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REVIEW #1: 57/100

Beyonce has consistently been an enigma of an artist across her career. Her albums tend to be weighty in approach and it cannot be said they’re not unique. But they are not often without controversy and criticism. Whether she be integrating other cultures into the mix or making attempts to comment upon race relations, she’s been called out as much as she’s been praised. This has created an interesting legacy for Beyonce and one rife with mystery as she rarely makes reference to her past when she moves on to something new. This new album, Meloncholia is the latest and in many ways, it’s business as usual. But in many ways, it’s a move further into an area she’s only previously hinted at. Like most of her albums, it’s not easy listening and this one is dark in a way she’s not presented before. Unfortunately, that doesn’t end up working completely in the album’s favor. 

 

The album opens on it’s title track “Meloncholia”. The song takes a unique stance on coping with Beyonce singing about learning to live with the pain rather than seek for ways to numb it. But it also exposes the damage of that outlook, blending metaphors of the spiritual and philosophical. The song is backed with sparse and dark production, accented by the presence of a choir. It’s an interesting choice for an opener and shows the album’s hand early (more on that later) but for how interesting it is in concept, it’s not given much room to breathe. It’s one of the shortest tracks on the album and this makes it hard to really grab a hold of the ideas she’s presenting. It’s a good opener and perhaps one of the standouts. If only it was with us longer than it is. “Fetish/Ropes and Roses” is by far the most experimental offering Beyonce’s yet shown us from a production standpoint and it creates a unique soundscape. By the end, the insistence upon this experimentation does begin to grate, but it keeps this interesting as the song plays out. Lyrically, the song speaks of sexuality as a vessel of sadness but there’s an added element of a described “reclaiming” of female sexuality. It’s an interesting concept but in it’s execution, it doesn’t carry much meaning. The song has an air of importance about it that it just hasn’t earned, and there’s no hints of knowing nods at any point. She’s taking this deathly serious and it has to be noted that rather than empowerment, in it’s wake is pretentiousness which makes this a hard song to really come back to once it concludes. 

“Bad For You” continues down the path laid out in the opening and presents an improvement over the previous track, though it also comes with it’s own vices that hold it back. The self awareness is a welcome inclusion to the work as it’s not something we often see with Beyonce. Rarely does she draw significant attention to her own vices and in the past when she had, she covered with a finger pointing to the other side. She’s remakrablly candid here which takes you by surprise, but it’s welcome. However, the lyricsm does still give off an air of talking loud without saying too much. The lines are beautiful on the surface, but it’s hard to really pinpoint exactly what her purpose in writing them is. The production further complicates matters by being not interesting, but draining. It’s sparse and empty for lengthy passages and it grows monotonous as it goes on. It avoids pretentiousness however and the self awareness as noted is welcome, even if it can’t bump the song up higher than where it stands now. “Needle” swings us back into the positive as a track that works better than it probably should. Though it still comes with it’s fair share of baggage, this is the first track on the album that doesn’t feel heavy. It comes for what it needs and she doesn’t force anything out of it that isn’t there in her words. It feels surprisingly spry for the album it’s placed in the context of and is a welcome breath of air for the album. 

“Resucitate” is a track that in principle is painful to criticize but in practice it has to be said there were poor decisions made somewhere along the line. The song is about Beyonce mourning her miscarried child which in and of itself isn’t an issue, but how she chooses to dress the track is problematic. The production is wildly inappropriate for the subject matter and presents a bizarre and uncomfortable tonal discrepancy between the words and the sound. The trap beat and siren like scratch wailing in the background doesn’t match what’s being sung. It diminishes the lyrical impact significantly. It’s hard to listen to and is uncomfortable to say the least. What could’ve been a powerful moment instead feels off and as if she’s pushing a button that doesn’t need to be pushed. It’s unclear whether she or the producers are to blame for what ends up happening, but it is without question one of the hardest songs to get through on the album. “Disguise” shares some of the issues as the second track on the album in the sense that there’s an air of self importance that hangs over the song when it’s not entirely earned. The lyrics are dressed as these grand statements complete with biblical references, but they’re not anything she herself hasn’t said before. It’s lyrically familiar and could’ve been planted on any one of her albums without much of a question. What does separate it from the past is it’s production. Though the production isn’t particularly thrilling, it offers something to hold onto. It’s not complex, but it’s got some heft and gets interesting in the chorus even if the verses are quite boring soundwise. 

