WILLOW - empathogen ALBUM REVIEW
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- Опубликовано: 8 май 2024
- Listen: • WILLOW - symptom of life
WILLOW's strongest effort yet.
More rock reviews: • Rock Reviews
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Team: Jeremy - Lead Edits / Anthony - Final Cuts / Austen - Proofing, Posting
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FAV TRACKS: SYMPTOM OF LIFE, THE FEAR IS NOT REAL, FALSE SELF, PAIN FOR FUN, RUN!, BIG FEELINGS
LEAST FAV TRACK: DOWN
WILLOW - EMPATHOGEN / 2024 / THREE SIX ZERO / ART ROCK, MATH POP, SINGER-SONGWRITER
7/10
Y'all know this is just my opinion, right? 
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When the worst thing about an album is that you want more of it, that’s a compliment.
I wanted more, too. It felt unfinished.
She’s pretty good lol and I hate to say that hahaha
@@danyreese2052 idk. i thought it felt very jazz and therefore it needed to be short or brief in someway....cuz most of mainstream people and young people cant really deal with anything thats too long....you know.
@@chiarosuburekeni9325why do you hate to say that?
@@DLA. because of her parents lol. She had every cheat code in life to be good musically but hey, like I said, it worked out 🤷🏽♂️
She’s a solid artist
I think out of all the Smiths, WILLOW has without a doubt the most musical talent and I imagine most would agree with me on that. Even though I can’t say I’ve outright loved any particular album of hers previously, I always appreciated the range of styles she tackles, often with gusto, and the fact that she hasn’t painted herself into a shallow corner like Jaden. I find her vocals to be absolutely heavenly, such soul and range. It’s been enough to keep coming back and I agree with a strong 7 for this one, definitely her strongest effort so far. Don’t sleep on it!
I don’t know, I think Johnny Marr might be the most musically talented when it comes to the Smiths.
Nah, Jada definitely has the most musical talent
Willow's Tiny Desk concert last week had some great musicianship, and she brought a great band for that venue.
@@georgeandfriendsadventures5073 maybe at one point in time Jada had the most musical talent inside of her, back when she was dating Tupac…
She didn't date Tupac and your joke is dumb
So the biggest problem with the album is that some songs have such good ideas that get cut off too soon. Thats actually a pretty glowing recommendation
He’s going through BEEF withdrawals.
Me bro.. that shit was only A WEEK ago when Euphoria dropped and I’m already feeling nostalgic for that period. People are talking about a “Round 3” and IDK… feels like we’re in a Cold War rn.. Drake’s ego might not let himself go out like that.
you gonna get hired by drake with bars like that
Me too. I miss ny ex 😩
beefdrawals
Melon needs a beef injection
If this album was just a single song, this would’ve been a track review.
Hey man lets not be TOO controversial
this would have been a YUNOReview-type album tbh
Why would you say something so controversial yet so brave?
What an spicy take
@@angel_of_rust He should’ve reviewed Yuno Miles BBL Drizzy Freestyle instead.
Willow’s new sound and style has me so excited for her future. This album gives me Solange, Esperanza Spalding, etc. Her vocals on a more experimental jazz sound is so perfect.
Within the next ten years I think she’ll give us a classic.
Easy to forget how young she still is. "Whip My Hair" came out when she was 9.
HEAVY Esperanza vibes
Seriously, HEAVY Esperanza Spalding vibes. She took a lot of inspiration. Amazing project imo
Chloe and Halle would’ve been apart of that wave but they chose mediocrity and went their separate ways
I thought it was Esperanza Spaulding 🙌🏾 I hope they collaborate
Fantano validating my love for Whip My Hair was not on my bingo list
Whip My Hair still goes 🔥
It’s a bop although I was a kid back then so of course it was
@@jimjimjimmy7793 just ran it back for the first time in years. i still know 90% of the words looooool
@@hugobecooking like you just want to get up and dance
Symptom of life is one of my favourite tracks of the year!
Yes!! Lovely!!
Absolutely
in my top 5 of 2024 by far tbh
Yes that bass is amazing
Symptom of life sounds straight up sounds like TOOL with a bit of a twist
Home, Symptom of Life, False Self, Run and Big Feelings made this album. I agree that a couple songs feel like unfinished fillers, but she killed it with the main bangers. The vision is clearly there, it left me wanting so much more of Willow.
💯
Ever think that maybe it is intentional in that tho they may be hard to ignore feelings...they don't last long 🤔🤔...😂😅
Put respect on The fear is not real that song slaps
The man is unwell from the empathogen but still gave the album a 7
You must be new here ? 😂😆😁
Melon got sick from all the rap beef
isnt that a very good rating for him?
