Childish Gambino - Because the Internet

A not-in-the-slightest-expert analysis by Nimbi.

I’ve always dreamt of owning a zero gravity chamber.  There’s one daydream in particular where I’m floating around in one with some friends, one of whom throws a pan of jello at me from the other end of the chamber. Another friend is standing between us with a tennis racket, and as the jello glides towards him, he swings at it, slicing the glob into dozens of little jello cubes. I bound forward gracefully trying to eat as many of the jello cubes as I can in one passing. The cubes that I don’t manage to eat within thirty seconds turn into mini Flubber babies, and the rest of the daydream is spent unfolding much like a 1997 film. RIP Robin Williams.

While I haven’t saved up enough cash to snag one of these zero gravity chambers quite yet, (I peruse craigslist twice a day just in case there’s a good deal), Donald Grover, aka Childish Gambino, has graciously provided me with the next best thing: the simulated experience of floating in a giant purple lava lamp.

Yes, specifically purple, with occasional hints of blue. That’s what his latest album “Because the Internet” was for me, in essence: 57 minutes and 52 seconds of floating in a giant purple lava lamp.

At first, this was freaking awesome. I mean it was new, exhilarating, weird at times, but altogether fresh…until the nausea kicked in and it felt like the walls of the lava lamp were closing in on me as I spun around aimlessly. Now there came a point, about half way through the album, where not even Pepto Bismol could’ve saved me, because pink is too close to purple, and that would’ve only made things worse. What I’m saying is, I feel that as an album, ‘goofy’ is a representative word at first, and then towards the latter half, ‘trippy af’ is a better explanation.

If you read the screenplay that goes along with the 18.142ish tracks (the first is literally four seconds sooo…), the music begins to make more sense, complementing the story line pretty well. As a screenplay, the themes are pretty depressing and static, but ultimately effective in what it’s trying to do. The goofy lyrics and upbeat stuff going on at the beginning of the album correspond with the lighter parts of the story (around the time I lawled at the ‘Kangaroo Jack’ joke early on in the script). But by the end of the plot you feel kinda empty and ‘meh’ about existence, feelings that are mirrored in the vibes of the later tracks.

Cool concept for the album and screenplay, and everything as a whole. The dude’s really ‘making moves’ if you will, and while I’d recommend people to check it out just for what it is, I can’t see myself necessarily listening to/reading/engaging in “Because the Internet” on my own accord, and certainly not for my listening pleasure. I am genuinely curious to see what other wacky stuff this guy comes up with though.

“Don’t be mad cause I’m doing me better than you doing you…Better than you doing you, fuck it, what you gon’ do?” –Sweatpants

^First of all, telling me not to be mad about something is just going to make me mad about it, and secondly you’re probably right: I’m not doing me too well right now so thanks for that reminder, mom. But even without this little interruption, “Sweatpants” is a sweet song, and a catchy one at that.

As an album, without the screenplay and context from “Clapping for the Wrong Reasons” to back it all up, my initial feelings hovered around a 4 out of 10. Just didn’t really didn’t do much for me towards the end and I found myself dosing off mentally. He’s trying to do a lot in each track, and it ends up switching motifs so often and abruptly that the sounds get cluttered, busy, and borderline claustrophobic for the listener. But after reading the screenplay and everything as it was intended to be experienced, I’d bump that up to a 6.5 out of 10.

Conceptually, the project is worth checking out as a whole, and if you want good tracks, check out the first ten or so, especially “Sweatpants” and if you’re feeling edgy, “Flight of the Navigators.”

If you’re like me, on the market for a zero gravity chamber and sick of living vicariously through Sandra Bullock’s space expeditions, try “Because of Internet.” It’s like floating in a giant purple lava lamp, and quite possibly the next best thing to being in space itself.

Favorite Track: Sweatpants
Least Favorite Track: Zealots of Stockholm

6.5/10