Utopia＜Crystal Clear Vinyl＞

One of the most successful rappers and entertainers of his generation, Travis Scott changes gears on fourth studio album UTOPIA. The psychedelic trap sound that brought Scott chart domination on his 2018 album, Astroworld, gets smoothed out into new forms of tense, atmospheric rap with big-screen production aided by a guest list made up of some of the biggest names in music. Scott is in full-on Kanye mode throughout UTOPIA. The pulsing percussion and thick bass of "Circus Maximus" feel like a direct callback to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, the burning synths of "Modern Jam" or shattered, distorted beats of songs like "Sirens" reference Yeezus, and other subtle nods to various moments of Wests influence are peppered throughout. West himself lends production to parts of the album and is just one of many on UTOPIAs staggering list of world-famous contributors. Drake adds a seething verse to "Meltdown," Beyonce sings over the majority of doomy house-influenced track "Delresto (Echoes)," The Weeknd and 21 Savage are both on multiple tracks, and there are also appearances by Bad Bunny, SZA, Young Thug, Kid Cudi, Bon Ivers Justin Vernon, Dave Chappelle, and many others. UTOPIA feels like a concerted effort on Scotts part to both expand his artistic range and turn in a timeless statement similar to the Kanye albums hes clearly inspired by. While the album might ultimately not be as fully realized as it would need to be to rank among historys best, Scotts fearless exploration of new sounds and styles is what keeps UTOPIA interesting. There are experiments with ambience, risky beat switches, theatrical and hook-free pop, and orchestration that Scott has never attempted before. The multi-platinum guest features might set the album up for global conquest, but the most exciting moments come when it sounds like Scott is discovering a new way to push his craft forward. ~ TiVo Staff

5年ぶりの通算4作目。ファッション界にもハイプを振り撒き、思わせぶりな映像作品の後に満を持してアルバムへという動きはカニエ・ウェストを彷彿とさせるが、ダークでエクスペリメンタルな作品の印象も同様だ。ダフト・パンクによるサイケな"Modern Jam"も、そのカニエ制作の不穏な"God's Country"も、神を名乗りだした頃の彼に通じる。一方でビヨンセに舵取りを任せて酩酊フロウを紡ぐ"Delresto"をはじめ、トラヴィスならではのディストピアな世界観も強度を増している。サンファが歌うエモーショナルな"My Eyes"では例の事件の重荷にも触れ、本作が単なるユートピアではないことも示す。
bounce (C)池谷瑛子