@vlad5042 Yes I do believe so. He is allegedly the internets busiest music nerd after all. If you listen to that much music it's just science, man.
Math Pop is now canon
What is canon
Jazz
Big Feelings is such a phenomenal song.
Exactly
One of the best of the year. It’s epic, emotional, and messy in the best way.
Yeah, this cover of “Fast As You Can” is amazing
And my goodness the tiny desk session
Soo good!
Her tiny desk concert was incredible (especially Mohini Dey on bass).- I haven't spent enough time with the record but was blown away on first listen and think it will be a mile-marker in a great career if she keeps doing what she's doing.
Big agree on tiny desk. So good
I’ve never listened to music from Willow Smith. Heard a piece of that hair song she did years ago, and that was it.
Watched this review a day ago. Just listened to the album, more out of curiosity… and wow, totally dug it. Willow is a massive talent, definitely going in her own direction sonically, and yes, I actually did want to hair her explore some of these ideas a lot more.
It’s a damn good album.
I’ve always thought that Willow was a great artist, but people wrote her off for being a nepo baby.
I understand the criticism some of her music gets but I personally think her discography is strong, and this is just another project in a string of good ones.
Agree, and even if she is she’s been using it to bring attention to more interesting styles that wouldn’t otherwise get mainstream attention.
I think it’s also notable that for a nepo baby, she’s really not that bad, she’s not even signed to a major label yet
Unlike some nepotism babies, Willow has worked very hard on her craft, releasing several albums and not relying on the family name.
Really happy you decided to review this! I thought this was pretty cool, i have a feeling that WILLOW is gonna drop an incredible project someday. She’s been growing more and more interesting musically throughout the years. False Self and Symptom of Life were my favs.
A decent 8
7/10 from Needle Drop for a female pop artist is like a 9/10. Massive compliment he loved this album.
Willow has slowly but surely crept her way up into my favorites list, transparent soul really made me fall in love with her officially, and her 2019 album was on repeat for me when it came out, THIS new one is just making me so excited for her as a musician and I can’t wait to hear where she’ll go next and how her style and tastes will develop…not to bring up the nepobaby discourse again but if there is a nepobaby that’s doing it right it’s willow smith, she has the connections, the passion, the will to experiment and stand out from her peers, can’t help but root for her!
“Keep my kids album outta your @$&#’in playlist!”
🤣💥👋🏾
sorry will, ur gonna have to smack me cuz im stanning
One of my favorite albums of the year so far. Jazz-rock stylings work well with her voice, tho it is wonderfully versatile
Math Pop is a great genre name
it's basically taylor swift meets meshuggah
listen to the Wicked Farleys
Check out the bands Lakes, cotoba, Mall Girl, and Good Game!
Man Alive by Everything Everything is for sure a math pop album
@@Vdrum1010 Pool Kids also
I agree with just about everything that you said here, with the added angle of my having a strong affinity for prog-rock and jazz-fusion. So the many songs that feature odd rhythms are something I'm VERY much drawn to. But "Run!", despite being in 4/4, is still a top track. I can't wait to hear what Willow does next. Hopefully she FINISHES HER SONGS instead of slapping a bunch of unfinished pieces on yet another ~30-minute record. I would LOVE a 40-45 minute masterpiece, and I know she's capable of producing one.
Also, why wasn't "Alone" on this record?!? It's an amazing track, and there's obviously room for it.
a jazz record with no instrument solos, the heart aches
You don't need to be a "struggling artist" to make good art. Willow is actually talented. A lot of hate she gets is people being mad that she has rich and famous parents. Like, what was she supposed to do? She can't choose her parents lol.
I think it's worth having discussions about nepo babies, but I don't think it's fair to blindly hate them for existing. Willow and Jaden have two celebrity parents and were literally raised in the entertainment industry. This is all they know. Of course they were going to do this with their lives.
Most kids are highly likely to follow a similar career path as their parents. If you were raised by doctors or people in the medical field, you're very likely to follow suit. If you were born into a military family, you're also very likely to follow in your parents' footsteps.
The only time I get annoyed with nepo babies is when they're completely oblivious to their privilege and try to act like having rich, famous parents in the same industry didn't help them get ahead at all. As far as I know, Willow has never said anything or acted that way, so she's cool with me.
Radiohead made Kid A when they were millionaires. Nirvana made In Utero when millionaires. And so on. There is no connection between wealth and good art at all. Passion, integrity, talent... bank account, no.
Willow really found her stride with her last project (). I liked it enough that i went to see her in concert and luckily could get her to sign an LP. So i was excited for Empathogen as it’s a huge stylistic shift from her old stuff and i’m glad to say i also really enjoyed it! Just wish her single “Alone” was on there but maybe it doesn’t fit as well as i think it would amongst the other tracks on the album.
