By John Morris, Staff Writer
George Watsky is, and might always be, my favorite artist.
I’ve already written about one of his hidden albums, and when his newest album, which was also the second in a three-album series, dropped, I knew I was going to have to go over it at some point.
Now, however, is not that point. I recommend the album. It isn’t his best work in my opinion, but the hits -which are definitely “Advanced Placement”, “Best Friend the Floor”, and “Dreams & Boxes”- stick with you when you’re done listening.
There’s a nice political piece that shows Watsky’s thoughts on what our mindset should be in the upcoming election. It’s good, and it’s Watsky, but it’s Watsky in a different way.
And that’s what I’m writing about today.
To capture just what PLACEMENT, his newest work, is and why it is so satisfying to long-time fan of the artist like me, one needs to see just where he came from. Watsky has been an artist that has known evolution above all other things.
He’s transformed as the times have, and it’s never felt fake. With every album, it feels like he’s growing more mature with his songwriting and production, while also throwing his spin on whatever’s popular at the time.
He’s doing the same music that others make radio hits, but he’s weird about it, because Watsky is openly weird. As someone who’s thirteen years older than I am, his music came out with a cheerful optimism like an upbeat older-brother I needed giving me quirky life lessons in “Letter to my Sixteen Year Old Self”. People grew up with Watsky. Fans watched him grow alongside us.
That’s why I’ll be talking about the different versions of George Watsky that have popped up over time. I’ll be reviewing all 9 of Watsky’s major albums (with one already done!), before finally getting to PLACEMENT. The journey is so much more rewarding than the end result.
Watsky
The opening track, “Headphones”, is a fun message from his most introverted self, telling people not to bother him when he’s listening to music. It shouldn’t have been the opening track.
“Amplified”, his first piece with a feature, and it’s smooth, witty, and a much better explanation of who 2009 Watsky is. This album also hosts the first mention of Watsky’s epilepsy, in “Seizure Boy”, which is where he tries turning terrifying and embarrassing moments into a fun, motivational track about pushing forward.
This gets followed up with a parody track, “G.O.A.T.(W.G.M.F.M.C.)”, short for “Greatest of All Time Who Gets Mistaken for Michael Cera” and the placement of the two shows off the heart of the album. He wants to talk about deep, personal things and do good in people’s lives.
This is echoed by “Color Lines”, a track about his experience growing up as a white, privileged kid in the Bay Area who loved rap music, and what that means in terms of acknowledging the damage done to African Americans, and wondering how he can love and perform something with its roots in their culture without taking it away from them.
“Hercules” talks about American history, going over a company in Delaware his great-great grandfather owned that fought a monopoly-running corporation.
He also wants to have fun. He’s a kid. He’s twenty-three years old, and he wants to cheer everyone up. “Two Blue Moons” is a fun ditty about his twin brother.
The song “Who’s Been Loving You?” is paired with a music video of Watsky singing with stuffed animals and toy microphones from his childhood as he thanks everyone for supporting him growing up, and gives anecdotes about his life, like “battle-rapping my Teddy Bear”.
“Watsky” is fun. It’s not super serious, but it’s serious enough. He tries tackling bigger things, but overall, the focus is elsewhere. He’s young, and his wit here comes out in word play.
The next album, “A New Kind of Sexy Mixtape”, is what “Watsky” was but maximized. The fun bits take themselves even less seriously, while the serious ones get smarter and are better crafted.
“Watsky” is a good album. It’s such a strange introduction to who he is, because only influences of it are left. However, he keeps to this side of him as well.
While his album tour for PLACEMENT was postponed, one show had him revisiting this album and doing the music from it. He still does shows that are completely out of tune with his current music, and it’s even in here that it shows that one thing that Watsky has always done with his music was be himself, so much so that he can always go back to it if he needs to.
