Travis Scott - Utopia ALBUM REVIEW 

Fantano, Just because Drake made you Scared of the 6 doesn’t mean you had to give the Album a 7

If it was called “To Pimp a Utopia” he would’ve given it a 10/10

What you said about Travis using production and aesthetic to make his music feel like high art whilst the writing stays generic is so true and I think that makes it best. viewed as a soundscape.

I agree with his criticism of the lyrics. If Travis matched his musical ambition with some deep lyricism, he would be unstoppable.

This is truly one of the most thorough and succinct pieces of music criticism ever. Your thoughts are presented in an organized manner and articulated well. Your opinion is backed by reasonable justifications and criticisms too. For that reason I'm reporting your channel and unsubscribing

“IMAX-type records” is the best way I have ever heard anyone describe Travis Scott’s music. Perfectly encapsulates what sets him apart from his contemporaries.

"this album is flawless in every way possible, I love this album to peices. With that being said, I'm feeling a light 3-"

Heavenly to hear James Blake on the last track. He works so well with rappers. Cant wait for his next solo project. Hope he takes some risks and moves in a beautiful, new direction

So a strong 7 is essentially a light 8, with a light 8 basically just being an 8, with an 8 just really being a strong 8, which is just basically a 9, and a 9 is basically a perfect score nowadays since 10s are so rare which basically makes this album a 10/10. Wow, thank you Anthony🙌🙌

Fantano, Just because everyone said you were gonna give this album a 6, doesn’t mean you had to give him a 7

Skitzo is a 10/10 song. The first 3 minutes sounds like a perfect song on its own. It randomly switches around to some extremely hard beats. He matches them immaculately with his flows. I’m not worried about whether or not it sounds cohesive. It sounds unpredictable but FIRE. Love that song.

This album gave me exactly what I wanted and expected. The last thing I wanted when this album was announced was Astroworld 2, so when he said he was going back to the sound of Owl Pharaoh and Rodeo I got excited, especially when the album cover dropped which is very reminiscent of Rodeo’s. All in all it felt like a successor to Rodeo while retaining some of the Astroworld sound which I loved. It’s sitting around an 8.5 to a 9 for me.

Really nice of you giving your first 11/10 to Travis Scott Anthony!

Glad you finally gave him the 10 he deserves

The beginning of hyena the first track of the album is actually took out from a song called proclamation on The power and the glory. An album from gentle giant a prog rock band in the 70s and its pretty crazy how i would have never imagined travis listening to that kind of music. I guess inspiration comes from everywhere and everyone

Gentle Giant = one of progressive rock’s most unique bands (they were sampled on Tribe’s We Got It From Here too), this sample is so unexpected it’s gone over many people’s heads (including the reviewer’s)

loved the dream like atmosphere in “parasail” especially paired w/ travis’ lyrics, “washing memories, tryna make it last”. one of my favorites on the album imo

absolutely love this album, im also super glad travis didn’t just make an astroworld 2

Have to say I agree. There's definitely some low points; however, Travis could of easily made a trap-heavy album following the success of Astroworld, and yet choose to deliberately make an experimental album that felt more true to his vision rather than the expectation of fans. Say what you want, but that takes courage.

travis’s rapping really took a huge step on this project, love to see it

if Travis moaned Anthony's name for an hour he would've gotten a 10/10

I often felt that crossfading tracks and looping beats together was a cheat code for cohesion and on this album I'm super impressed he strayed from that and decided to create all original diverse songs that somehow all fit within the same soundstage. I feel like the song SKITZO is a testament to the album itself. I think this album is his best work since Rodeo.

Lmao this album had mad potential to be a near perfect if Trav would really rap his lyrics with more substance in em. His concepts, production, themes, vocals/effects are all out of this world but the generic and sometimes trash lyrics just stop the dude from having that whole masterpiece

Fan theory: Does it seem to anyone else that Travis organized Utopia in a three-act structure? The first third (tracks 1-6): Have an introductory feel. My Eyes sets the emotional landscape and God’s Country paints a picture of the societal landscape. The center third (tracks 7-12): Meltdown and the next five tracks go much harder and feel like they’re committing to heart of the album and it’s themes and conflicts. Parasail, as the two-thirds point of the project, is a reflective interlude serving as the turning point or climax. The final third (tracks 14-19): Have a descending feel with slightly sparser production. Lost Forever in particular has a more subdued feel sonically and lyrically. Telekinesis is the perfect finale and Til Further Notice is the outdo and roll credits. Just a thought… Like Fantano said, Travis’ greater skill is as an orchestrator and framer of projects. The project is trying to be immersive and convey a cinematic type of aura.