Yeah I was very surprised when “Alone” was not on the album. That song is very Empathogen coded
Willow rocks, not all songs are for me, but I do appreciate how she's pushing her art. Get well soon Mr Fantastic.
I love a lot of WILLOW's albums, but Ardipithacus has a special place in my heart. Such a young person having access to the resources to make incredible music and actually making music in the ball park of incredible is a shocker. She must have been hyperfixated on Avatar because she is constantly using the avatar language which is so strange and interesting.
At the start i was scared he hated it so much that he was sick of it
Haha my thought was, "Oh, he thinks the album is sick!"
Exactly, he shouldn't do that
I thought he liked it so much bc it was “siiicckk!!!”
I wouldve reconsidered my love for him if he hated this masterpiece
probably one of my favorite albums of the year … her progress as a musician and artist is just nuts
This album is amazing. I’ve been listening to it nonstop.
Same
Wouldn't you like to know, REVIEW BOY
where are your parents?
I'm sorry why is this comment so funny 😂
Y’all should listen to Symptom of Life if you’re on the fence about listening to the album, it’s pretty awesome
I think some people (myself included) forget how young she was when her first album came out. There are a lot of songs I really enjoy from her first one, and to me it really showed her potential. This new album is insane and she is still pretty young so I’m already looking forward to the next one!
I'm so impressed with how her music has grown throughout the years. Coping Mechanism was one of my favorite albums of 2022.
Same!!
Anthony, I truly hope you feel better soon buddy!
I love this album, one of my favorites of the year for sure.. will be buying on vinyl, so can't really give it any higher honors than that. It's a smart jazz-funk inflected pop / soul record. Wonderful off-kilter percussion (7:4 time signature!) and really joyous, confident vocals. Just a great album...
Big Feelings is such a good song
for me this is def a light to decent 8, what we got i realy really enjoyed with the same main complaint you had in that it was just a tad too short, espacially ancient girl, which has so much potential i think that i almost want her to revisit that song in some kind of deluxe edition down the line
It makes me want to catch her live
God dammit. Im going to have to give this Willow Smith album a fair try.
I gave COPINGMECHANISM a shot back in late 2022 after Spectrum Pulse gave it a recommendation, I thought it was really good! I think Willow’s been doing some really neat stuff
Definitely worth checking out and it’s pretty short
It's legitimately good
I'm impressed, honestly
Been listening to her since "9" feat SZA over 8 years ago
This anr CopingMechanism are both really great albums
so happy u enjoyed this record! def my fav album of the year!
She knocked this one out of the park! It's a solid 10 for me. Her creativity in this album is impeccable. This album not only showcases her unbelievable versatility in style/genres of music but her vocals were on point as well all throughout. She is a pure musical genius, in my opinion. So happy to see her evolve into such a great artist.
Thanks for the overwiew of Willo's career, it was very interesting to think about it in retrospect
Yeah, I actually really liked this album, I liked her last three as well but I really feel like this one is fantastic. Surprised to say it myself but I'm usually really excited to hear a Willow record nowadays and I never thought I'd say that.
Damnit a Fiona Apple reference makes me feel obligated to give it a listen.
I'm a huge Fiona Apple fan - she's one of my favorite artists of all time. Empathogen really had me craving a collab! Especially with the more experimental angle Fiona has been taking lately, it seemed like they could create something really beautiful and unique. I hope you enjoy it!
Real
this album is like halo 2 + halo 3
=halo 5
i dont get it
Animal Well out now on PS5, Switch and PC
Wishlist animal well
Oh man, this comment made me think of Animal Well, which comes out today for all platforms.
I loved it for what it was. I take into account that she's 23. I take into account that there are not a lot of people her age even tackling the genre's and sonics she's reaching for. Hearing chords and riffs reminded me of Hiatus Kaiyote. I am happy to hear Gen Z take Jazz and make it fun again! After the 2nd listen to the album I will give it a strong 8 for creativity, sampling, and growth over all. Music has made a strong comeback this year.
Haven't kept up with Willow since her debut, but this release has been everywhere! Can't wait to see what's next...
I was really looking forward to this release. In my opinion, you putting it as a "head scratcher" is pretty accurate. To me it felt like a sketch book of very cool ideas, but still most of these ideas seem to stay in the realm of a sketch. Nevertheless, it is a more than refreshing release and fun to listen to :)
Hope you feel better Anthony 😢
This record is a slap.
I love Lately I Feel Everything and Copingmechanism, so I was initially a bit disappointed when I heard her new sonic direction. However, the more I play Empathogen, the more I'm liking it. There is a track that makes me think of Tori Amos, and if you're bringing to mind Tori Amos, you're doing something good. That said, I do agree that there does feel like there should be something else here-and it might be some extra song development for some of those shorter tracks-but I might also just be pining for those sweet alternative guitars she did so well on her last two albums.
