Bando Stone & the New World is the fifth album from multitalented artist Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino. This is the final album he’ll be releasing under the name, Childish Gambino, and it is a concept album. Like I mentioned in my Atavista review, he’s quite the renaissance man. He’s not only a rapper, but a singer, actor, writer, comedian, producer, and director. He’s the creator of the FX show, Atlanta, and was Troy in the sitcom, Community. I’ve enjoyed a lot of Glover’s music, so I went into this album with high expectations.
We start the album with the track, “H3@RT$ W3RE M3@NT T0 F7¥,” which instrumentally features organs in the beginning than a wavy synth bass. It sounds a bit like a track off of Kanye West’s Yeezus. I really like the instrumental, though the pitched up vocals in verse 1 are a bit off-putting. I really like Gambino’s second and third verses and the gibberish chorus from Amaarae. I think it’s also worth mentioning that he produced the majority of the beats on this album, and that there’s a film of the same name which will feature this album as the soundtrack. Following that, we have the lead single on the project, “Lithonia.” One of my favorites off the album, it’s centered around a character, Cody LaRae. I really like the heavily distorted guitars in the instrumental, and Gambino’s vocal performance. Lithonia is a suburb of Stone Mountain, Georgia which is where he was born. The “nobody gives a fuck,” refrain is personal, as it disappoints Gambino that the people from his hometown don’t care. According to Genius annotations, it also ties into earlier tracks of his, on his 2011 album, Camp, where he talked about how people questioned if he was black enough for rap music and that sort of thing, which has to be insanely hurtful and demoralizing. This whole idea that black artists have to stay in traditionally black music genres such as hip-hop, is insanely archaic. Black artists created rock n’ roll, which originated through blues. Artists like Jimi Hendrix, Prince, and Michael Jackson, just to name a few, made amazing, genre-defying music. In addition, before Quincy Jones produced those three legendary albums from Michael (Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad), he was a composer of movie soundtracks. My point is that nobody should be put in a box, and all artists, regardless of their race should be free to experiment with whatever genre of music they want, without being labeled as not “black enough.”
“Survive,” featuring Chlöe, has incredibly glossy production with 80s style synths, piano arpeggios, and low-key drum beat that feels like something off of an early Drake album. Gambino’s a strong rapper and solid singer, and while singing what he’s best at, he’s not bad by any means. There’s some humorous lines such as, “You got a podcast ‘cause you can’t rap. You on some Fresh and Fit shit, talking body counts. I count a body every time I’m on tracks.” The chorus is also warm and soothing, and Chlöe’s contribution is a welcome addition to the track. It’s another favorite. “Steps Beach,” feels like a track made for the summer, with its low-key acoustic production and calming vocals from Gambino. The laidback guitar strums, paired with a synth lead make it easily one of the most relaxing songs on the album. The evanescent lyrical themes paint a vivid picture as well. “Talk My Shit,” featuring Amaarae and Flo Milli, has a hard hitting trap beat with some great lines from Gambino like, “I’ma make a billi’ like I’m Eilish. You can’t see me flyin’ ‘cause it’s private.” However Flo Milli’s verse brings the track down, as his verse is probably the weakest on the album, making it one of my least favorite tracks.. “Got To Be,” has very strong production, and the subjects of the song, which are addictions and how destructive they can be, are another plus. It sounds like a track that would play at a rave, which is probably intentional. Still, while it’s by no means a bad track, its not one of my favorites.
“Real Love,” is quite a romantically themed track, and has soft rock elements to it. There’s heavy Gorillaz vibes to it, and the drums on this track aren’t anything mind blowing, but they might be some of my favorite rhythms on the album. Hoping that someone he cares about feels “real love,” from him, is incredibly relatable. It’s another highlight. “In The Night,” featuring Jorja Smith and Amaarae, is another romantic track, as well as another single. It features airy background vocals from Jorja Smith, and love driven lyrics, as in the chorus, Gambino sings, “If in the night, I dream of you. Doesn’t matter what I do.” I really liked Jorja’s contribution to the track as she has a very powerful and commanding singing voice. Amaarae’s verse is probably the weakest part of the track, but its still a favorite of mine nonetheless. “Yoshinoya,” is a two part track and has one of my favorite beats on the entire album. In part one, I love Gambino’s flow over the hard hitting synth instrumental with those hard tribal drums. The chorus is very catchy, and the beat switch with the heavy vocal sample in part 2 is another strength. I like the line, “The industry evil people, me and fam got a trauma bond, drive like the Autobahn.” I like that it’s a Drake diss track too.
“Can You Feel Me,” featuring Legend, samples a Sesame Street episode segment called “African Alphabet with Kermit.” It might be one of the most unique samples I’ve ever heard in a song. Gambino’s harmonizing with the sample is oddly beautiful, and his son, Legend, being featured on this track is so wholesome. It’s a sweet father-son track, and another highlight. “No Excuses,” featuring Ludwig Göransson, features laidback electric pianos, and touches on themes of loneliness and emotional detachment, with lyrics like, “You don’t have to be afraid, I don’t pry anymore.” And “You don’t trust me to say you’re sorry. I don’t love you anymore.” It’s a very sad track, and the gloomy pianos, and string orchestra add extra emotional effect to the lyrics of the song. “Cruisin’,” featuring Yeat, is one of the most unexpected collaborations of this year. I seriously didn’t have that on my bingo card. I really like the unusual percussion on this track, the atmospheric synths, and Glover’s dark lyrics. Yeat’s verse is glitchy and brings this godlike presence to the track with the lines, “When you almighty, all the Gods cry, all the Gods cry like—babies walkin’ through the belly of the beasts, steady, all night. It’s another amazing track.
“We Are God,” is another track that gives off a tribal vibe, with its drums, and the vocal harmonies are angelic. The religious themes tied in with the romantic ones give the track a dynamic direction. “Running Around,” featuring Fousheé, is a wild departure from the sound of the last track, as it sounds like a Jimmy Eat World song, with the guitar and drum rhythms. I love the line from Fousheé, “Whatever God threw up, I bang. I don’t give a fuck ‘bout a bleach blonde bad built butch body having ass thing.” “Dadvocate,” is a sweet fatherhood anthem, as his first verse paints a picture of a guy with a fun lifestyle with women, and self-indulgence, while his second verse illustrates the struggles of responsiblities as a father and husband. It’s a track all the dads out there can relate to. “Happy Survival,” featuring Khruangbin, has a vacation vibe with the reverb-soaked guitar riffs and shuffling bongos and percussion. It’s a mostly instrumental track with very few vocals, but it creates a calming atmosphere. “A Place Where Love Goes,” is a solid house track that serves as a strong closer to the album. I really like the production on this track, and the chorus, with that backing choir.
Overall for a finale to the Childish Gambino saga, it’s a strong finish, but there are definitely some tracks that should probably have been scrapped, such as “Talk My Shit.” The variety of different sounds on this album is incredibly engaging, and I like his versatility with these genres. Some of the tracks such as, “Talk My Shit,” and “Got To Be,” wouldn’t really be missed if they weren’t on the album, and in some cases the heavy variation of sounds doesn’t always mesh very well, so it can create a very disorganized atmosphere as a result. Still it’s a step up from Atavista, which wasn’t a bad album, but was good and not great. This album on the other hand, falls into the “great” category, and I could definitely see myself coming back to this record.
Overall Score: 8/10
Favorite Tracks: “Lithonia,” “Survive,” “In The Night,” “Yoshinoya,” “Cruisin’,”
Least Favorite Tracks: “Talk My Shit,” “Got To Be,”
Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD9Xo0V-hPw
Genres: Pop/Hip Hop