There is a period in everyone’s life – if they choose to accept it – when pleasure trumps everything. Janelle Monáe is there now. And when she embarked on creating her fourth album, she wanted to ensure everyone knew it. She took the unique approach of road-testing her music at parties hosted at Wondaland West, her creative headquarters in Los Angeles. Monáe aimed to capture the essence of these gatherings and create an experience that transcends the ordinary. The result? The Age of Pleasure is a half-hour fever dream that immerses listeners in a sun-dappled world filled with captivating beauty and alluring personalities. Girls just wanna have fun!
Known for her high-concept and genre-spanning albums, Janelle Monáe’s The Age of Pleasure might seem like a departure from her previous work. However, beneath the surface, a more profound concept emerges. As she boldly declares in her sumptuous boast “Champagne Shit,” this album allows her to indulge in the fruits of her labor without distractions. From energetic live performances to commanding roles in movies, Monáe has achieved remarkable success. With The Age of Pleasure, she invites others to join her in this moment of celebration.
Advertisement
Since 2007, Ms. Monáe has captivated audiences with her extensive and cinematic musical world. In her debut EP, Metropolis: Suite I, Monáe takes on the persona of Cindi Mayweather, a cyborg outcast in the futuristic city of Metropolis. Her subsequent albums, The ArchAndroid and The Electric Lady, continue Mayweather’s story as she faces persecution and ultimately finds the strength to leave the city. Combining various genres such as funk, soul, pop, hip-hop, and psychedelic rock, these concept albums have been hailed as ambitious and masterfully executed works of art.
In 2018, Monáe released Dirty Computer, which introduced her to a larger audience and marked a transition in her artistic expression. Shedding her robot persona, Monáe delved into more personal themes and explored her own identity. The album’s title reflects her likening herself to a dirty computer, symbolic of the complexities of queerness, race, religion, and gender. Dirty Computer showcased Monáe’s most intimate and introspective collection of songs, tackling topics such as sexuality, society, and her place in the music industry.
With her latest, she takes a different approach. The album embraces a carefree and joyful spirit, eliminating the need for prior knowledge or deep analysis. This is evident in the first two singles, “Float” and “Lipstick Lover.” “Float” reintroduces Monáe to a wider audience with its soulful horns and confident lyrics, while “Lipstick Lover” celebrates queerness with its reggae-infused sound.
While most of The Age of Pleasure songs are enjoyable, they won’t leave a lasting impact. And perhaps that’s the point. If we assume the album’s title is an analogy for youth, nothing much we do when we’re young matters much to the world. We don’t want to think. We want to live. Tracks like “Champagne Shit” celebrate excessive wealth, “Phenomenal” exalts the power of friendships, and “Only Have Eyes 42” hints at polyamory, topics of superficiality and carnality that’s usually top of mind when we’re young. We’re not looking for depth, and maybe Monáe wasn’t, either, when she recorded this album. Any pretentious comparisons to previous works miss the point.
Advertisement
Sure, The Age of Pleasure embraces the idea of pure frivolity at the expense of the socio-political commentary present in Monáe’s previous work. Still, anyone pondering such topics during their own age of pleasure would surely miss life’s joys. That, perhaps, is the album’s mission.
Clocking in at only 32 minutes with five interludes, The Age of Pleasure does feel a little skimpy. It predominantly sticks to reggae and funk, resulting in a slower and more relaxed ambiance. Noteworthy tracks include “Champagne Shit / Black Sugar Beach” and the smooth R&B closers “Only Have Eyes 42” and “A Dry Red.” “Water Slide,” with its obvious comparison of water to sex, is particularly fun.
This is the first Janelle Monáe album that isn’t inherently political. And because it doesn’t take itself too seriously, it becomes all the more relevant for new fans who just want to experience their own age of pleasure.
