The Listening Room

Just a beautiful album. The peak of Mac Millers’ swirling creative influences and inspiration. Jazz, soul, funk, rap, all of it. So much introspective depth (and a lot of demons). Eternal classic.

How has it been over seven years since this dropped? I was never a Mac fan so I have no idea how I stumbled into this one, but I was blown away from the first listen. His lyrics. His delivery. The production. F'n Thundercat! The range of emotions he covers in an hour is incredible. From get out of your seat and dance to hide me in a dark closet and let me be. I get goosebumps just thinking about it. He really was at his peak here. His Tiny Desk concert is the second most watched since they started recording. To your point, he was fighting demons but it came out as beautiful sounds for all of us to soak in forever. Over/under on plays this week is set at 4.5. I'm probably going to crush that. Pressing play!

This album will never get old. For me, it's kind of hard to put into words why certain albums just stick with you that way. Part of it surely is the breadth in sounds that the Swimming delivers. We have upbeat funk, stripped down coffeehouse vibes, synth'y love songs, string arrangements, dreamy sing alongs. The sequencing and flow of the album feels purposeful and engaging throughout. The lyricism and subject matter is very direct and, at times, pretty sad. Mac was clearly struggling with the conflict between his internal emotions and external perceptions as his career was peaking. Within that context he was addressing his relationships, drug use, fans and his own exhaustion. It all adds up to a portrait of someone on a ride that they couldn't stop -- fully understanding and coming to terms with the implications of it all. Jet Fuel, 2009, So It Goes feels like the writing on the wall. RIP to the guy.