Most albums these days are not meant to be listened to in a progression. Download 1 or 2 of the songs on iTunes or off the web, and they have to be able to stand alone. But this album is really best listened to in a progression. Spend some time from the beginning to the middle to the end.
The beginning of the album starts out as a pretty typical, young rapper's album. Rhyming about the comfort of California "trees" and p*ssy. About Cleveland, his home town, about territory. It's pretty typical and pretty boring.
But then Solo Dolo(Nightmare) hits. And it's a delightful surprise of maturity from the Kid. The slow tempo, calculated rhythm and lilting melody "Why must it feel so wrong, when I try to do right?" The underlying ringing bell synths. This is where the album starts to open up and take on exciting curiosity.
The piano loop, synths and the "No"s and "Yeah"s of Heart of a Lion express an angst of a growing, young rapper. No wonder the sub-title for the song is "Kid Cudi Theme Music". It's evocative and interesting. As a listener, I want to delve into the heart of this lion. I want to understand the deeper meaning contained within it. This is what makes the album progressively more interesting. I could do without the first few songs.
Throughout the rest of the album, Kid Cudi introduces the listener to the darkness of his deep vocal rhymes (he has a relatively deep voice compared to some of his peers) and the darkness of themes. It's not an accident that many of the songs contain the sub-title "Nightmare". It's not the darkness of "the streets" that Lupe Fiasco rhymes about. It's the darkness of dreams. They can be hopeful, they can help us feel alive ("Everytime the moon shines, I become alive"), but they can very quickly change into nightmare, into death. In this way, the themes that Kid Cudi rhymes about are beyond his 25 years. This is where the magic happens.
But don't worry, there's plenty to lighten the mood. "Make Her Say" uses samples from Lady GaGa's "Poker Face" to add a little sexual humor that works. It's could be crude and crass, but it definitely is humorous and you can't help but sing along with the sample that we know so well. (A song I didn't really like much until I heard as a sample in this song.)
The collaboration with MGMT on "Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare)" is badass. It's simple piano and rhythm is hypnotic. It's playful, like a kid in a sandbox, but he's rhyming about themes we all ponder as we grow up, as we get older; "Dreaming, dreaming, tell me what you know about dreams....about the night terrors...". I couldn't think of a better collaboration between Kid's deep vocals and MGMT's light melodies. It's a great pairing. And indicative of the sound and future of hip hop and electronic music, in general. The lines are blurring and Kid Cudi's right there in that dream-like space. "Up Up & Away" is really an indie song, not even hip hop as most know it. I can see Death Cab's Ben Gibbard singing this song. He's on the moon and many of us are still boarding the spaceship.
Overall, this album is as enjoyable as a dream and as evocative as a nightmare. And like some of the best albums, I think I'll still be listening to it years from now.
