2/26/20
4:04 AM
It’s been little over a month since the release of Malcolm McCormick, or more famously known as Mac Miller’s posthumous album, and it’s still difficult to pin a definitive opinion on the project itself.
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Without a huge certainty on the intentionality for the thematic scheme of the album, the record seems to revolve in circles around the topic of life, and the experiences therewitihin. Circles as an album pictures a tragically beautiful story— one in which the listener is placed into a dramatic irony of seeing the hopelessness in a man yearning for self-visualization, reflecting upon his afflictions, and having plans for the tomorrows, but is deprived of a future. This is elaborated in knowing that Malcolm was going through a period of depression from relationships and failed recoveries, and yet the lyrical contents of the album seemed to reflect a desolate optimism in its message, and in the midst of this assuring tonality, the listener is again reminded of the passing of the young rapper.
Circles is nearly impossible to categorize as a single genre album, and even to two or three; perhaps best labeled as an urban-contemporary project in my opinion. Inclusions of hip-hop, rap, R&B, emo, house, rock, and even folk or indie influences are notable throughout the album, making it digestible for a wide range of audiences while adhering to Mac’s stylistic fluidity in production and songwriting. The overall lack of energy doesn’t seem to take away from the record as much, but provides a forlorn overtone to it. However, “Blue World” (produced by Guy Lawrence—one half of the EDM group Disclosure and some additional input by Jon Brion) and some short moments in other tracks keep the totality of the album from being eclipsed by gloom, and showcases aptitudes for the range of color in Mac Miller’s music.
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While the death of Malcolm James McCormick does not augment or minimize the album in any way, I do believe that Circles being released as a commemorative work does affect the way that the listener engages with the album. Perhaps the most disheartening element in the passing of the young artist and seeing the end to his career may have been the potential of his future and his involvement in music. So many artists attested to his influence within the industry and how much he contributed to it as well, and the stories of his actions on and off the mic were just a few things about him that made him not only an incredible artist, but also a human being.
Gone too soon.
Listen to the album below: