The Internet - Hive Mind

The Internet since the early 2010's has been dishing out very Spacey, Funk-infused Alternative R&B.  Made up of Matt Martians and Syd, I always sort of felt like of the Odd Future bunch, The Internet sort of stuck out like a sore thumb.  Their 2011 debut "Purple Naked Ladies" was wildly inconsistent.  Now, Matt can certainly get a very spacey groove going, and Syd can certainly sing.  But the tracks here were hilariously spotty, and often convoluted.  Now, the band's one foray into synth pop on here with "Cocaine" actually was a major standout.  But outside of that, I was just sort of unaffected by this debut.  Now, 2013's "Feel Good" was a big shift for The Internet, as both Syd and Matt sounded so much more confident here.  At the end of the day, they focused so much more on the two of them collaborating and making music than having guests take the spotlight, and it sounded pretty solid.  While the songwriting was still a little to be desired, and at over an hour this was massively overblown, I was at least enjoying this album more than their debut.  The Internet returned in 2015 with "Ego Death", their strongest album yet by far.  By this time, the production and beats were so much more interesting, and Syd had gotten so confident with her singing that she could practically carry the project herself.  The Internet also chose some really great guests that complimented there style, like Janelle Monae and Vic Mensa.  And while yes, the songwriting was a little repetitive at times, this was The Internet's strongest showing yet.  But HEY, let me tell you.  These singles The Internet have been bringing to the table recently have been really fantastic, and some of their best singles to date.  Let's chat!

This album starts off with “Come Together”, and instantly these are some of the best grooves I’ve heard in any genre this year.  I love the slick bass, and just how smooth this track comes off.  The Internet has just come so far from hazy, fairly sloppy brand of Space Funk.  No, here this comes off as a laid back, soulful jam of a tune.  Syd has come out of her shell so much since the birth of this project years ago, and sounds fantastic.  The very breathy woodwinds and the sexy vibes of everything else are just so tasteful.  I wouldn’t say this is the catchiest or most immediate track here, but this is a very steamy, groovy intro that shows just how much this project has come along.  But if you’re trying to get on your feet in a big way, “Roll (Burbank Funk) is the answer.  This one has an absolutely killer dance groove, and enough bass to make the funkiest band blush. Even Matt Martians over the years have really come into his own.  There’s still a slight Spacey vibe to this, but it comes off so much better thought out.  But with the addition of guys like Steve Lacey etc., The Internet’s music has become so animated and lovable.  But there’s also a certain simplicity to this that’s almost too obvious.  This is far from a journey or anything wild, but it’s one of the catchiest and most brilliant Alternative R&B ticks you’ll hear this year.  The very sleek vibes of this album continue with “Come Over”.  This is a pretty damn steamy affair, if Syd wasn’t already out of her shell compared to years ago, her performance on “Come Over” is next level.  Instrumentally, this track is stripped down much more compared to other tracks here.  But for an incredibly sexy, steam jam, everyone on board really makes this work.  Now, honestly, I do wish this one wasn’t so straightforward, because as far as an Alt-R&B tune goes, this is a little simple.  But little details like that absolutely killer guitar solo and the fantastic production make this a solid track. But for my liking, these much more upbeat, insanely funky tracks like “La Di Da’ are the way to go.  This track is so hectic with so many damn instrumentals flying at you from every angle.  It’s almost overwhelming, but it’s also so well put together.  Between Matt’s very smooth hook and Syd’s very charismatic verses, this is brilliant  And like I said, I really do love hearing The Internet working with a much more upbeat sound.  It’s so simple, but it just works so well.  Not only that, but it shows The Internet really defining their sound, which is something I’ve waited years for.  Then we have “Stay the Night”, another very sleek, slow jam of a tune.  But Syd’s very delicate and incredibly tender vocals here make it work.  There’s almost a sense of innocence to this one in a weird way.  But it works for the ban, and while the instrumentals are stripped down and seemingly so quiet, end up painting a very steamy backdrop for this late night jam.  And while at first, I feel like the simplicity of a lot of these tracks was a little bit of a turn off for me, it’s grown on me, and honestly works as a throwback to a simpler time in R&B.

