Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon Album Preview (now updated with snippets)

[Meho]

Earlier tonight, journalists and bloggers gathered at Griffin Lounge in New York City’s Meatpacking District to get an advance listen to Kid Cudi’s highly anticipated debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day. Set to be released on September 15th, the album is a front-to-back listen that takes you on a journey through Cudi’s consciousness, narrated by Common and featuring production from Ratatat, Kanye West, Emile, Plain Pat and even Cudi himself. Call it Cudi’s version of 808’s & Heartbreak, only less sappy and more idealized. This album plays from beginning to end, marked by high points and intended low points (by way of mood, not quality - there’s no compromising on that, considering that every track sounds scrutinized to the very last synth bleat). To put it bluntly, Kanye wishes that he could have made this album, one that sounds genuine without a single forced element.

With an introduction and conclusion by Universal Motown President Sylvia Rhone (she called it a “seminal album” that’s “going to change the game”), Showing Out was there to get an advance listen to the debut in its entirety. Hit the jump to get a track-by-track breakdown of its contents before the official jawn hits retail next month.
ACT 1 - THE END OF DAY:

1. In My Dreams (Cudder anthem) (Produced by Emile)

The album begins with in an atmospheric haze, with brooding keyboard moans, bloopy synthesizers and alien keyboard trills flowing together as Cudi sings, “This is a dream come true” and that “Everything plays out exactly how I want it to.” Common comes in at the end with his spoken word narration, stating, “This is a story of a young man that not only believed in himself, but his dreams, too. I introduce to you, the man on the moon.”

- “Everyday is sunny here in my dreams” - “This is a dream come true, finding the perfect things to sing to you”. This is similar to the live version you’ve all heard during the Great Hangover tour.

2. Soundtrack 2 My Life (Produced by Emile)

Sun-bleached synthesizers are the focal point of this sparsely instrumented groove, with Cudi singing, “I’ve got some issues that nobody can see / And all of these emotions are pouring out of me.” There’s not much to chew on in terms of orchestration, but this one’s a genuine headknocker.

- Easily one of my Top 3 songs from this album after one take, very powerful song. My notes on this one consisted of EPIC & AMAZING. ha, yah I like it that much.

3. Simple As… (Produced by Plain Pat)

This one begins with a hypnotic vocal line that repeatedly moans “A-B-C” before launching into a thwacking, nasty groove. A reverberated echo trails every line of Cudi’s vocals, wrapping up with another spoken word interlude from Common before beginning the next Act of the album.

- This is one of the few songs with a sample on this album (3 to be exact). Commons interlude here consists of him talking about “our hero dreams of peace” but has “nightmares so intense he can’t tell what’s reality”.

ACT 2 - RISE OF THE NIGHT TERROR:

4. Solo Dolo (Nightmare) (Produced by Emile)

Spooky, spiderish violin plucks kick off this song, bare yet hearty with its haunted, cerebral beat. Cudi sings, “Try and do right, do right / Soaring through paradise while closing my eyes / I’m Mr. Solo Dolo.” One of the most affecting, ghoulish tracks on the album, “Solo Dolo (Nightmare)” positions Cudi as an outsider.

- Similar to the song that was leaked but almost exact to the version he has performed during the tour. Easily the darkest song on the album. With the addition strings “Solo Dolo” is that much better.

5. Heart of a Lion (KiD CuDi Theme Music) (Produced by Free School)

The tempo picks up on this song, throwing a dash of house into the mix with its rapid drums. But while the track pummels along, it’s offset by Cudi’s deliberate delivery, which plays against the rhythm as languid piano chords repeat beneath his coos. Disorienting, but fit for the dancefloor.

- Not much to say, great song here. Upbeat and similar to what you’ve all heard live but longer and with improvements (additional vocals & keys throughout)

6. My World Feat. Bill Cravens (Produced by Plain Pat and Jeff Bhasker)

We’ll call this one the audio equivalent of a thunderstorm. Industrial snares pockmark the beat, with twinkling piano keys jolting like tiny stabs of lightning as Cudi again distances himself from the outside world. After Bill Cravens gets his rock on on the chorus, Cudi sings, “None of y’all really knew about me,” adding, “I guess I’m all you see.”

- “This will be my world…I told you sooo”. One of my favorites from this album.

ACT 3: TAKING A TRIP

7. Day N Nite (Produced by Dot Da Genius)

The song that put Cudi on the mainstream radar (this joint has racked up over 21 million views on YouTube). In context of the album, it works beautifully, playing like the version we’ve all come to know and love before devolving into an outro that chops and screws the song for a few seconds. This ushers in the escapist feel of this act, where Cudi seems like he’s being chased, delivering each song with urgency.

- Day ‘n’ Nite, its the song we all love to hear and hate to hear remixed. This song definitely seems like the start of those dream-like journeys thats inspired the album.

8. Sky Might Fall (Produced by Kanye West/Co-Produced by Kid Cudi)

This one’s been out for a minute, too. “Sky Might Fall” is the album’s renegade get-’em-up anthem, complete with sour synths and an anxiety-inducing beat. It’s safe to call this one the darker version of Kanye’s “Champion.”

- Similar to the early leak with additional changes as well as the addition of the orchestra and a 3rd verse “I keep runnin, gotta keep runnin, yeaaahhhhhh”.

9. Enter Galactic (Produced by Mat Friedman of ILLFONICS)

Disco is the word on this dancefloor-ready jam, popping with its steady backbeat, squiggly synths and strobe-light fervency. If this joint was rocking in the club (where it will be right at home), this would best be taken with a hit of Ex. Just sayin’.

- ha pretty much on point. Definitely the most upbeat and club ready song on the album for me. “I dreamed of peace, until I found you. I dreamed of love, until I found you” - “Get ready, pop it, lets gooo, get ready to go intergalactic, you and me”.

ACT 4 - STUCK

- Commons narration - ”Our hero falls into a psychedelic state, falls into a peace, a sanctuary of his wildest dreams”.

10. Alive (Nightmare) Feat. RATATAT (Produced by RATATAT)

Common comes back into the fold before this track begins, announcing that this is the part of the album where Cudi gets “stuck in a place of his wildest dreams.” Soon, those familiar Ratatat synths kick in, with a beat that lacks the intensity of a Ratatat track but hits with a snapping snare. “I’m a beast in the night,” Cudi raps, adding “I hope she saves me from the curse I have to beat” and “I watch the sun collapse.”

- “Every time the moon shines, I become aliveee“. RATATAT production on this song is fantastic, this will probably be one of the fan favorites.

11. Cudi Zone (Produced by Emile)

It’s surprising to know that Kanye didn’t produce this one, considering that Emile ripped a few pages out of the 808s & Heartbreak songbook for the beat. But on the epic track, Cudi plays against trance-like synths on the ’80s-influenced number, with something felt like its held back in spite of its monstrous beat. Cudi sings, “I’m feelin’ alright, forgot all about it.” Epic stuff.

- Great song, even better hook. Improved song compared to the recent leak which is months old. “My Gaurdians protect me”

12. Make Her Say (Produced by Kanye West)

Another joint that already heated up the net ahead of the album release. Still haven’t gotten tired of this one, and it sounds even fresher wedged in the middle of the disc. Lady Gaga gets a bit more shine from her performance, with an extended clip of her “Poker Face” joint wedged at the back of the track.

- For me, it just stands out production wise and is a bit of a step out of the dreamworld. It’s not out of place, just something feels off for me. BUT I know many people won’t agree with me on this one so take that with a grain of salt.

13. Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare) Feat. MGMT & RATATAT (Produced by RATATAT)

This song is exactly how you’d expect it to sound. Before reading that “Nightmare” was included in the title, it already ended up on my notepad, because that’s precisely how it translates. MGMT adds a psychedelic flair to the mid-tempo track that rides on a thick, paced groove, singing on the chorus as the song rides on a base piano line. Ratatat throws in their signature flair, mingling with MGMT’s tie-dyed synths with sharp, electrified guitars of their own. And as for Cudi? He carries the track with lyrics that are based in the now, singing, “If I fall, if I die, know I lived it to the fullest” and “Tell me what you know about dreams.” Lyrically of-the-moment, the song isn’t the boldest on the album, but it fits right in.