Feels like this album should've deserved better score from Melon though. That being said, I'm happy to see her getting more recognition she deserves🥰
I agree with Ant that a couple three songs on "empathogen" drop off the table at the end. That said I love where she's going with the material- more jazz-, chanteuse-driven songs, soaring harmonies, really stretching out vocally, showing her versatility. I remain a fan.
I know your schedule has been pretty packed lately and you don’t generally review jazz but I really think we need a review for the new Kamasi record.
He’s reviewed all the singles so feel pretty confident he’ll drop one for the album
he definitely will, he said the epic was one of the best albums of the year it came out- kamasi is on his radar
this album reminds me of esperanza spalding's most recent works from a few years back. i hope they collab in the future.
Born at just the right time that every Willow album has marked an era in my own development so her whole discography is very close to my heart, and each release takes on more depth. I've loved them all differently.
Thank you for this nice review, review boy.
Been digging this album for week now!
One of my fav albums of the year so far
I got sick too, hope you get well Anthony
I hope Anthony recovers from this empathogen shortly 🙏🙏
Great point about the brevity. Overall loving this album
The brevity thing seems to be a trend of sorts. I have been covering indie artists, like really indie artists for 15 years now and over the last 6 months have been getting submissions in of sounds that seem to be begging to be longer but run in at 1:47 or 2:10 and the shortness makes them feel like song ideas, like demos and I am wondering if in the tik tokian world if artists are purposely making short, short songs. Not a good trend if you ask me. Sure, the Ramones were able to make concise perfect songs at 2 minutes long but most artists can't pull that off.
Pretty dope that she's actually making interesting music.
I WILL be keeping tabs on her music career.
I really enjoyed this album 8/10
I really enjoyed this album. I’m loving her musical direction and a few of these tracks are some of the best songs I’ve heard in a long time. I’m pleasantly surprised by the craftsmanship.
Loved this album! I'm listening to it everyday since it came out
I love her ❤
Run is also a great song, loved Big Feelings, and in general i really enjoyed this record ✨
I just listened to this and was blown away. Great pop/rock (?) tracks with tasteful jazz influences that stay unpredictable and consistently fun. On top of that are her great vocals. Definitely my favorite album I've reviewed so far right above Vespertine, TPAB, and Juno
I loved it but yes, i felt a bit robbed of the short songs that i'd love to have been much longer.
get well soon fantano!
She will win several Grammys for this, and Willow will be the musical genius of her generation. This record announced the emergence of an incredible artist.
This album is incredible. I'm sorry your sick, but I hope you and everyone else give this album more chances because it's really really good. It's giving Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, Ani DiFranco. It's a benchmark album for Willow and for folk pop in general.
bro this seer is soo eerie in the back
Hope Cal feels better soon
What does the blue flannel refer to??
I was blown away by this album, mostly because of how she is improving with her music. Her style is awesome too. Light to decent 8 from me
Willow went from getting the lowest scores to a 7, that's some evolution
Symptom of life is a masterpiece
The brief songs makes really want to see her live
I thought crodie was wearing a yarmulke 😭
Can you react to "Electra Heart: Platinum Blonde Edition." But keep in mind the artist stated that she created it out of unseriousness. She was purposefully displaying an archetype of a common female popstar, but also many different archetypes within it. It's a very bipolar album.
Symptom of life is hammer
PLEASE! review the new Cloud Nothings record
Post-Beef depression hitting melon real hard.
Hope you get better Fantano!
Great album review.
I blew out the speakers at my job with Whip My Hair since it was the only bassy song that was kid approved and could be played there
Completely unrelated but I like the Blue and White flannel reviews.
reminding me of Feed me Jack and Bobbing in a lot of moments, it sounds great
Wishing you health. I don't know what you're going through but it must be hard to be the internet's busiest music nerd and not feel well.
Willow's album was incredible. Great rock album. Thoroughly impressed!!!
Your overall review is exactly how I felt
feel better
This album was good that i just wanted more of it, and i think that's where it doesnt feel like a whole album.
Luv the record in it's entirety. The opening track puts me in the mind of Esperanza Spaulding ✨
I love that Cal pops up in these reviews
Makes me think of Hiatus Kayote sometimes. A good surprise.
Ardipithecus is the name of a human ancestor
I loved Coping Mechanism so seeing this get a 7 is huge for me
Loved this album so much I bought it. Rare for me.
I have Symptom of Life on repeat. That song has a timeless quality to it.
That's a hard thing about your line of work, you can't really take a sick day the same way other people can. Timing is so important to this stuff.