“Eventide” is another inclusion on the tracklist that’s hard to get through. There’s hints of something workable with the middle eastern influences that are present in the production, but even they cannot shake off the feeling of omnipresent darkness that hangs over the song. The lyrics don’t do much to cut the tension, leaving the song feeling heavy and hard to swallow. Thank god for the cello as it is a brief speck of light in the black. The album closer unfortunately doesn’t atone for any of the sins of the rest of the album. Though it must be said that to deal with such heavy subject matter, it’s one of the breeziest in terms of the effort it takes to get through. The song features a problem lyrically that’s not been present yet on this album, but has been incredibly present throughout her discography as a whole: bare attempts at political commentary. She takes on the issues, but she doesn’t really speak on the issues. She stays at the surface level, never digging down to something more than the same things repeated by countless newscasters and social media influencers. She doesn’t add anything particularly meaningful and seems content to just tick boxes rather than exploring themes that need to be explored. It was present on Black Ambition and The Third Ward, and it’s present here. The production doesn’t do it many favors, being once more sparse and empty leaving little to really hold onto. 

Meloncholia is, to it’s credit, unique in Beyonce’s discography. She’s never put something out that sounds quite like this and her willingness to branch out is commendable, especially when it seems she could coast on her laurels by now. It’s clear that she wanted to experiment on this album and while that’s noble as mentioned, experimentation doesn’t always make for a stronger project. Meloncholia is a chore to get through at times. The album is heavy, cold, and often feels quite hollow. There are long stretches of emptiness across the bare bones production and it leaves nothing here feeling all that memorable. It’s hard to enjoy, and perhaps we weren’t meant to enjoy. But the darkness of it is relentless. Never does the mask slip to give us enough time to breathe before diving back down. Doing a dark album isn’t a problem, but if it’s going to be done, it’s important to not drown the audience in the darkness. Meloncholia unfortunately does. There are moments though where things do click. The moments where substance does ride to the surface, such as on the title track and “Needle”, are the moments that stick. There are genuine flashes of inspired ideas in here. And it must be said the album is very singular. It doesn’t sound like anything else released this year, for better or for worse. It is good to have Beyonce back, but this time around it’s going to be hard to go along for the ride. While this is an admirable attempt at moving in a new direction, it can’t be called a rousing success.

 

REVIEW #2: 69/100

Although she’s been in the industry for longer than most artists popular on the charts now, Beyoncé still reinvents herself. In the age and era of communication, a time when pop artists struggle to come up with good ideas, the singer still has a lot of surprises for her fans and eager audiences. Following the “lowkey” release of the GRAMMY nominated “How Can I Fly Without Wings?”, the singer has come out with a surprise recorded, preceded by no lead single. Even the production credits are a surprise: most of the songs have credited either Venezuelean artist Alejandra Ghersi (Arca), producer Sophie Xeon or Jordan Asher (BOOTS), sign that the album is a strong departure from the previous sound of Knowles’ previous albums. And that couldn’t be more true. In a way.

“Shattered fragments of yesteryears, let me lie here mourning my lost fears” sings Beyonce at the end of the title track and opener of “MELANCHOLIA”, encapsulating the feeling of the album almost perfectly: pain and reminisce, two themes that come up a lot on the relatively short length album. Which is fine, except this is what Beyonce’s previous record was all about. And one can’t say it’s a bad thing after all, but it is rather disappointing when paired with the overall production of the record which, at first glance, seems an innovation. Yet, when the hype has died, we see clearly that this chapter of reinvention is more of a mask put across the face of the singer we’ve all known for a while. Songs like “FETISH / ROPES & ROSES” or “NEEDLE” seem like instant standouts, but they just confirm that we shouldn’t “judge a book by its cover”.

Where the album falls flat the most is the production. It does stand out amongst the singer’s other albums, but not necessarily in a good way. At times, the songs turn out to be very repetitive and it feels like we’re listening to one single song with several beat switches and, eventually, fade outs in between. Other times, the instrumental feels so out of touch or place with the lyrical content. “RESUSCITATE” or “BETTER” are what comes to mind. It is not necessary for a song to be downtempo to convey hard subjects such as police brutality or a miscarriage, but in this case, they seem like last minute choices to accompany the lyrics. Besides that, the entire production feels monotonous and goes nowhere most of the time. When the instrumental seems to “pick up” and build up to something, the song goes back to its dull beat from the beginning, as heard on “DISGUISE”. Or, the instrumental keeps going in the same direction, over and over, with no real purpose other than being the background noise for the singing, as seen on “EVENTIDE”, which grasps the interest barely towards the end of the song.

Lyrically, the album seems to hold up better. Compared with its predecessor, where the album’s lyrics were the absolute highlight of the entire project, this time they fail to be as excellent, though they often do the job. Some lines are simple and fall through (“I don’t want sex and the city”), some lines are ambitious and try to say something, yet come across as pretentious and strange, featuring a lot of big words abusage (the entire first half of the title track’s chorus). A listener who’s not versed in dictionaries must use a thesaurus to understand what the singer says in many instances on the album. However, that being said this attribute works in the song’s favor other times. The lyrics of “NEEDLE” are the prime example of that. “And I thought a prick would make me feel alive”, Beyonce sings, enumerating one of the many clever parallels between needles and an attempt at stitching a relationship back together, making it a highlight of the album. “BAD FOR YOU” is another instance of clever lyrics, as the songstress sings “my touch burns but it’s your happy pill / Adrenaline, numbing the way you feel”. Though its production leaves something to be desired, the lyrics of “DISGUISE” are extremely beautiful and flow together very well, giving the listener a breath of fresh air. 

To conclude, “MELANCHOLIA” is not the strongest body of work Beyonce has put out. The production is overwhelming considering the people she’s worked with and the short length of the album, meant to deliver a focused record, is only highlighting flaws. The album seems like a rushed project, something the singer has put together on the run, with no clear intention. One thing to celebrate, though, is her thirst for reinvention. Although this time it didn’t work as well as in other instances, it remains very admirable how the songstress tries to diversify her discography. Should the record have remained as well defined as the first three songs, this could’ve been a career defining moment for the songstress. Hopefully, the follow-up comes sooner than we expect!

Highlights: BAD FOR YOU, NEEDLE, MELANCHOLIA, DISGUISE

REVIEW #3: 74/100

You can never go very far without hearing of Beyonce, and that has never been more true than just now. Following up her cancelled comeback single back in July, she has released a new studio titled Melancolia. With little build up campaign, lacking even a lead single at release, it’s clear Beyonce is determined to deliver a cohesive body of work that draws listeners in. Let’s see just how well she accomplished that!

The album begins with the title track, a powerful beginning with a stunning production. The choir like vocals in the back create an incredibly ethereal and welcome atmosphere. Lyrically, the track is gorgeous. It feels sophisticated and detailed, without feeling too heavy or overwritten. One or two lines don’t fit as well among the others (“Grinding through more Monday afternoons” feels somewhat awkward in a song like this) but others( such as “And battled misery till kingdom come”) are downright stunning. I guess my biggest issue with the track is the length, which is surprisingly short compared to the rest of the album. It’s not too noticeable as the album opener, but I would’ve loved to see the song expand more. Fetish/Ropes & Roses is a longer track that honestly feels much longer than it is. Lyrically, the song is fairly solid. Not as incredible as the opening (although “Let me drown beneath your waters” is a simple yet stunning line), but still strong. The main issue is with the production of the song itself, which feels pretty repetitive and doesn’t really go anywhere. I wouldn’t call this track filler, because I can sort of see where she was heading with this but I don’t think it ever quite gets there.

The next track, Bad For You, is a whopping 5 minutes which leaves a lot of curiosity in regards to how Beyonce will hold our attention. The song starts with a stunning intro, but sort of drags on from there. The lyrics, while not the most complex in the album, actually work really well and flow much better than a lot of the album. The length really drags it down for me. The production is less interesting than the title track, but more interesting than the previous one. It just doesn’t really do anything that justifies the long time length. Up next is the (future) lead single of the album, Needle. I can absolutely see why, this track is definitely stunning. Lyrically, I think it’s my favourite so far, the production is interesting and keeps you on your toes, there’s a lot to love. Again though, the track length holds it back. Not nearly as much as the previous track, I think this one does enough to earn it’s longer length. Still, it drags a little bit and could be absolutely perfect if it was just a little shorter. Still an obvious highlight on the album!

Many artists document their pain and tragedies through their music, and Beyonce is no exception in the next track, which tackles her tragic miscarrige. Perhaps a first though, is her decision to sing about the subject over a trap beat where most would stick to a traditional ballad. At least for me, the contrast between the tragic inspiration and the somewhat upbeat production really doesn’t pay off and almost feels uncomfortable. Lyrically, the song is beautiful and heartbreaking with some of the strongest on the project, but the production just sticks out like a sore thumb here. Picking up from there though is Disguise, another obvious highlight! Starting with a magical intro, the song quickly descends into the darker treachery Beyonce is singing about. I can’t really fault this one, like at all. It’s lyrically gorgeous yet again (“and repair star-crossed lovers in crisis” is probably my favourite line in the whole project), the production is the most interesting yet and it doesn’t feel cut short or overly drawn out. I would easily consider it one of the better songs this year, and absolutely the highlight of the project for me!

The project begins to wind down with the last two tracks, beginning with Eventide which instantly has me hooked. The song is really well written, especially the bridge, but the production lets it down a small bit. It feels a slight bit repetitive, especially with the longer track length, which makes it a bit harder to take in. Not to the same extent as some other tracks, and this is still a really solid song, but it’s still noticeable. Finally, we reach the album closer with Better, a song tackling the subject of police brutality. Again, the production choice feels slightly off for this matter but it’s a lot more passable. Lyrically, the song isn’t the highlight of the album but still well written, although a couple lines feel a little on the nose. Still, that adds an element of impact which contributes to the song as a whole, so it can’t be faulted.

Overall, Melancolia is a beautiful album with a beautiful concept. Does it hit some bumps along the way? Sure, but that doesn’t detract from the overall emotion and rawness of the project. The album is dark and heavy the full way through which can be difficult for the listener, but Beyonce makes it work as best she can. Each track on the album shows us a different side of Beyonce, playing up to her various strengths. The biggest problem is that those strengths don’t come together consistently enough to create a full blown masterpiece, although when they do (in tracks such as Melancholia, Needle and Disguise) they create near-flawless tracks that prove Beyonce is still capable of producing work to the highest standard. Melancholia is another kind of masterpiece though, conveying sheer and raw emotion through it’s often breathtaking lyrics in what seemingly marks a pivotal moment for the megastar and sets her up to create an even bigger and better project in the (hopefully!) near future.

REVIEW #4: 100/100

Clearly, there's no one like Beyoncé. Let's start there. A legend that the music industry has indeed missed since she last dropped her studio album, "How Can I Fly Without Wings?", where Beyoncé was seen at her most raw and vulnerable. With "Melancholia" we see that vulnerable Beyoncé once again but this time, she seems stronger and decisive than she ever was before. The album, even though it's very short, it's a masterpiece. This shows that Beyoncé grows more and more with every album she releases not only sonically but even lyrically. "Melancholia" works as a whole, the album's production is on point and you can clearly hear that when you hear the whole album in one sitting, with every song connecting with each other, even though most songs aren't the same sonically speaking, it all works. Beyoncé and Arca did an incredible job with the production, there's no denying that. Lyrically the album reminds me of Rosalía, you just love what she's singing, you love the way she sings it, you love the way she writes it, but you have to have a dictionary to translate the beautiful words she's singing and this happens with Beyoncé as well. But there's nothing wrong with that, it only shows that Beyoncé's songwriting is at an all-time high and she clearly loves to show her intelligence in the songwriting.  What I love the most about this album is like, as I said, "How Can I Fly Without Wings?" was a very vulnerable moment for Beyoncé, but this album is that and more. It feels like it's a "self-titled", an album that was created to show who Beyoncé is. Through her songs, she shows us that she has gone through though break-ups and owns up her mistakes, that behind that immaculate image of being a perfectionist and a legend, there's a very vulnerable and hurt woman who wants everyone to know she's grown off her mistakes and that she seeks to better herself in every capacity. She mourned the loss of her child, she sings about her wanting to experiment more with her sexual desires, she gets political and acknowledges her wrong-doings with love, how she wants to reconcile with it. As I said before, there's no one like Beyoncé. Only she could make all these topics be put together in one short album and make it all work. Hopefully, this is the beginning of many more albums from her that truly are connected with her. Great production, great lyrics, I will say this album's basically flawless. Bravo! 

Tracks to look forward to: Honestly? All... But my favorites were "Needle", "Bad for You", "Melancholia", and "Better".

REVIEW #5: 40/100

To speak on unfortunately, Beyonce’s 8th studio endeavour ‘Melancholia’ represents a deterioration in the once pop-giant’s artistry and taste-level. While the concept of the project is admirable, the execution falls short to say the least.

 

As an 8-song album, bordering on the classification as an EP, the stakes were already high for this project and each song was suscepted to close viewing under a magnifying class, and in this way, the glaring flaws of the album are apparent. While the album’s concept was promising in a new direction for the singer, the actual fruition of this was lacklustre. Beyonce’s method of demonstrating her melancholy through each song was apparently using a samey, monotonous trap beat over a flouncy instrumental for just about each song sans the title track. The differentiation between each song is entirely non-apparent and makes the album feel like one large blob of nothingness by the end of it. Therein lies the issue, the title track ‘Melancholia’, the definite standout of the project, is given to us as track one and builds up our hope only to see it fall flat for the seven other songs to come. Sonically, the project is drole.

 

However the real problem is in Beyonce’s ability to put her money where her mouth is lyrically and conceptually. Again, while the concept was promising, it’s execution was far from. It couldn’t be a Beyonce album without an ill-fitting song about sex, and on a project that’s seemingly about sadness and depression, the ill-fit is more apparent than ever. “Ropes and Roses” which feels like a scrapped “Lather On Lace” demo or an outtake from literally anything on “Primal” has no place on this project and could literally have been scrapped to make it an EP. Past that though, I must truly question Beyonce’s taste level with the songs “Resuscitate” and “Better”. For the former, the lyrics feel a good bit more distasteful than the latter - but for both - placing a song about a miscarriage and another about police brutality over a lo-fi trap beat is truly a question of “What was she thinking?”. And even in saying that, I think, anything that could’ve spiced the album up production-wise would’ve helped, and using either of these songs as a slower ballad with NO TRAP BEAT could’ve gone miles. In the grander scheme of the lyrics, too - with those two questionable tracks aside, it seems that Beyonce’s definition of ‘Melancholia’ is simply relationship problems, as essentially all of the songs aside from the two mentioned and the title track are about a relationship to some degree. There are truly better things to life, Beyonce.

 

All-in-all, while the album has it’s occasional highlights (‘Melancholia’, ‘Needle’), it’s low moments (essentially the rest of the project) outweigh it tenfold.

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