Known as a boy band by their fanbase, Brockhampton has rapidly gained popularity over the last couple of years. With their Saturation trilogy being some of the best albums to come out of last year and one of the most consistently good album trilogies of all time, this album has a lot riding on it.
The album begins with the song NEW ORLEANS which includes wild instrumentals and very energetic performances along with a brief appearance from Jaden Smith. This song transitions smoothly into the next song, THUG LIFE, which uses the same drum beat as the first. It is much less hard hitting and more melodically driven; multiple members contribute vocals, including a very emotional verse near the end. The vocal filters in this verse by bandleader Kevin Abstract make it sound like he is near tears. BERLIN is more of a banger; the use of samples, the overblown bass, and the odd guitar chords make it one of the more experimental on the album. It is really awesome that Brockhampton embraces more experimentation in this new album. With a solid two part intro, this album starts off pretty strong.
The songs SOMETHING ABOUT HIM and WHERE THE CASH AT are much shorter and mostly driven by individual members of the group. These are probably some of the weaker songs on the album; while their unique sound creates much to like, they would have been stronger as longer tracks.
The middle portion of this album is strong for the most part. WEIGHT and DISTRICT are both among the best on the album, but the album hits a low point with the LOOPHOLE interlude, which seems a little random.In addition, TAPE is somewhat underwhelming. Fortunately, the album makes a quick return to quality with J’OUVERT and HONEY. HONEY, my personal favorite in the album, starts off as a very fast paced rap song but quickly transitions into a grand power ballad.
The last leg of this album is excellent. The song VIVID is no “The Time is Now” by John Cena, but it works as a shorter two minute song to prepare the listener for the last three songs. The verse by Dom McLennon is one of his wildest vocal performances . SAN MARCOS and TONYA are the most inspirational tracks on the album. SAN MARCOS is named after the small town that many of the members grew up in and is about wanting more out of life. TONYA is about the fame that came with Brockhampton’s rapid rise in the music industry. This album ends with the song FABRIC, an alright closer, and the message that it is the first of a trilogy.
A solid follow up, this album is filled with highlights. Because the Saturation trilogy, especially the banger that was Saturation 2, set the bar so high, making an album to match or top it must have been a difficult task, but they succeeded with flying colors. Overall, I give iridescence a B+/10.
The album begins with the song NEW ORLEANS which includes wild instrumentals and very energetic performances along with a brief appearance from Jaden Smith. This song transitions smoothly into the next song, THUG LIFE, which uses the same drum beat as the first. It is much less hard hitting and more melodically driven; multiple members contribute vocals, including a very emotional verse near the end. The vocal filters in this verse by bandleader Kevin Abstract make it sound like he is near tears. BERLIN is more of a banger; the use of samples, the overblown bass, and the odd guitar chords make it one of the more experimental on the album. It is really awesome that Brockhampton embraces more experimentation in this new album. With a solid two part intro, this album starts off pretty strong.
The songs SOMETHING ABOUT HIM and WHERE THE CASH AT are much shorter and mostly driven by individual members of the group. These are probably some of the weaker songs on the album; while their unique sound creates much to like, they would have been stronger as longer tracks.
The middle portion of this album is strong for the most part. WEIGHT and DISTRICT are both among the best on the album, but the album hits a low point with the LOOPHOLE interlude, which seems a little random.In addition, TAPE is somewhat underwhelming. Fortunately, the album makes a quick return to quality with J’OUVERT and HONEY. HONEY, my personal favorite in the album, starts off as a very fast paced rap song but quickly transitions into a grand power ballad.
The last leg of this album is excellent. The song VIVID is no “The Time is Now” by John Cena, but it works as a shorter two minute song to prepare the listener for the last three songs. The verse by Dom McLennon is one of his wildest vocal performances . SAN MARCOS and TONYA are the most inspirational tracks on the album. SAN MARCOS is named after the small town that many of the members grew up in and is about wanting more out of life. TONYA is about the fame that came with Brockhampton’s rapid rise in the music industry. This album ends with the song FABRIC, an alright closer, and the message that it is the first of a trilogy.
A solid follow up, this album is filled with highlights. Because the Saturation trilogy, especially the banger that was Saturation 2, set the bar so high, making an album to match or top it must have been a difficult task, but they succeeded with flying colors. Overall, I give iridescence a B+/10.
By Michael Stockton