'After weeks of teasing the most consistently sumptuous visuals any artist has released this year, Janelle Monáe today released her album Dirty Computer and its accompanying 48-minute movie, which she's very smartly dubbed an 'Emotion Picture.' The film is packed full of visuals we've seen before (along with tracks from the album), as well as some new treats (Monáe's many outfit changes are one of the many highlights.) It's threaded through with a narrative as compelling as anything you'll see in a movie theatre, telling the story of "a young woman named Jane 57821 who is living in a totalitarian near-future society where citizens are referred to as 'computers.'"
This inventive premise, its flawless execution, and the fascinatingly varied sounds of Dirty Computer that soundtrack it all, cements Monáe's position as one of the entire music industry's leading innovators. At this point, it's hard to see her as anything other than a total visionary, who blends multiple genres to execute a sound and aesthetic that are instantly recognisable as hers. Some might call her a legend in the making, but Dirty Computer, in both film and album form, prove that Janelle Monáe is already at GOAT level.' Lauren O'Neill VICE
Janelle Monae