Short Ass Record Reviews - Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon: The End of Day

I haven't really written anything in a while, but I have a giant stack of music I want to talk about, starting with:

Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon: The End Of Day -

A Kanye West protégé does OK. The music and hooks on Man on the Moon: The End of Day are interesting enough, but Cudi’s lyrics make his rapping and singing forgettable. Not even narration from Common can make us pay attention to what is being said. Cudi show’s promise though, and a knack for creating dense atmospheres behind his raps. His thick synth-hop song textures are mesmerizing at points – though sometimes to the point of distraction - and collaborations with Ratatat and MGMT add melodic texture to the sometimes monotonous mechanical beats. Overall, Man on the Moon’s hip-hop minimalism carries the torch lit by Kanye West’s 808s and Heartbreak and points toward adventurous roads ahead.