- This is going to be a great 3rd single. MGMT is on the hook along with Cudi. As I mentioned before this is probably the song with the most melody then actually rapped verse, but its a great song. “Tell me what you know about dreams, tell me what you know about nightmares, nothin”

ACT 5 - A NEW BEGINNING

14. Hyyer Feat. Chip The Ripper (Produced by Crada for Motion Music)

This is the babymaking shit right here. Featuring swelling orchestral lines and a clicking snare, this bedroom-ready track could easily be an old John Legend cut (we’re talking “Live It Up” type music), nostalgic in sentiment and soulful in spirit. “Hyyer” is the gushiest track on the album - and that’s a good thing.

- Cudi does a brief bit of intro/narration to start. Being in the “A New Beginning” act is fitting as it’s a nice look into what we can expect from the Almighty Gloryus duo that Cudi & Chip have teamed up to create. They take turns throughout the song on the hook and verses. The most mellow and slow pace on the album with the most hip-hop like production.

15. Up Up & Away (Produced by Free School)

Cudi saved one of the hypest tracks for last. “Up Up & Away” begins with stabbing electronic guitars that give way to a racing acoustic romp, almost parallel to a Nelly Furtado-esque chugging groove (circaFolklore days, none of that Loose garbage). Cudi rounds out the album with a “I don’t give a…” sentiment, singing, “I’ll be up and away / Up, up and away / They gon’ judge me anyway / So whatever.” Common closes out the album by saying, “The machine and the ghost are dead. This is the journey of the man on the moon.” What a journey it was.

- Saving the best for last? Possibly. The leaked version everyone has heard is only the hook, at first I didn’t recognize that it was the same song and my thoughts were this is amazing and then it ran into the chorus and it just got even better.
A bit more from me…

It took 2 years for Day ‘n’ Nite to be heard by the masses, this album is nothing like what’s been released to date by taking on a unique sound. The way it’s broken down into Acts and the narration provided by Common (straight our of Morgan Freeman’s book) adds another level to the quality of this album and helps make sense of these nightmares and dreams that Cudi lives in. I hate to be the hype guy, but September 15 is going to be the start of a new dawn in hip-hop. The countdown continues.

http://www.showingout.com/index.php/...album-preview/

[the ghost]

Thanks for the post.  Can't wait.

[Meho]

Snippets: http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B002N6WX3G/

[Action!]

This'll probably be one of my favorite albums in a good minute.  While I respect plenty of others for their rapping abilities CuDi delivers the complete package.

[Makaveli's Food & Liquor]

This sounds awesome, gonna be one of the best albums in a longggggggg time i like the fact that they included the Bonus tracks, just hoping they're on the UK version

[LodiDodi]

downloadable snippets:

http://datnewcudi.com/2009/08/29/man-on-the-moon-the-end-of-day-sampler/

[operation stackola]

I couldn't help myself w/ the OBFCLII snippets, but this I can. Already pre-ordered my copy at Best Buy. Will be waiting to hear this full album fresh (though I already have about 3 or 4 cuts).

[Reventón Bogotá Rolla]

the greatest lp to come out this year is almost here!!!!!

[Paul]

This is gonna be awsome


Cant wait for the MGMT track

[Nutty]

Sound abit weird, but I'll still check this.

[GimmeYourShoes]

The beats are odd and very melancholic. Sounds like a mix of Heartbreak discards and something that Timbaland would have tapped into his MPC in a heroin rehab, but I'll order it anyway. At least I get a nice cover if the album sucks.

[AnybodyKilla]

The beats are odd and very melancholic. Sounds like a mix of Heartbreak discards and something that Timbaland would have tapped into his MPC in a heroin rehab, but I'll order it anyway. At least I get a nice cover if the album sucks.

LMFAO, this album sounds ok, ill download it when it drops and see if i wanna buy it!!!

[Digital Pimpin']

Looking forward to this one...I guess it'll leak soon?

[Detox Iz Not Active]

snippets sound promising

[--Vance--]

I will buy this one for sure. Thanx for the snippets link