Chance The Rapper
Acid Rap
Chancelor Bennett likes LSD. The 20-year-old Chicagoan who records as Chance The Rapper has made that clear in his tweets, in his verses, and, most evidently, in the title of his latest mixtape. Despite Acid Rap’s obvious fixation on psychedelia, the record is decidedly more narcoleptic than narcotic. Even as Chance weaves lines about keeping tabs on his exes and putting tabs on his tongue, the impression that he makes is closer to the emotional and sensory overload associated with the drug than its bleary, paisley visual cues. On “Cocoa Butter Kisses,” Chance funnels a flood of memories in a wispy way only the touch of mind-altering substances could bring about, and as the record stutters to a close, the image Chance is trying to project is clear. He’s Chancelor Bennett and he likes acid, but he’s a mystic, not a hedonist. (Critic’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars) —CJ
Vampire Weekend
Modern Vampires of the City
Critic’s rating: 4 stars out of 5
Don’t think just because Vampire Weekend’s latest album is called Modern Vampires of the City (XL) that their brand of neo-colonialist art-pop has taken a turn entirely toward the morose. Frontman Ezra Koenig’s concerns may be newly self-reflective, but not at the expense of the bouncy indie pop they’ve built an empire producing. “Ya Hey” and “Diane Young” carry the torch for the caffeine-addled exercises of records past, but Modern Vampires’ success is by way of the continued addition of mid-tempo balladry in songs like “Obvious Bicycle” and “Hannah Hunt.” Hyper-specific lyrical references and too-precious instrumental choices serve as callbacks to the all too familiar criticisms leveled at past Vampire Weekend efforts, but Modern Vampires largely steers clear of such potholes, offering instead a collection of buoyant indie rock that could as easily soundtrack Saturday morning’s mimosas as it could Friday night’s existential crises. (Critic’s rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars) —CJ