I'm glad that My Beautiful Dark Twisted Utopia finally was rated a 10/10 by Melon.

0:08 Why Travis Scott is so influential and successful 0:41 Travis Scott’s non-musical business ventures 1:25 The Astroworld Festival disaster of Nov 2021 2:39 the Utopia promo cycle, and how BITTSM and Astroworld “rested on Travis’ laurels” 3:39 Commentary on Utopia’s worldbuilding and maximalism 4:34 Opening bars of HYAENA - uses them to talk about Utopia’s general lack of depth and role as “ear-candy” instead of something more profound 5:28 HYAENA 5:51 THANK GOD 6:30 MODERN JAM 7:39 MY EYES 8:20 GOD’S COUNTRY N/A SIRENS 9:04 MELTDOWN 10:11 FE!N (dislikes the Carti feature 😔) 11:00 DELRESTO (ECHOES) 11:45 I KNOW ? 12:05 TOPIA TWINS 12:38 CIRCUS MAXIMUS 13:13 PARASAIL 13:47 SKITZO 14:28 weird tangent about Travis saying “Ye over Biden” and Fantano’s criticism of this bar 14:59 LOST FOREVER 14:59 LOOOVE 15:11 K-POP 15:19 TELEKINESIS 15:51 TIL FURTHER NOTICE 17:14 Overall thoughts on Utopia. Decent to STRONG 7

I found this album to be a very fun and interesting listen. Really enjoyed it.

I agree with so much of what you said. Glad you kept level and have a realistic review. Almost all of the other reviews I’ve watched are nonstop praise and how great everything is. There def are high points and low points in this album and you did a great job alluding to that.

You would’ve gave it a 10 if it was called Tea Time & it was just Aubrey talking about Vegan cookies ☕️🫖

I can finally tell my friends that I enjoyed the album

It wasn't bad. It's a decent album. Definitely more vibe over content but the production and engineering is amazing!

I think you said it perfectly when you said “ there is little momentum from section to section” because that’s exactly how I felt listening to this album it plays to me more like Travis‘s scrap bin as opposed to his traditional IMAX presented albums like you describe

Hyaena starts with a sample of Proclamation by English prog legends Gentle Giant, those are the lyrics you're referencing at 4:46. It's taken from a critically acclaimed concept album about the corruption of power. Just wanted to stress, they're not Travis' lyrics and make way more sense in the context they were sampled from.

My eyes was easily my favorite song on the album imo, that shit had me floating 🔥🔥

There are some truly great songs on this album like: My Eyes (which is beautiful), I Know?, Parasail, Thank God, Telekinesis, Circus Maximus, Hyaena, and Meltdown.

what you said about him using production to give his music a high art feel while his writing stays generic/corny is exactly what i thought. i’m a sucker for the theatrics and i love the sound but lyrically he clearly has nothing to say about anything. the instrumentals on some songs had me preparing myself for some introspection just to hear a bunch of empty lyrics. i liked the maggot brain sample, and i caught every kanye reference on my first listen bc of how literal it was. the 1st half of the album was brilliant imo and the 2nd half dragged on, i wonder what it is about skitzo that made it worth the 6 minute run time to him. i didn’t expect to enjoy this project as much as i did on my first listen. i really like that he’s experimenting more, and i enjoyed his solo tracks the most. i would’ve liked to hear more from him, it felt like he was hiding behind his collaborators especially towards the end. this is definitely one of his better works :)

Parasail and My Eyes are my personal favorites. I always think Travis’ chill-psychedelic songs are him at his best like Astrothunder and sdp interlude

there’s still a few songs i don’t really like that much, but the sound is more unique than astroworld which i like. i still wish lost forever still had the original beat all the way through and the longer intro that the fashion show version had

This is easily one of the best Travis albums ever. This was really experimental and I LOVED it!

