Andre 3000
New Blue Sun



Release Date: 11/17/2023 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Dabbing at the edge of the audience’s consciousness like Bob Ross with white gesso

An iconic scene from the cult Australian film The Castle finds chronically inept suburban lawyer Dennis Denuto before the Supreme Court. Stumbling over words and fumbling with papers, Denuto, attempting to challenge the compulsory acquisition of protagonist Darryl Kerrigan’s home, decries the action as a contravention of the Australian constitution. When asked to cite the specific section of the constitution which has been violated, Denuto falters, before uttering his infinitely quotable retort:

”It’s just the vibe of the thing.”

One gets the sense that if Andre 3000 was drug before the court of public opinion and asked about New Blue Sun, his appeal to “The Vibe” would be just as central to his defence as Denuto’s. His first full-length release since recusing himself from the rap game almost two decades ago, the unexpected New Blue Sun sees the erstwhile Three Stacks forsake hip-hop entirely; instead performing with assorted woodwinds on a collection of long-form, new age / ambient tracks, replete with self described smatterings of spiritual jazz, and track titles longer and more patently ridiculous than those of even the most garrulous Midwest emo group.

Much has been made of the former rapper’s admiration of John Coltrane — ostensibly the original source of inspiration for Andre 3000 to begin performing with woodwinds and attempt to rebrand as a latter-day hep cat — but the harmonic frameworks and melodic phrasing here for the most begin to resemble the boldly baited lines Coltrane hooked listeners’ attention with only in the few restrained, almost tentative crescendi present in nearly ninety minutes’ worth of music. For the most part, Three Stacks’ flute work dabs at the edge of the audience’s consciousness like Bob Ross wielding a brush thick with white gesso. It’s a vibe, to be certain - but there is a listlessness here, exacerbated by excessive runtime, that makes these compositions feel more like improvisational noodling than expression.

New Blue Sun’s spiritual leanings feel similarly amorphous. Unlike Coltrane disciple Pharoah Sanders’ Karma, which compels submission to its terrifying exuberance with the implied threat that divine retribution may otherwise be meted upon the listener, New Blue Sun proffers only a vague invitation toward contemplation. There is none of Sun Ra’s cacophonous exaltation; none of Alice Coltrane’s meditative intrigue. New Blue Sun contents itself with setting a vibe and atmosphere that may be conducive to a spiritual experience if the listener is inclined towards pursuing that end, but little inherent spiritual exegesis seems discernible beyond this. In this sense, it is the soundtrack to a liminal space — its eerie featurelessness existing only to facilitate movement from point to point, and not as an end unto itself.

How to evaluate then music only intended to set a mood? Is the measure of a good ambient album merely how quickly one falls asleep to it? The breadth of Andre 3000’s talent is undeniable. New Blue Sun, is troubled not by a lack of potential, nor even by Three Stacks’ departure from hip-hop, but by a lack of anything much else to grab on to at all — even compared to more compelling ambient artists. New Blue Sun is undoubtedly a passion project, but cultivating a beginner’s mind here leaves Andre 3000 sounding like a dilettante tootling over backing tracks. Some may find reward in plumbing its depths, or use for it as a tool to aid spiritual transcendence. For the rest of us, it is mood music; enjoyable only insofar as its being unobtrusive enough to set the vibe for other activities — like reading music criticism on the internet.



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user ratings (101)
3.3
great

Comments:Add a Comment 
Butkuiss
November 23rd 2023


7747 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

Is comparing three stacks to Coltrane fair? Maybe not, but unfortunately for me this one wasn’t interesting as a jazz release or as ambient. Can’t wait to tank my approval with this!

artificialbox
Contributing Reviewer
November 23rd 2023


2662 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound Off

great review. agreed hard.

bellovddd
November 23rd 2023


6779 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

this was decent enough, for what it is.

Trebor.
Emeritus
November 23rd 2023


60012 Comments


I have no interest in listening to this but respect to him for making it I guess

Butkuiss
November 23rd 2023


7747 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

Thanks artificial!



And yeah, it’s not as though this is terrible. It’s all acceptably arranged and produced. I toyed with a 2.5 for a while, but I just don’t really feel like there’s enough here to justify the runtime in the end.

Rowan5215
Staff Reviewer
November 23rd 2023


47985 Comments


irregardless of the album's quality, "BuyPoloDisorder" is funny as fuck

Tundra
November 23rd 2023


9921 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

everyone rating this highly on RYM just cause it's Andre 3k is hilarious

Bloma
November 23rd 2023


174 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

I fucking love this album, it's a 5 from me.

garas
Staff Reviewer
November 23rd 2023


8179 Comments


I saw some memes about this one in dungeon synth circles, so I checked one song from this. This feels rather... amateurish.

Butkuiss
November 23rd 2023


7747 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

Yeah, I wish I could get out of this what some people seem to, but it’s beyond me.



Out of curiosity bloma, what about this makes it such an instant 5?

Sinternet
Contributing Reviewer
November 23rd 2023


26767 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Awful take

Bloma
November 23rd 2023


174 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

@Butuiss



It oozes atmosphere, has beautiful melodies that just feel so full of joy, hits some epic peaks that border on prog rock, the songs just feel right to me. Everything hits at the right time, it flows perfectly. Every song takes you on a different kind of journey, and it gets pretty intense at times. Sonically it's beautiful too, really warm and lush. I feel like I'm not doing it justice, it's hard to talk about music.

robertsona
Staff Reviewer
November 23rd 2023


28180 Comments


I thought this was only alright as well. Cool to do

normaloctagon
Contributing Reviewer
November 23rd 2023


4379 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

This site staying allergic to ambient, no surprise

JohnnyoftheWell
Staff Reviewer
November 23rd 2023


62343 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

"This site staying allergic to ambient, no surprise"



but how could you forget about



recommended by reviewer Stars of the Lid The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid Brian Eno Another Green World Alice Coltrane Turiya Sings Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The LSO Promises



the ultimate ambient meme discourse starter pack



Deez
November 23rd 2023


10498 Comments


im scared

JohnnyoftheWell
Staff Reviewer
November 23rd 2023


62343 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

will say that the first track on this is bumbling trash and validates every ounce of suspicion cast in this eloquent but perfunctory dance around not quite knowing how to read the pulse of a quote-unquote liminal organism



rest of the record so far makes me question whether ol' pal butkuiss promptly and understandably gave up there and then. defs a little diffuse at points, but this record handily inhabits and furnishes its own pocket of space

normaloctagon
Contributing Reviewer
November 23rd 2023


4379 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

B boy did you get filtered 😫

Butkuiss
November 23rd 2023


7747 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

I gave it multiple run throughs on different days (and a few scattered incomplete listenings) but it just doesn’t do much for me. Best track is track 3; maybe I’m just not as invested in getting something out of the rest of this 😶🙊

Havey
November 24th 2023


12273 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

my first time listening to the "new age" "ambient" "spiritual jazz" genres! i would describe the music as meditative, peaceful, ethereal, soothing, soft, calm, spiritual



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