Joji - Nectar Review
If you read the about page of this blog, you'll see that I set a personal goal to release at least one blog post every month. So when exactly was my last post? uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...
(oct 21)
Anyways so now February is almost over and I'm freaking out because my blog has been completely dead for the past 4 months. But we're back now! Hopefully with better time management in the near future as well. There's not much else to say. Expect more frequent blog posts from me. Hope you enjoy the review!
Nectar, released September 25th 2020, is the 2nd studio album by singer Joji. As shown by dozens of other pieces of online media, it's difficult to discuss Joji in any capacity without mentioning his intriguing past. In a world where it seems that any instance of a YouTuber making music is entirely synonymous with garbage, tasteless cash grabs, Joji naturally stands out. Of course, before rising into the R&B stardom that we all associate with him today, Joji originally attracted millions of internet fans through another entertainment medium: the comedy Youtube channel "TvFilthyFrank" that was officially discontinued in late 2017. Even back then he released glimpses of his musical talents through small snippets and quiet Soundcloud releases until his official industry debut with his In Tongues EP under Asian artist label 88rising. 3 years after this initial breakthrough, Nectar represents a significant showcase of growth for Joji, solidifying his position as a real music artist and finally allowing him to shed the last traces of the viral Youtube sensation that defined his identity for so long.
As a part of this maturity, on Nectar Joji admirably stretches his talents far wider than the heavily limited sound palettes that stagnated projects like the previously mentioned In Tongues or 2018's BALLADS 1. While he can't escape the persistent "sad-boi" vibes that permeate throughout the entire record, he diversifies with a respectable mixture of alternative R&B, hints of rock, and radio-friendly pop. All the same, he stays true to his roots: Upgrade is a cute Lo-Fi interlude that sounds like a more refined version of a song from 2016's Chloe Burbank Vol. 1 tape, while Mr. Hollywood, produced by the mastermind himself, Kenny Beats, perfectly builds melodies and harmonies onto a simple trap foundation to create a very enjoyable ballad. It's the seamless blend of these more nostalgic sounds with the glossier, highly produced singles that makes Nectar such a pleasant listening experience which manages to capture the high-quality feel of popular R&B albums while mostly keeping the unique magic that defines Joji’s music, and in doing so avoids sounding generic or trendy.
Also in line with any other major industry release, Joji here is backed by a diverse selection of writers, producers, and features which collectively help the record feel all the more professional. Admittedly, the features are quite a mixed bag, with the quality ranging heavily from BENEE's great performance on Afterthought to rei brown on Normal People, who is passable but redundantly similar to Joji himself. As much as it hurts to admit, the best feature of the entire album is probably Lil Yachty on Pretty Boy. Between Yachty's (heavily auto-tuned, obviously) verse about flexing, the rough beat, the wild ad-libs, and Joji's catchy chorus, the song is quite a departure from the rest of the album, almost just sounding like your run of the mill party banger TikTok hit. However, there's significant thematic value found in dark, satirical lyrics like "Living so loud, you could never hear me cry" and "No more fears and no more lies / I tell myself to sleep at night" which mock the coping mechanisms of reckless partying and drug use of influencers living in areas such as LA. Falling in the middle of the track-list, it's a well appreciated burst of energy that compensates for the surrounding sleepier songs and doesn't overstay its welcome.
Most of the best material takes place in the first half of the album. Ew, Modus, and Daylight start the album out on a high note, but the true masterpieces are found in the perfect trifecta of Gimme Love, Run, and Sanctuary. Each of these songs were a promotional single for the record and represent some of Joji's highest quality work to date. Most surprising is Run, a cinematic rock tune in which Joji completely foregoes his typical soft R&B sound in favour of dramatic guitar arpeggios and an impressive display of vocal range. While the stunning chorus is obviously worthy of praise, a commonality that we see in these higher quality Joji songs is fully developed song structures: Run cleanly transitions between its sections with this one distinct guitar/bass riff. Most notably, the second chorus shifts into an absolutely killer extended guitar solo that, with the addition of Joji's anguished vocals echoing throughout the background, ends off the track perfectly.
While Run prided itself on sharp, clean production, instrumentation, and vocals, Gimme Love is similarly enjoyable thanks to a completely different appeal. The first part of the song features this janky dance beat that, in classic Joji fashion, is composed of a literal GarageBand preset sample, adding a bit of that Lo-Fi, off-kilter charm. The other musical elements play around this aesthetic: a simple catchy chorus; a laid-back, half-rapped verse; random vocal harmonies fading in and out of the background; and a central, droning synth-line. However, there's a complete switch-up halfway through, with the dance beat suddenly subsiding to reveal a lonesome acoustic guitar. Joji's vocals return at a slower tempo, this time more emotive and softly-sung. As he transitions into his falsetto, a rising action is created that resolves into this beautiful acoustic crescendo of heavenly vocal harmonies accompanied by an array of strings. In the midst of all this, Joji's central vocals return written like a hopeless romantic, culminating in the simplistically beautiful line of
"Everyone's looking for someone to hold, but I can't let you go."
The shouted final word holds to create this dramatic climax that blends back into the vocal harmonies before everything fades away to once again leave the singular guitar line. This is literally my favourite song of all time. The ending is that good.
However, Joji completely fails to sustain these types of peaks across the entirety of the album. Certain songs have noticeably less effort and polish put into them, a disparity that is most prominently felt in the jarring switch between the previously mentioned 3 track trifecta of Gimme Love, Run, and Sanctuary and the comparatively boring High Hopes and NITROUS that follow. While none of these songs are bad per se (as a diehard Joji fanboy, I significantly enjoy all of them), they only really offer a vibe, superfluously stretching out a basic song idea to create illusion of a complete song. The most heinous offender is the aforementioned High Hopes, with the strange beat, slow verses, and even slower chorus all capped by a boring Omar Apollo feature spelling out one very sleepy listening experience.
Thankfully, the album is able to end on a high note. Like You Do is a dramatically somber piano ballad that sounds like a spiritual predecessor to 2022's Glimpse of Us single. Maybe it's just because that song was played to death the past 2 years, but I actually find this one far more emotionally touching, especially during the beautiful chorus. In complete contrast, the final song, Your Man, is actually an upbeat pop song. While it should sound off-putting coming from something as heart-wrenching as Like You Do, it's ultimately a fitting way to end off an album that's almost only been sad the whole way through.
Nectar is without a doubt my favourite album of all time and undeniably a great release, yet part of me can't help but consider its wasted potential. 53 minutes is not a completely unreasonable length for an album, but Nectar's pacing and overall enjoyability would've benefitted greatly from the cutting of 2-3 songs in the second half that only serve to unnecessarily drag the listening experience. Still, these flaws don't take away from the incredible highs that are such a perfect payoff to the potential shown by his previous projects. Hopefully, Joji is able to recreate this same caliber of music in his future work.
Nectar / Joji / Alt R&B
Final Score: 8.5/10
Favourite Tracks: Daylight, Gimme Love, Run, Sanctuary, Mr. Hollywood, Like You Do
Least Favourite Track: High Hopes
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I’m new to this whole blogging thing, so if you have any feedback, criticisms, questions, or suggestions for what I should review next, I heavily encourage you to leave a comment.
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as a Fair Canadian Judge™, I give this post a 7/7