Take one Scott Mescudi. Add romper stomper hit 'Day and Night (Crookers remix), splash in a dash of impressive collabs and songwriting credits on '808 & Heartbreak' by Kanye and leave to simmer. The end result? MAN ON THE MOON - END OF THE DAY!Forget everything you heard before...even the leaked material you 'stumbled across' on the information super highway because Man On The Moon takes you on a journey that needs to be experienced in it's entirety and specified album track order. Cudi's journey begins with 'In My Dreams (Cudder Anthems) and delves deep into Cudi's ideal world which only serves to exist in his subconsious state. The sleepy, instrumental melodic accompaniment lulls you into a false sense of security and whilst you find yourself drifting into Cudi's fantasy world, the reality of 'real life' hits you like a tonne of bricks. This album delivers a strong beginning, middle, end and thorough conclusion. Tracks could easily be substituted for 'steps' taken or achieved in Cudi's life. For example, tracks like 'Heart of a Lion', 'Sky Might Fall' provide the determination element of Cudi's struggle for success and musical acceptance whereas 'Pursuit of Happiness' and 'Up Up & Away' serve to demonstrate that, despite 'living the dreanm' all that glitters is certainly not platinum, much less gold. Everything you ever wanted to know about Cudi and more in 16 tracks has been provided for your listening 'pleasure'. Cudi's on the couch and he is our patient.
Cudi's natural lyrical ability ensures you hear every word whilst his flow blows your mind simultaneously. Like Kanye's '808', Cudi sings in parts and where this would otherwise sound 'out of place' or 'contrived', with Cudi it comes from a genuine and vunerable place which allows you to empathise with everything he has seen and experienced throughout his life so far. The ladies, are of course, catered for with 'Enter Galatic' but this isn't your 'traditional' love song which I'm sure doesn't come as a surprise. Cudi talks about love on a whole other plain, a whole other galaxy! Now that's real talk!
In terms of the musical genre of the album, it's unlike anything you think you've heard before. It's eclectic but not in that 'I'm trying hard to make my sound sound like no other even though it sounds like everything else out there right now; kinda way but in a fresh 'this is me, take it or leave it' kinda way which could be his downfall in terms of record sales. Collaborations come in the form of MGMT, up and coming Chip The Ripper, Ratatat and of course Kanye West and Common. This list is proof of the diversity of sound. There is definately an electro vibed theme going on throughout but it's balanced out by a hip hop beat, or an old skool flavour on selected tracks. The musical structure of the tracks, on the whole, follows the old tried and tested 'simple but effective' method in that the beats and melodies are basic and stripped bare which adds to complexity of the themes and deep issues addressed throughout. A perfect juxtapostion.
To fully appreciate this album, you need to go in with a clear and open mind and be prepared to take in a wide mixture of musical genres within the complete listening time with no barriers. You also need to LISTEN carefully to what is being said to fully understand where he's coming from and why he is where he is on a physical and musical level today. Cudi has taken a leap of faith and allowed us into his world...are you brave enough to embrace?