very very glad we got this new unique soundscape and not a bunch of escape plan type production as much as i love that song

i think utopia is a step ahead of astroworld, it has low points but the continuous switch of sound in the album gives a hyper original and very high level tone to the album

Sampha sang only one line on “my eyes” and it was one of the most beautiful things i ever heard

i've heard that a certain amount of people are saying that is a bad album, this and that but i just can say that is a really good album, it has bangers and others songs that develop the album as UTOPIA

When the Album came out I kinda agreed with Melon's Rating but as I have listened more to it and I have got to know about more about the Album. I am feeling a Light 8 for this Album.

thank you for the modern jam love, been seeing WAY too much slander for it online😤😤

This is how mbdtf felt to kanye fans

I know is the best song of the album... chilled, to the point and does not try too much, plus the hook will be incredible live when everyone is singing it. I feel that Travis's albums can only be graded post live performances as AstroWorld blew up after the videos of the live performances started bubbling online. Strong effort overall and i believe ill be listening to around 7-8 songs post album hype

Everyone’s saying it already but I think it’s true that this album will age really well and it really reminds me of Yeezus in a lot of ways. Have to give Kanye credit where back in 2013 he said he was making music for “10 years in the future” looking at 2023 I think his prediction really came true

In some ways, Utopia really does feel like the true follow-up to Rodeo, not just with the album cover but the nocturnal feel as well. Something feels missing at times with a few tracks not fitting going for a more commercial feel, but still really good overall. Modern Jam was nuts, Teezo had a really cool inflection that reminded me of how Andre 3000 would sing almost. But the backdrop was anything but cheerful on Modern Jam. Super sinister, super futuristic. It was fantastic. I also might like Meltdown more as a Travis and Drake Song over Sicko Mode because I LOVED the way Drake rapped on it. Super gritty, petty, and to the point. A lot like the verses on IYRTITL. Other tracks that were also great were the opening track HYAENA, THANK GOD, AND FE!N Was really impressed with this album, and it felt like a return to form for a darker Travis. And a true successor to the Rodeo era. Which is my personal fav, and before it even released, I was super hopeful and excited because I had a feeling based on the cover art. It's probably my second favorite Travis album. My first being Rodeo of course, but it really feels like this could go toe to toe in terms of mood and album standouts.

i already kind of expected him to give higher rating. If you watched the live stream where he had reacted to Utopia, then you would see that he tends to often enjoy the songs. So that is just a clearly indicator that he is gonna rate it high up.

Can’t believe u didn’t talk about the last part of my eyes, good rapping and the most emotional lyrics on the album, touching on the Astro world tragedy

Great review anthony! Definately one of your most thoughtful reviews yet. Hope you lose the activision case.

Come on Fantano , If it was named "Kids see Utopia" you would've given it a 10 / 10 .

3 months later, I don’t see anybody talk about this record, which is insane to me. I’m not a fan, but I expected it to have a bit more of a shelf life.

Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo (one half of Daft Punk) co-produced MODERN JAM, and once I found that out I could definitely tell that he made the track.

Rating the album a NOT GOOD and then not putting it in the title was a top tier prank! Well done Anthony. Got me.

This album is 40 years old and is still a classic😭😭😭😭

Yesssss I knew I could count on him to say this out of all people : I haaaaate when artists wrap their projects in an aura of depth n mysteriousness n luxury n start making their albums a brand when in reality there's really not much substance in them n of course not every peice of music has to be deep n thoughtfull but it just rubs me the wrong way when artists promise something that's not there by overcompensating with insane production n marketing

I personally rate this album an 8.5. I feel like you missed some of the progression of symbolism in the album. The beginning of hyaena is setting up that you are in neither utopia nor dystopia. As the album progresses it’s realized that utopia is different for each person, or subjective. I think the album definitely could’ve done a better job with transitions, and had a good amount of songs that didn’t add to that theme. But overall it was incredible quality and easily some of Travis’s best lyricism.

Glad to know the Playboi Carti feature is what made this album better than MBDTF Melon 👍

Thank you for giving a nuanced review of this album and not just Pitchfork-ing it!

