Album Review: Man on the Moon: The End of Day

As I said way back when I "reviewed" the Mos Def concert I attended, I'm not sure if this will be a permanent fixture of Gratis & Libre. The major problem is that I have very little motivation to review things I don't like. Anyway...

After acquiring my third song from Kid Cudi's debut album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day, I finally broke down and got the whole thing this morning. Having listened to all of it, I gave my recommendation to my roommate with the description that Kid Cudi comes across as being somewhere between Mos Def and Kanye West. He has the same talent that Mos Def displays to briefly describe feelings and situations in a way which makes you say "I know exactly what he means/feels" as well as a tendency to reference hip hop and it's roots in R&B. His beats and musical quality are similar to Kanye West's, but toned down considerably to match his very introspective lyrics. Speaking personally, as one who is (I think) one of many people who like Kanye but wish he would tone it down or show some more range, I found this to be very pleasing. Add a dash of Daft Punk's spacey quality into the backing tracks and you have Kid Cudi's sound.

The album, which presents itself as sort of opera or Dark Side of the Moon-esque concept album, is "about" Cudi's struggle to find, maintain, and channel his creativity. As a man who admits to enjoy spending time alone (often referring to himself as Mr. Solo Dolo, a term which carries a special connotation to him), he finds his creativity in these moments and struggles to find them amidst his busy life. The story arch of the album, if it really has one, follows his realization of this fact and his eventual acceptance, with rapper Common providing spoken-word style narrative following some of the tracks.

As an interesting side note, I think it's pretty unique for an artist (especially in hip hop) to release an album which, essentially, celebrates being an introvert. It's almost in direct opposition to the mainstream hip hop culture and definitely challenges some cultural ideas about introversion. In our culture, behavior like spending a Friday night inside reading is met with considerable incredulity (e.g., make sure to read the mouse-over text)

Finally, this album shows considerable range as well as interest in different musical forms and beats. From the deep and introspective (Soundtrack 2 My Life, Solo Dolo, Sky Might Fall) to the bouncy and fun (Make Her Say) to the sweet and sensual (Enter Galactic) to the joyous and inspiring (Heart of a Lion, Alive, Pursuit of Happiness) and everything in between. The ups and downs of this album all fit into the same theme.

Needless to say, I really like this album, but is it for you? I'm not sure, but if you like Mos Def but would be into something that speaks more to internal struggle than interpersonal strife, you'll probably like it. If you like Kanye but, like me, would like to see him be less self-centered and superficial, you'll probably like it. If you like Daft Punk but sometimes wish they had less abstract lyrics, you'll probably like it. Finally, if you just like a nice, smooth, thoughtful album which you can listen to straight through, hear some interesting ideas and keep your toe tapping the whole time, then I think you'll love it.

Happy listening and, as always, Share & Enjoy!