wrong.

jackmitz said:

aaroncanderson said:

I really want him to do Way Back Home live. Surprised that one and Time haven't come up yet. I think you are right...might have something to do with the current band.

He has the NPG still. I wish he would do that 2 stage thing. And next to the affirmation interludes The Gold Standard is my least favorite song on this album (I like it and think it's good just not as good as the others). I think because it's just a straight up funk groove with party lyrics. Those tend to be my least favorite Prince songs. Captain from the Peach & Black Podcast doesn't like R&B and I don't like straight up funk party songs.

This album shows no sign of dating at all, it is that good. I also now play it with 20ten, because to me 20ten is like the predecessor in a lot of ways.

.

Even better would be a follow up album that sounds a lot like it to be released.

Adorecream said:

This album shows no sign of dating at all, it is that good. I also now play it with 20ten, because to me 20ten is like the predecessor in a lot of ways.

.

Even better would be a follow up album that sounds a lot like it to be released.

Shut This Down and X's Face both sound very AOA to me. I'm hoping we will get another album like AOA.

purplepolitician said:

I like Time, have always loved Breakfast and Breakdown. Not a bad album .

Time is my favorite song on the album and in my opinion one of the best songs he´s come up with in a long time. So mellow, sexy, laid back and cool,and I love the bass part and Andy´s voice.

KoolEaze said:

dodger said:

KingSausage said:

dodger said:

I agree about Time, also my favourite on the album. Love the interplay between him and Andy, the bass and when the horns/synths come in near the end I want it carry on another 5 minutes

Time breathes in a way that a lot of his modern work doesn't. I love it!

I think it comes from the heart, does not sound too forced, is very mellow and lighthearted and the tempo reminds me a bit of If I Was Your Girlfriend. The lyrics are nowhere near as deep as that song but it sounds honest and emotional, and he comes across as more vulnerable than in most of his other post 2000 output. Andy´s raspy voice adds a nice touch to the song, too.

And I love that bass and synth.

I wish that song were much, much longer.

babynoz said:

I love the whole AOA cd, especially the opening track, The Gold Standard and the Affirmations.

Never stopped playing it...not single skipper in the whole cd IMO.

Same here. I don't skip anything on it.

it's my favorite album of the past 10-15 years, last one being 3121! The whole thing is atmospheric, especially Time

FUNKYNESS said: