artofficialage_LEAD

This is the album that Prince fans were waiting for, a sonic excursion that rips through generations of time, soul-strutting from one galaxy to the next with every piercing falsetto and strum of the guitar. Art Official Age is as sharp an album as any other in his catalog, and one can even make the argument that it’s his most poignant – the way he integrates with technology only to break away from it is a powerful message. But it’s not all about the crossing of swords, at the end of the day – for as far out and otherworldly as Prince is – his message is still very much invested in the here and now: love, and the things that make us human.

Instead of preaching blatantly from the pulpit in the usual benevolent fashion he uses all the enticing elements in his arsenal to set you free, administering sonic eye drops at every turn as to get your third eye blinking. The album is funky, kind of cheesy, inspired by god, ensconced in love, incredibly intelligent and full of super slick and subtle humor – to the point where it all can be taken as one big parody. It is a phantasmagoria of Prince’s musical vision, one that criticizes modern culture without obsessing over it for too long. Love is still the champion here, and he’s just celebrating it before we all give in and become cyborgs.

Art Official Cage

A totally unabashed commentary on how integrated we’ve become – these simulated realities that keep us tethered to the screen like some sort of itchy addict. Our hero karate chops his way through all the noise, with opulent synths and filters as his weapon of choice. It’s a return to innocence:

Art Official Cage

Clouds

A prince to many, but a king to others. And like most good rulers do he postpones his rituals – a dip in the purifying waters of Lake Minnetonka – to question the digital age threatening his kingdom. It’s lathered in buttery funk, but it’s the message of staying in the here and now that resonates most:

Clouds

Breakdown

Emerging from a far off galaxy, the blessed one gives us the skinny on what it means to be vulnerable. There’s so much to enjoy – from the sharp falsetto and delicious orchestration to the sounds of intergalactic lasers swishing by at light speed. And to think this is only the beginning:

Breakdown

The Gold Standard

A lot of Princes going on here thanks to some savvy filtering, yet no amount of tinkering can outshine the natural falsetto – the one that slices through the thick like a hot knife through butter. All he wants you to do is put that damn phone away and shake your ass. He’s daring you to send one more text:

The Gold Standard

U Know

Descending from above on a cloud made up of liquid piano riffs, thooming bass and simmering synth, the purple people eater himself proves that he’s more than equipped for modern times. In fact he didn’t move, the world just finally caught up. The message that he brings is of course from Venus:

U Know

Breakfast Can Wait

Even when he’s crackin’ jokes it still projects as a majestic sunbeam. The heavy bass and light keys blanket the surface and warms to the idea that love is a beautiful feeling worth fighting for. And it’s not some bat-shit crazy orgy over bacon and eggs either, it’s classy and yet somehow hilarious:

Breakfast Can Wait

This Could Be Us

Prince is talking about love here and someone keeps trying to play him. Listen as that falsetto tears through the fabric of time. Hilariously dramatic, but that’s exactly what music needs right now. Someone who feels so much for love that the sound that projects from him is timeless and universal:

This Could Be Us

What It Feels Like

Good idea, slowing it down and bringing out a few more acoustic elements. There still is a sharp jolt of future funk and ear piercing falsetto, but even those are wrapped in the softest of silk. The new digs lends itself to slow romancing and like the boss he is Prince jumps right in and keeps in stride:

What It Feels Like

Way Back Home

Looking to return to whence he came is a forever struggle for the man in purple, yet in this space he sounds oddly at home. It’s a selfish thought to have, but he has a way of framing common struggles in a universally funky way. This version has him holding court over a multi-layer labyrinth of synth:

Way Back Home

Time

Dialing in to a whole other frequency much in the same vein as Sly Stone did decades ago. He’s tryng to connect love lines through compassion, and the butterfly groove is an all too inviting proposition. The back and forth is heartbreaking and beautiful, bringing in to focus a more personal narrative:

Time

Affirmation III

Prince, transcending space and time in a one man pod destined for who knows where. But no need to fret he leaves specific instructions behind and tender pats on the back for comfort, reminding you that the key to salvation is and always has come from within:

Affirmation III