Donald Glover Presents | A Live Review 2020-04-21
0:00 | We Are: Your classic intro from Donald. Feels like what he would've done with BTI's intro if he had more time on it. As with the aforementioned intro "The library" I feel like this intro might tack on more significance once we've digested the album fully.
2:59 | Algorhythm: Afrobeats feel to it, party music from Donald. A precursor in terms of the atmosphere that Donald's looking to provide with the rest of the songs.
6:17 | Time: I feel like this is the beginning of the story telling aspect, gives an eerie feeling to a mostly cheery-sounding song, like Hey Ya. Has a gospel vibe to it with the end chorus.
12:05 | Vibrate: Strong reminders of Prince's "The ballad of Dorothy Parker" Brilliant synthesizing, the vocals are scintillating. Like a more upbeat take on Kendrick Lamar's "These Walls". The mega-chill features from SZA and 21 hides from the fact that the song carries heavy tones. It seems like the song deals with women who only want Donald for his money. like "Oakland" from BTI, this song talks on relationship issues while backing it up musically with lofi tones and great vocals.
19:11 | Beautiful: Electronic/Alternate vibes, and again, party music atmosphere from Donald. The song focuses on the short term euphoria of being with a girl whom you know will leave you, as seen in the lyrics. The main example being "To be beautiful... I can't change your truth, I can't get you used to this". Wonderful percussion and bass sounds, and complimentary rhythm guitar closing the song out.
24:20 | Thank You: Ultralight Beam inspiration on this one, in terms of how it has repeating lyrics, and finds it's progression in the music. It also shares inspiration in the meaning of the song, which appears to be a thank you to someone or something, because he loves the person or thing which he is referring to, who in this case may be the girl he is with. Ends with a wonderful choir.
31:03 | Warlords: Tribal feels to the song, and lots of Ad-libs, which bears resemblance to this is America. An improbable but fun theory I'd like to share is that the song starts off with Donald out of breath, which means this song takes place after the end of this is america, in which he is running for his life away from a large crowd. This would explain the many resemblances to the song, vocally and musically. Back to objective observations, the song uses creepy crawly sounds and effects like the cowbell and literal cow noises to illustrate a dark, culty atmosphere. This song deals with Donald's exhaustion with his relationship (in the story) he feels trapped, out of breath with it all.
35:31 | Littlefoot: A country like beat to this song, very upbeat. The second half of the song has a more urban feel to contrast with suburban feel from the first half. The first half is heavy on story, which I'll get into later, and then edit this comment when i figure something out. From the looks of it, after many a feud and a robbery as well as killing his friend, Donald ditches his girl, putting an end to a short lived relationship he'd predicted/embraced in an earlier song "Vibrate".
39:02 | Why Go To The Party?: Stevie Wonder and funnily enough as pointed out by another comment, Bill Wurtz vibes on this song. Lots of autotune involved, and more emphasis on lyrics than music here. I'd like to take the lyrics at face value and later, I'll dive into any other meanings. The song deals with Donald missing a partner, who is most likely the girl we've been dealing with up until now. It could also be someone completely unrelated to the girl, possibly a dead relative as he speaks of spiritual awareness in the song, though this could be a reference to his girl's spirit.
42:43 | Feels Like Summer: Ah, refreshing. This is a song we're used to, a very relaxed feel. The song might look different in the context of the album, though i don't think it'd look too different, as this album isn't as story-centric as BTI. Who knows though, Donald is an artisan when it comes to subversive masterpieces. I feel like this song details a summer walk to clear his mind after what appears to have been a break up in the previous song (Why go to the party). It also contrasts with it because this is a more light-hearted song. A more "take your mind off of things" song, instead of the deep, pensive mood that Why Go To The Party presented. He speaks on how he wishes the world would change, though it seems the same. In the context of the album this could mean he wishes he could find a lasting satisfying relationship more easily. Not having to deal with toxic traits like the gold-diggers he talked about in "Vibrate".
47:48 | The Violence: Awesome bass guitar on this song. Feels like present Donald is talking to past Donald, telling him to not worry about tomorrow or it's violence, because present Donald knows it ends up alright in the end. This explains the chill and feelgood tones of the song. Makes sense knowing how rough Donald's life has been till know according to his past depictions of it in his music. Nearing the end of the song, it comes full circle as Donald is talking to who I believe is his son, future Donald, and are sharing great experiences together. This song and the fact that Donald talks to his kid in it implies that Donald has finally found a good relationship, meaning the story/album is coming to an end. A masterful way to set up the last track on the album.
53:49 | Under The Sun: The definition of a victory lap. A proud, dominant assertion of Donald's position in the musical game. It showcases Donald's singing ability, range, and rapping ability. Donald has been, is, and always be the kid we've come to know. Someone who perseveres through adversity and finds a way to come out on top. With the chorus being "do what you wanna do" it's clear that this is a message to the viewers to follow your dreams with conviction. This song is a good way to describe the whole album. This is a flex in every sense; a display of endurance, talent, and hard work. It also takes us briefly through the ups and downs of Donald's life.

Overall i think this is a wonderful album from Donald that can't be appreciated without looking at it in the context of his discography. Donald doesn't need to prove anything, we all know he is talented. He still manages to pull this out of the hat. I think a lot of my takes here are reaches, but i like to look at things from a narrative perspective, and I think this is a coherent story, though of course everyone gets something different out of this. It also makes sense that this would be a more sensible story, as opposed to the more grandiose stories presented in BTI, because this isn't Childish Gambino. This is Donald Glover, a more matured artist looking at his past from a wiser, more experienced lens. A great addition to Donald's musical repertoire after ditching the Bino persona. I love that the album is called Donald Glover Presents because it doesn't box him in. There's more coming, I'm sure there is, and I'm sure everyone is ecstatic to see what it is & what it will be that Donald Glover Presents.

That isn’t SZA on Vibrate lol

thugger avy

lol