Under the persona of Childish Gambino, Donald Glover released on Friday his second album in two months, “Bando Stone and the New World.” The musician, screenwriter, comedian and actor claimed before a world tour that he was going retire the Childish Gambino moniker.
“Atavista,” Glover’s first album this summer, released in May and serves as a reworked version of his 2020 album, “3.15.20.”
On his latest album, he explores a broad range of ideas that prioritize aesthetics more than fleshed out songs. In an interview with Apple Music, Glover stated that “Bando Stone” is intended to be the soundtrack in a yet-to-be-completed short film.
Glover is known to show interest in various styles such as hip-hop, modern R&B and vintage soul. “Bando Stone” attempts to encapsulate his boundless approach to artistic genres, but ranks subpar compared to collections as masterful as his retro-funk 2016 album, “Awaken, My Love!”, due to its unpolished ending.
The album begins with the industrial-style hip-hop track “H3@RT$ W3RE M3@NT TO F7¥.” The grimy production and aggressive vocal delivery in Gambino’s first verse resembles American rapper Kanye West — “Everybody Satan and I’m G-O-D.”
“Lithonia,” the album’s lead single, is Glover’s most alt-rock driven work to date.
“Survive” blends the styles of Glover’s two-track 2018 release, “Summer Pack”, an ethereal and psychedelic sounding EP, and “Kauai,” a 2014 project that consists of classic pop production and overall does not take itself too seriously. Low-spirited lines such as “Summer’s always coming/ All I wanna do is survive,” and the intriguing production of hard-hitting percussion both contribute to the explorative nature of “Survive”.
Glover features his seven-year-old son Legend throughout the album. “Can You Feel Me” is a wholesome feature in the track list, as it begins with lush introductory vocals and unique instrumentation that play contrast to the typical 3-4 chord pattern. Gambino sings, “I ain’t show up to the Grammy’s/ I’d rather be with my family,” while Legend concludes the song with the line, “My purpose is love.” Adlibs that continuously loop through the alphabet skillfully fill each downbeat, and it’s so smooth that it’s as if Legend has been Glover’s music partner since birth.
“No Excuses” is an extensive yet somber track that could be a bonus track to the 2021 album “Call Me if You Get Lost,” by American rapper Tyler, the Creator. Tension slowly grows, choir vocals chime and a syrupy saxophone carves out an appropriate amount of time for grooves to kick in.
However, this is where the album loses its focus. “Running Around” is tinged with unremarkable pop-rock and “Dadvocate” is among Glover’s more forgettable tunes for its lack of color and character.
Just before the album’s closer, “A Place Where Love Goes,” the artist includes an unnecessary and out-of-place instrumental with the psych-funk band Khruangbin. When “A Place Where Love Goes” does arrive, it fails to stick the landing because of Glover’s lack of curation.
“Bando Stone” makes more sense when put in the context of a film. It is adventurous and even includes classic Donald Glover humor. The outro of “Running Around” concludes with a one-liner from Glover saying, “Oh my God. They don’t have a bidet.”
It is unfair to fault an artist for foraging through styles unfamiliar to them. However, “Bando Stone” could have been condensed to showcase Glover’s chameleonic abilities as a final testament to his artistry. While the album slightly grows stale towards the latter half and becomes progressively self-indulgent, it undoubtedly has its diamonds in the rough.
