3.11.2010

The Archandroid Listening Experience in NYC



Exactly one week ago, The Wondaland Arts Society descended upon New York city to present the museum goers at the downtown Rubin Museum with the first tastes of the soon to be released Emotion Picture The Arch Android. Below is an Arch Article, an amalgam of the many reviews of the Listening Experience that we have collected over the course of the last 7 days.

Magical. Electrifying. A Futuristic Funky Sci-Fi Psychedelic Hiptrip. Thriller 2010! No, these are not the reviews for Disney’s 3-D motion picture, Alice in Wonderland. While I’m sure that they are comparable, I’m describing the sounds and sights of the futuristic funkster, Atlantic Records and the Wonderland Arts Society recording artist, Janelle Monae, and the experience of her forthcoming album, The Archandroid. The Archandroid is a wildly exciting record full of fast paced 808’s, throbbing bass lines, electric guitars and synthesized percussion. Archandroid is simply unlike anything currently in the R&B market, not like anything in the pop market, Janelle Monae’s only present day comparison is to herself. -GrooveVolt



"Janelle is my most artistic signing yet," Diddy said, his image projected on the theatre's screen. "She's not afraid to dream. I'm known for my hype, but her music speaks for itself." The deep beats of "Suite II Overture" then blasted to a film accompiment -- videos of pyramids, boxing matches, trains, and taxis, plus acid-drenched pics of Monae (see above), the clip's co-director -- and in seconds the place was jumpin'. Members of Monae's Wondaland Arts Society crew flailed, shook, mash-potatoed, and straight freaked in the aisles. And for good reason: The ArchAndroid is out-of-this-world funky, from the turbocharged R&B single "Tightrope" to the free-floating jazz guitar and psych bass grooves of "Mushrooms and Roses."

Kenan Thompson, standing outside the venue after the event, wearing sunglasses in the dark, was impressed. "I loved it," he said. "It's high energy… it's wild. - Spin Magazine



A vacation from the expected gallery unveiling, the crowd skeptically eyed tall shadowy figures in mirrored masks that floated around, greeting guests. Portions of the Grammy-nominated singer’s eagerly-awaited debut The ArchAndroid, due May 18, played in the background of a short “Emotion Picture” that the eclectic chanteuse co-directed starring OutKast’s Big Boi, poet Saul Williams, psychedelic dance-punk troupe Of Montreal, and the Wondaland Arch Orchestra. A true testament to her fans’ loyalty, as well as the quality of the music, everyone definitely loosened up and transformed into concertgoers. Shoulder shimmies turned into all-out “shake it like a Polaroid picture” mode within 10 minutes. And if this album moved a crowd of critics out of their seats, we think it just might move the rest of us to click the “Buy” button next to her pretty little pout on iTunes. -Rap-Up.com

*Stayed tuned for more pictures and video from your Chasemasters Jovian Zayne & George 2.0