Now with “Bravo”, we get the slowest and most left-field track here yet.  It’s far from the upbeat, Space Funk we were getting earlier, and this may be the most straightforward track here.  But sadly, it’s tracks like this that hold me back from going head over heels for this album completely.  It’s still got some great bass licks, and this may just be Syd’s most charismatic performance of the album.  Hell, I love the entire “performance” theme to many of the lyrics here, it makes things legitimately sexy.  But this one also has some of the most forgettable production here, and the instrumental could have been so much more.  On the other hand, “Mood” is so much more interesting.  The production here is flawless, and the bass grooves are so much on point.  Not to mention, Syd’s performance is once again so charismatic.  At the end of the day, this is still a very simple track, with Syd going deep into detail about a first date and trying to impress.  But it’s one that works all around, and just gets me in the mood for all sorts of stuff.  Is it hot in here?  With “Next Time/Humble Pie”, Syd’s performances continue to be just so charismatic and incredibly strong.  But another slight issue that I have with this album is that so many of these tracks so blend a little bit.  It’s not the biggest problem in the world, because instrumentally this album remains solid.  But if it wasn’t for some of this stellar production and Syd’s performances, some of these tracks would bend together quite a bit.  But if that’s my only real issue, you’re right, this album really isn’t bad at all.  Because trust me I still love tons of what’s going on here, with Syd’s performance of her approaching a love interest and all.  Then we get a much more hazy, spacey second half as well, which I’m even more interested in. It’s been such a while since we’ve heard anything like this and honestly, it’s so refreshing.  It’s the sound Matt and Syd were going for years ago, just gussied up a little, and it’s great.  The Internet continues to reel me back in with each passing moment with tracks like “It Gets Better (With Time)”.  This track is one of the funkiest tracks present, which is saying something.  It’s smooth and absolutely dripping in cool, and I just love the instrumental all around.  And Syd’s performance once again is honestly jaw-dropping.  Obviously, she’s the star here, no matter how much this has become a group effort.  It’s got some fantastic grooves, and here we get a guest verse from Big Rube which honestly is dripping in cool as everything else here. “It Gets Better (With Time)” is one hell of a tune and a testament of just how far they’ve come.  Things just keep getting funkier by the second with “Look What U Started”, believe it or not.  This one isn’t nearly as steamy or delicate, this is almost heavier in a weird sort of way.  Everything about this track is just so much more in your face, and even Syd’s performance is so much more mature.  It’s practically hypnotic the way this bass just keeps rattling on and on.  It’s not the most shocking track here, but it’s just another reminder of just how far The Internet has come.

This album rolls on with another very soulful, funky jam with “Wanna Be”.  This one has Syd once again almost taking a little bit more of an innocent stance.  And she does pull it off really nicely, as some of these love songs are actually pretty sweet.  But let’s be real, sadly this track sounds like 8 other tracks here.  And compared to some of the other tracks that have toyed with these themes, this one is just average.  Thankfully, “Beat Goes On” is just the track I needed to hear.  I honestly would have liked to hear a little more of Matt's vocals on this album, which we do get here.  And in moments like this, he sounds like just as much of a star as Syd.  Not to mention, it once again has that sort of Spacey vibe that early singles of this album had.  This track is awesome, having some serious grooves, but brings in plenty of really great ideas without pushing themselves to far.  Not to mention, some of the production tracks here are genuinely awesome.  Even that beat switch and the second half of this track, maybe be some of the coolest moments here.  “Hold On” wraps this album off in a very whimsical way.  Lyrically though, right off the bat, we’re back to so many of the same themes, which is a little aggravating. To the point where I honest to God feel like this is a summary of half of the tracks here.  Sure, the bass is hypnotizing and Syd sounds at her most heavenly.  But nothing about this track is engaging for the first few minutes.  And even when the rest of the instrumentals pop in, this is far from The Internet at their most creative. 

Rating: 8.0/10

Give A Listen To: “Roll (Burbank Funk)”, “La Di Da”, “Beat Goes On”, “It Gets Better (With Time)

Least Favorite Track: “Bravo”

Genre:  Alternative R&B / Funk

Overall Thoughts:  To say this is by far the best Internet album to date is a wild understatement.  For years, The Internet to me has stuck out like a sore thumb in the Alternative R&B and Funk worlds.  Here though, between Steve Lacy’s production, Syd being more out of her shell than ever, and The Internet as a whole sounding more focused than ever, this is one of the steamiest and funkiest albums of the year so far.  There are a few tracks that blend together, one or two tracks are repetitive.  But when this album is grooving at full blast, these are by far the best set of tracks The Internet has come through with.