Sundial - Noname: Review

Noname

is a Chicago rapper whose blend of political wordplay and reserved demeanor made her a critical darling in the 2010s. Her two studio albums Telefone and Room 25 were both met with massive acclaim and now her third album Sundial is arriving 5 years after her previous.

Review by Lav:

This one took some time. I've been a huge fan of Noname for a long time which makes things complicated for me as a critic. Her relationship with her fans, particularly her white fans, has always been turbulent. That turbulence became even more difficult to process when Noname found herself in quite a bit of controversy for including Jay Electronica on the album, let's go right ahead to there. 

balloons is one of the best songs on this album. Both Noname and Jay Electronica crush their verses and the hook is absolutely wonderful too. The issue, is the content of Jay Elec's verse on both this song and almost all of his performances. His signature anti-semitism is of course on display here making it difficult to fully appreciate his lyrical talent. It also feels particularly out of place alongside so much of Noname's righteous political wordplay throughout the album. As someone who has praised Jay Electronica in the past despite his controversy, I feel comfortable saying he continues that uncomfortable dichotomy here. 

What makes it to tricky to assess is where it lies within Noname's world of particularly pointed politics and perfectly placed fury. Take the major highlight that precedes the song on the album hold me down, another sharp piece of political allegory. In the song she discusses how culture can be hijacked and turned against itself with a particularly evocative second verse. The perfect personification of her sound feels like an extra strong contrast from what Jay Elec brings to the very next track. 

It's an even further shame because the album gets off to a great start with those two tracks in conjunction with the opener black mirror. It's a pretty simple pair of short verses but the gentle strimming instrumental and backing vocals are perfectly subtle. The second verse in particular is a major highlight. Another great moment on the album is potentially the interlude whose cutthroat from the very start and never slows down with its intoxicating repetition. 

namesake is quickly becoming one of my favorites on the album with an opening verse that sees Noname digging into her own femininity and how rewarding it can be to share that with the femininity of others. The second half of the song is interesting as she takes aim at stars like Jay-Z and Beyonce who she accuses of sacrificing principles for money. But towards the end of the song she changes the trajectory of things when she puts herself on blast for playing Coachella which morphs the whole thing into a bit more of a structural complaint. It's an interesting direction to take the song it that always makes me consider it in a new light by the end. 

Similarly, toxic takes on masculinity through the lens of relationships and mistakes she's made in the past. What makes it compelling is Noname's usual depth of subject matter refusing to play it straight with a typical procession of hate. Instead, it approaches the situation with a combination of nuance and the appropriate venom. The album also ends in great fashion. I was skeptical about how $ilkmoney and Billy Woods would fit into Noname's world but their pounding delivery doesn't stop their dynamic flows and high lyrical bar. One thing I like a lot about the song is the fact that despite all its talk of militarization and cultural persecution, they also make it a point to present mechanisms for moving forward and transition into them with impressive detail. Closing track oblivion is amazing as it manages to feel conclusive without the need to be too grand. Noname's lyrics say it all perfectly describing a world that will be gone one day leaving no reason to hold anything back. She talks her shit and the album wraps up perfectly.

While I've done a lot of praising this album it isn't perfect throughout. Much has been made of some of the nonsense lyrics on boomboom. While the song certainly has a distinct character and cadence it doesn't quite come off as casual and infectious as other tracks where Noname goes in this direction. Tracks like beauty supply and afro futurism certainly attempt to blend into her style but they never manage to be quite as compelling. The former has one of the weakest beats on the record with stiff drums that kill the momentum and it also has a pretty underwhelming hook. Despite that, both it and afro are still full of quotables.

I like this record. While it isn't as consistent or as stellar as her two previous outings, I can't help but enjoy so much of what she has to offer as an artist. But I'd be lying if I claimed that the perception of Noname has changed quite a bit in my mind. Her response to fans expressing concern for the Jay Elec situation certainly showed the double standards she holds her political allies to. But it also just deteriorated the relationship I had with her music as a fan. Will that impact my perception of this album over time? I'd like to say no, but I know better. But no matter how reluctant I may one day be to identify myself as a big fan of Noname, I won't ever be able to say that I don't love most of Sundial. 7.5/10

For more hip-hop check out my review of Travis Scott's UTOPIA