This is less something “current” or “cutting edge” in terms of release timing than it is “current” and “cutting edge” in terms of the fact that you have never, ever heard anything quite on this level before. Around the midpoint of 2007, self-released with little fanfare, a quiet storm dropped on the city of Atlanta in the form of a time-traveling futuretro funk-rock goddess calling herself Janelle Monae and her debut E.P. Metropolis.
She would then proceed to tear shit up.
Metropolis took a little time to grow on the city, and it’s still spreading itself thick and oozing, but one listen to the too-brief five tracks and there’s an immediate hook, evidenced so not just by the amount of critical in-city “Best Of” lists this EP (an EP! on Best-Of lists!) ended up on, not just by sold-out shows, but by the fact that her biggest fans are the duo who last changed the face of southern urban music forever: Outkast.
Big Boi’s proven himself to be more than just a fan by signing her to the now-defunct Big Purp, and Andre himself has shown her Janelle studio time. So what, pray tell, does this seeming wunderkind sound like?
In this case, a picture’s worth a thousand notes:
This IS the sound of Janelle Monae-a futuristic blend of old-school classic funk, hard-ass rock and some sort of crazed electroglam stomp that both Marc Bolan and Prince would pawn their souls, pool their money and yet still be unable to afford. Metropolis, the story thus far, involves a far-flung society and a forbidden robot/human lovestory. Metropolis, the sound, is even more impossible, and instantly catchy.
Janelle Monae: Violet Stars, Happy Hunting
The first real “song” off of the E.P., this is an absolutely perfect example of the nutsoid, cyber-hop funplex of candy-colored terrorbliss Janelle and her band are carving out for themselves. That stuttering beat in punk/funk time, Janelle’s way of phrasing, the fact that this is both a love song and a death march…holy holy crap.
Janelle Monae: Time Will Reveal
From outside the Metropo-verse, off of one of the Big Purp comps that y’all kids ignored because you were too busy listening to Girl Talk mash up “Kryptonite” with something dumb, probably by Nirvana. Janelle’s early venture into bringing the world into her color scheme, this is actually a hell of a lot more frantic than any of the E.P., and for good reason-she’s singing like her life depends on it here, and who knows-maybe, by the time the full Metropolis suite reveals itself, it will.
Janelle Monae’s official site, with photos, a store to purchase the music, etc.
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