Childish Gambino
3.15.20
RCA
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It’s difficult to think of anyone from Childish Gambino’s generation who demonstrates such a broad repertoire of skills. From his roots in the TV comedy series Community through his early rap career, to his majestic, inspired writing, direction and acting in Atlanta, he has proven himself to be a polymath of great distinction.
Musically though, the real breakthrough has come in the last four years—a time of critical acclaim and cultural impact that others could only dream of. His Funkadelic-inspired album Awaken, My Love! (2016) spawned the monster hit “Redbone” with all its Bootsy-inspired balladry, before his 2018 single “This Is America” propelled him to even greater heights of cultural capital. The incendiary song and video garnered GRAMMYs galore and offered up a glimpse of an artist pissed and powerful.
Given his increased profile, it seems wholly apt that he would drop a surprise new album as the world heads into the uncertain breakdown of a global coronavirus pandemic—after all, every dire situation needs its heroes. Entitled 3.15.20 for its release date, it first came to light on his own website as a continuous, looped stream, before being released on all the usual platforms shortly thereafter.
As well as longtime collaborator Ludwig Goransson, he works alongside DJ Dahi to produce an album that sounds like an artist shaking off the shadows of his inspirations to mold a fully formed identity of his own—which is nothing if not ironic, given that he has said that his Gambino persona may be biting the dust after this album. That is not to say that those influences can’t be heard, but rather they contribute to a more rounded idea of who Childish Gambino has become.
In a move to infuriate writers worldwide, the majority of the tracks are simply named after the time at which they begin. The only two exceptions are the two songs that have been around for a while—“Algorhythm” and “Time” and they provide good examples of the way in which he balances the more glacial aspects of synthesized sound with the warmth of the organic instrumentation.
“Algorhythm” uses Zhané’s “Hey Mr DJ” to create a groove that hits a pocket early on and doesn't let up, while Gambino’s voice is twisted through filters and effects, just a step or two from George Clinton’s Funkadelic vocals. At its conclusion, it descends into a cacophonous glitch of the mainframe, which is apt given its warning about technological addiction.
“Time” on the other hand is a more stately affair that uses jangly acoustic guitar and flourishes of piano to counter the fizzes and pops of electronic meanderings. As it builds, there’s a point where it threatens to break out into a full gospel choir of Ariana Grandes and, frankly, I’d have welcomed a full throttle testifying to ensue.
“12.38” is an intriguing highlight that captures some of the absurdist humor that springs from André 3000’s work alongside a great verse from 21 Savage and some trademark elegantly wasted vocals from Kadhja Bonet. It writhes from one tempo to another over the course of its almost seven minutes, detailing a mushroom fueled dalliance. It also name checks Tracee Ellis (Ross) and bell hooks among others before it uses two musicians to contrast attraction: “Most these n****s wanna run around with these SZAs (yeah) / I prefer to just stroll the park with this Chaka.” The stroke of genius here though is the use of a single bleep of sonar that dictates the pace beautifully.
As the album progresses to halfway and beyond though, things slip ever so slightly. Both the carefree funk pop of “19.10” and “24.19” have much to commend them, but they both end with at least a minute’s worth of pointless noodling that does nothing for the flow of the album and sullies what would have been strong tracks—the harp, organ and vocal arrangements towards the end of “24.19” are divine and worth the price of admission alone. That these two lead into the weakest track on the album (the dense Yeezus era Kanye mimicking track) only serves to add to the impression of a mid-album lull.
Yet things do pick up again on the other side. After the sore thumb of the jaunty ham-boning of “35.31,” “39.28” finds multi-tracked Gambino to the accompaniment of synthesizer and piano before a delightful twist of his unaltered falsetto with piano—he has never sounded better. A slice of bliss arrives in the shape of the mid-tempo summery soul heard on “42.26” before the album closes in some style.
“47.48” bears the indelible hallmark of Stevie Wonder. From the opening clavinet to the conversation with his child at the end, it veritably drips with the great one’s influence. More vitally though it is shot through with the same positivity that has served Wonder so well: “Just take care of your soul / Let the beauty unfold / You’ll get through it / Don’t worry ‘bout tomorrow.”
Album closer “53.49” is a rousing funk-rock blast with a sunshine chorus, once again imbued with positivity: “There is love in every moment under the sun / Boy, I did what I wanted to.” There is even a hint of a gothic choral accompaniment as the song climaxes to a frenzy—once again I’d have liked it to go the whole nine yards in that direction, but it is nevertheless an impressive zenith to finish on.
Though there may be a lull at the midway point of the album, the rest is an endlessly interesting, shape-shifting beast where nothing stays still for too long. It is restless and searching like all good art and it’s the best Childish Gambino album to date. If Donald Glover really is retiring this musical alter ego, then he’s going out with a bang.
Notable Tracks: “12.38” | “47.48” | “53.49”
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