About the meaning, I think you're all sort of right but are all missing a really important piece. It's not just about race. It's about the end times and the way the American black community is being used as a pawn by the Illuminati to quicken the pace of events leading to their so-called utopian society—which excludes black people. In a recent interview, Kendrick expressed his belief in biblical end-times prophecy. The album title may be a reference to Monarch Programming, in which celebrities are "pimped" out by the powers-that-be to seduce the masses and lull them into ignorance and complacency. (Butterflies allegedly feature prominently as a visual trigger in this brainwashing process.) My guess is that the album art is some representation (ironic or not) of the struggle between the "white" Illuminati and the "black" masses during the Last Days.
Caveat: I'm not saying I believe in any of this end-times Illuminati business. Just thought it might help to explain some of the oddness about the album art and title—which are, in all honesty, very odd.
Much love.
Guys, it never showed up in my iTunes. Maybe because I haven't updated my iTunes in, like, 2 years. Just one more reason why being lazy pays off!
Also, doesn't it seem illegal to make millions of people take something they never asked for and don't want? I smell Communist plot.
To say I had an unhealthy obsession with this album is an understatement. Blueberry Boat completely changed my summer of 2004. I was grinding peanuts in the backroom of a health food store feeling totally listless and alone and I listened to this album pretty much nonstop. It became my constant companion and made me feel less crazy. "Birdie Brain" is one of the coolest songs ever, although I'd say Eleanor singing "Cata-ma-RAN...MAN, you're my brother" is my favorite moment of the album.
"Eyes to the Wind" is *amazing*. I hear Dylan too, but I also hear Petty, Knopfler, and even Neil Young. Glad that artists like War on Drugs and Kurt Vile are reviving classic rock for us younger people who didn't get to experience it the first time around!
Your snow day sounds exactly like my snow days. My wife makes chili and we watch old episodes of Gilmore Girls (we own every season). And no, I am not ashamed to admit that I am a man who enjoys Gilmore Girls. It's one of the best-written shows of the 2000s.
Also, Atlas is a really enjoyable album. Perfect for early spring.
Elliott Smith's music pulled me through some of the darkest times of my teenage years, so it's impossible for me to be totally objective about this. But I would say that the songs of his that affected me the most during those years were the more raw, lo-fi ones. I love XO because it managed to balance big-budget production and orchestration with Elliott's vocal and lyrical vulnerability, but Figure 8 seems to sacrifice that vulnerability for the sake of pristine production. Roman Candle is definitely more raw and vulnerable, but I would place it lower on my list because Elliott Smith's songwriting sense doesn't seem to have fully blossomed yet. It sounds more like a series of promising sketches rather than fully developed ideas. New Moon, on the other hand, despite being packaged as a series of early sketches, sounds surprisingly complete and cohesive in comparison.
That said, my list would probably look something like this:
1) Either/Or
2) XO
3) New Moon
4) Elliott Smith
5) From a Basement on a Hill
6) Figure 8
7) Roman Candle
Agreed. I'm not sure what I'm happier about: that Vampire Weekend made #1 or that ANYTHING beat Yeezus. That album just does not hold up to repeat listens.
There's another great self-referential moment in the song that I missed the first couple times I heard it. The opening part is a garbled sample of the opening piano notes from "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)."
That was Chris Tomson, I think. But yeah, it's not that weird that Ezra plays sax. Most musicians these days play several instruments. It's still cool, though.
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