
This album would be worth listening to for its sound alone-synthesizers, drums, and guitars weave together what is certainly one of the most sonically interesting releases of the past several years-but it is also notable that Glover shifts his lyrical tone. These stylistic moves highlight its characters life-changing attempts to deal with their dysphoria. Songs like “Riot” draw together classic soul influences with booming bass and breakbeats, and “California” is an ironically sunny slow jam, pulling a bass line from classic AM radio, but adding drums and assorted oddball percussion and wind instruments foreward in the mix. “Redbone” borrows heavily from Prince’s synth-heavy Minneapolis sound and the clavichord-based “Baby Boy” might have been an outtake from Sly & The Family Stone’s There’s a Riot Going On.Ĭhildish Gambino is not simply borrowing from others’ musical influences, however. For instance, “Boogieman” is reminiscent of early ‘70s Frank Zappa, from subject matter to sound-the song easily could have appeared on the composer/guitarist’s quintessential 1974 release Apostrophe. There other clues to the contents of Glover’s record collection throughout this disc as well.


The album’s opening track, “Me and Your Mama,” draws heavily from the P-funk playbook, pulling more from Funkadelic than the Parliament side of things, a move that few groups influenced by the seminal act successfully execute as well as Glover. The best part about this is that he is quite good-maybe a better singer than rapper, in fact. Most notably of all, Gambino generally departs from rapping in favor of singing. Rather, Awaken My Love! is steeped in ‘70s funk, from its close-up face cover image (reminiscent of Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain) to the guitar-heavy sounds that fill the disc. At first listen, what is most striking about Gambino’s newest album is its departure from the low-key rap flows and electronic textures that characterized his previous work.


#Childish gambino awaken my love lp virtual reality series
He was cast to fill Billy Dee Williams’s shoes as Lando Calrissian in an upcoming Star Wars film, his hit FX series Atlanta ranks at the top of many critics’ “best of” lists, and his newest musical release as Childish Gambino, Awaken, My Love!, may be a career landmark. virtual reality vinylĢ016 was a good year for actor/musician/writer Donald Glover. Check the Bootsy-esque single "Redbone" and the epic"Me And Your Mama" for a taste, we know you'll be coming back for more! This deluxe double vinyl pressing comes pressed at 45RPM for the best possible sound and comes complete with digital download, glow-in-the-dark cover, and a Virtual Reality headset that allows for access to exclusive VR live performances from the PHAROS Experience.Formats: CD, Digital, Limited Ed. Donald Glover and longtime collaborator Ludwig Goransson channel the spirit of Parliament Funkadelic with a potent psychedelic funk vibe that permeates through the entire album. Awaken, My Love! is a bold departure from the hip-hop sound of his previous work, and finds the Atlanta star evolving into full-on funk and R&B mode.
