After five long years, the Spider-Verse is back, and with it comes a fire new album by Metro Boomin and many other big names like Swae Lee, A$AP Rocky, 21 Savage and Lil Uzi Vert.
Hip-hop vibes flow through all 47 minutes of the album and the R&B mixed with smooth afrobeats tie the whole thing together.
The glitching and neon spider featured on the cover goes hand in hand with the stratospheric feel of this album. It has a well-suited electric vibe that fits each song perfectly.
As the credits rolled, the somber notes of a violin filled the theater and the first lyrics of “Am I Dreaming” began to play. The rhythmic synthesizer accompanied the cliffhanger ending as many realized what this subdued melody meant.
The album had a lot of syncopated melodies that carried strong jazzy lyrics, starting with the funky digital tones of “Annihilate,” all the way to the soul-influenced guitar of “Nas Morales.”
The upbeat repetitiveness of “Silk & Cologne” and the peppy beat of “Link Up” creates that bubbly feeling and just makes me want to sing along. Its animated lyrics and energetic tunes are convenient for when you imagine yourself in the movie, swinging through the streets of Brooklyn and fighting off the bad guys.
One of the most played songs from the album was “Hummingbird” by Metro Boomin and James Blake with almost 55 million listeners on Spotify. I also recognized another song embedded within its lyrics.
“Tonight You Belong To Me,” a pop song from 1956 by Patience and Prudence, is sampled at the beginning and can be heard throughout the rest of it, adding another layer of feeling to the overall vibe of the song.
Each song amplifies the story and scene it’s paired with in the movie and definitely adds a small touch to the film that gives it way more depth. The juxtaposition of each melody and scene just pulls everything together.
Another small touch I loved was the use of movie quotes at the end of songs like “All The Way Live,” “Self Love,” and “Calling.”
“Mini man, come on, drop the beat!”
This album is definitely one I would recommend to all Spider-Man fans and even if you didn’t watch the movie, the album still has some amazing bops that you should listen to, especially if you’re into hip-hop and R&B.
Now if anyone needs me I’ll be listening to “Hummingbird.”
