Music Column

LET’S START HERE: Album Review 

In the realm of music, 2023 proved to be a stellar year, witnessing the resurfacing of classic genres and the birth of new ones. The musical landscape was layered with exceptional releases after releases. Amidst the abundance of musical innovation, a singular question emerged in the minds of listeners: What album truly stood out this year? Although music is subjective we feel that the most impactful, experimental, and palatable album was “Let’s Start Here.”

The surprise album was a new attempt by the American rapper Lil Yachty on psychedelic rock. He features influencers of this genre like Justin Reisen who produced songs with Charli XCX and Joji, and Ben Goldwasser from MGMT as co-writers, and many others which shows heavily within the instrumentals, reverb, and effects. Each track is a sonic experiment, defying expectations and creating a sound uniquely its own. Lil Yachty's refusal to adhere to a singular genre sets the album apart from his others, offering a refreshing departure from the ordinary. 

The intro track, “the BLACK seminole.” is an insane 7 minutes long which was our personal favorite and a beautiful start to his album. This is the same guy that wrote Poland? The bass line and guitar solo is nothing short of phenomenal, and left us blown away on our first listen. The second part takes an interesting shift and has a Pink Floyd-esque sound from “The Dark Side of the Moon”. Although lyrically it is very introspective, Lil Yachty’s vocals end up sticking out, as the heavy voice processing he uses leads to a stiffer quality. While not inherently a negative aspect, it definitely is a recurring subject throughout the album. (Diana Gordon’s vocals at the end are perfect though. She did beautifully).

A positive instance includes “sAy sOMETHINg” and “running out of time” which features robotic and altered vocals similar to Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories”, and you really can appreciate Yachty’s vocals with his high falsettos. The LP includes a lot of variety specifically with “drive ME crazy!” which seamlessly takes on a more disco genre switch while still maintaining the dreamy and nostalgic feeling the rest have. We do feel like we were robbed of a second chorus on it though because it was so catchy. 

The final stretch of the album stands out for its strength particularly in the seamless transition into "The Alchemist." We really appreciated how there was considerable thought into the album's overall flow, which made it feel more like a singular piece which helped the album maintain a cohesive feel. The closing track, "REACH THE SUNSHINE," serves as a beautiful finale, building into dense and haunting layers of harmonies merging together.

In a January 2022 interview, Lil Yachty hinted that his next project would venture beyond the realms of traditional rap. True to his word, he delivered on this promise with “Let’s Start Here.” Drawing parallels to other rap artists who have dabbled in rock, such as Kid Cudi or Lil Wayne would be an oversimplification. Yachty's work on this album defies comparison; it's a unique masterpiece standing in its own league. While it has room for improvement, the infusion of creativity flows through every track, reaching not just the audience but personally affecting us in ways that distinguish it from the entire musical landscape of the year. In the ever-evolving music industry, "Let’s Start Here" is unbeatable, so make sure to give it a listen!