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CRITIC REVIEWS
75
It’s ... refreshing so early in the record to both see how much his music has matured and how much attention he’s putting into his music.
67
Joji’s first full-length project features a host of guests in a quality effort to help push past the confines of his bedroom walls and tedious heartache.
60
BALLADS 1 feels like his progression into adolescence, trying a slew of different vocal styles and soundscapes to figure out what fits him best. And while it doesn’t all work flawlessly, he certainly shows enough to prove that he could make something close to classic with a few more reps.
60
Ballads 1 is elegiac and prettily pout-faced; Miller used to make you cringe, Joji makes you cry.
50
Joji's Ballads 1 has some great songs, but a thin appeal, as most of the tracks don't function beyond their moody vibe and lo-fi aesthetic.
better... much better. However, despite the improvements on nearly every level, It still is the equivalent to musical wallpaper. I listened to this, and was left thinking... What does Jodi have that makes him standout from his contemporaries? To be honest, not much. He has a long way to go before creating a great project.
Edit: Revisiting this project, I underestimated just how high some of the highs are. Slow Dancing In The Dark, and No Fun are amazing and show so much potential for young Joji
Edit: Revisiting this project, I underestimated just how high some of the highs are. Slow Dancing In The Dark, and No Fun are amazing and show so much potential for young Joji
This album grew on me extremely hard. I'll just blame it on the fact that I'm a teenager.
But anyway, here's my top ramen recipe that I've been living off of lately because I have nowhere else to share it:
1: Bring a small, shallow pot of water to a boil on high heat, add a cake of ramen and turn the heat down to medium-low.
2: Add one raw egg to the pot immediately. Be careful while stirring the noodles not to break the egg.
3: Once the noodles have completely seperated, remove the noodles ... read more
But anyway, here's my top ramen recipe that I've been living off of lately because I have nowhere else to share it:
1: Bring a small, shallow pot of water to a boil on high heat, add a cake of ramen and turn the heat down to medium-low.
2: Add one raw egg to the pot immediately. Be careful while stirring the noodles not to break the egg.
3: Once the noodles have completely seperated, remove the noodles ... read more
Asian Americans and Youtube Scum: this is a FUCKING MASTERPIECE OH MY GOD DONT SHIT ON MY SAD LO-FI KINGGGG
Me: SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK was easily one of the best songs of the year, and there were a handful of other interesting tracks. This was a huge step forward for Joji on all levels, but it could have been a lot better.
The second half of the album is pretty damn forgettable tho, like that shit sucks
Me: SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK was easily one of the best songs of the year, and there were a handful of other interesting tracks. This was a huge step forward for Joji on all levels, but it could have been a lot better.
The second half of the album is pretty damn forgettable tho, like that shit sucks
Amazing
Joji's debut record is a staple of sad-boy lo-fi hip-hop, and he does a magnificent job of creating that dejected, lovesick vibe we all know and love (well maybe not all of us, but certainly me).
It's crazy to me just how many different emotions are packed into such a tight run time without ever breaking the flow or cohesion of the record as a whole. "ATTENTION", "WANTED U", "WHY AM I STILL IN LA" exhibit the saddest of all vibes on the record itself, ... read more
Joji's debut record is a staple of sad-boy lo-fi hip-hop, and he does a magnificent job of creating that dejected, lovesick vibe we all know and love (well maybe not all of us, but certainly me).
It's crazy to me just how many different emotions are packed into such a tight run time without ever breaking the flow or cohesion of the record as a whole. "ATTENTION", "WANTED U", "WHY AM I STILL IN LA" exhibit the saddest of all vibes on the record itself, ... read more
In Tongues was a disaster of an EP for Joji. Most of the songs sounded half finished and there was only one actual solid song in my opinion which was Will He. With Ballads 1, Joji becomes a more well rounded musician and singer and broadens his emotional range. One of the problems many people including myself had with In Tongues was Joji's very boring and relatively one note vocal performance. On Ballads 1 he turns that around and with songs like SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK adds more power and ... read more
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Year End Lists
| #21 | / | Dummy |
| #25 | / | Highsnobiety |
Track List
- ATTENTION
- SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK
- TEST DRIVE
- WANTED U
- CAN'T GET OVER YOU (feat. Clams Casino)
- YEAH RIGHT
- WHY AM I STILL IN LA (feat. Shlohmo & D33J)
- NO FUN
- COME THRU
- R.I.P. (feat. Trippie Redd)
- XNXX
- I'LL SEE YOU IN 40
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4mo
this guy wrote a song about masturbating to 13 year old girls on nickelodeon. no idea why anyone would even attempt to take Joji seriously
1y
Slow Dancing In The Dark was a damn good song. It's a shame that this album isn't as good...
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Added on: September 16, 2018