The beat switch on MY EYES is my favourite part of the album

Now! That’s What I Call Music tier list when?

i like this project a lot for the risks it takes, even if not all of them succeed. id love to hear travis come into some more personal topics lyrically like he did on rodeo on the next record. i also hope the next record comes at a time where a kanye feature is more appropriate , if it ever will be

Can't believe Fantano gave this a negative 372 out of 10. Such a underrated album.

there is no fucking way yeat's new album got a better ranking than UTOPIA. WHAT THE FUCK????

there's absolutely no way you didn't talk about the beat switch and travis's rapping on the second half of my eyes

Cant believe there was no mention of the last half of “My Eyes” Travis went insane on it, wish we had more of that Travis Especially since he referenced the AstroWorld festival tragedy in it.

personally loved the album, definitely here for it. when i actually first listened to hyaeana the minute those instrumentals kicked on i knew i would love it. 🖤

I had no idea I would love this album as much as I did. I really do think that Utopia is one of the best albums of the 2020s so far

I loved this album I’m giving it a 9. The first leg of the album is some quality work. Really impressed.

I’m glad that now I can moderately enjoy the album instead of thoroughly enjoying it like I was before this review. Thanks melon

Honestly thank you for talking about Astroworld. Feels like we’ve all kinda moved on but like 10 people died.

I'd out this in his top 3 depending on stain power might put it on his #1. It truly gets better the more you listen to it

I went to a Travis concert a month ago in Milan and let me tell you: there were no safety plannings. Everything was batshit crazy as usual.

Parasail is one of Travis' best, it's a track that conceptually sounds weird but Travis makes it work

Maybe it's because I was messed up at the time, but I loved Parasail. I didn't even think of the Astroworld incident, it's just a great song idk ❤️

the movie was wild. crazy visuals. made me appreciate the album way more

Despite being a huge Fan, this Album thankfully surprised me in the most important way: It sounded and felt fresh/new from Travis which is something I did not exepect after hearing K-pop which i also really dislike ontop of sounding generic to me. Yes, Utopia has some obivious influences/inspirations, but besides a couple songs that dont fit my personal preference, this album is very solid and worth the wait for me. What are some of your favorites so far guys?

Can't believe Anthony just reviewed the beloved Disney film "Zootopia" for 18 minutes straight

The my eyes sample is “Over there”, by The Japanese House

Anthony, please, Utopia literally means a perfect place, how can you give a concept designed to be perfect a 7/10. You really can't never be satisfied, you'll always want more.

fantano: “it feels and sounds like high art from another dimension” also fantano: yeah give that shit a 7

Utopia is better than Astroworld overall in my opinion. Good job Travis, but let’s see if you can make another album on the same or greater level than Rodeo!

Hello my Friend. Thank you for your invaluable input. I just realised I have wish-suggestion. When I go to the overview of your videos I would love it if after the Artist-Album there also was some hint on the Genre as it would help me listen to my priorities first. Don't know if I am alone with this thought though

Fantano completely missed the vibe of PARASAIL, such a shame!

can’t believe he finally gave travis the “guilty of that astroworld incident”/10 rating we were waiting for!

This album is so interesting in that it’s more than the sum of its parts. The consistent production feel and vocal performances go a long way in creating an atmosphere that really lends itself to a good album experience, even if I’m not taking a lot of songs by themselves from this project. Don’t see a lot of album focused experiences from big time artists, shout-out to Travis for that.

I like how fantano mentions influences by album and artist titles cause sometimes he can make a fan aware of some other music they might enjoy because its a similar energy or sound

Meltdown you have to hear on some subs. The 808s on the second half go nutssss. (My car's subs setup are 2 Crossfire XT3 12s, and a JP63)

Only listened to it once, I thought it was cohesive but kinda bland. I'm not sure what risks he took? I'd give it a 6/10 personally, with 5 being an actual average album.

Anthony, you can’t just give this album a 7 because you opened up that window and let out the antidote.

Travis or his producer sampled "Aspirations" from progresive rock legends Gentle Giant. The opening track from their titan of a record "The Power and The Glory." Only good thing I have to say about this one

I like the opening lines; kinda just speaks to numbness and purgatory of the moment. Would utopia feel any better or more emotional purgatory? The album os def dark despite the name so I think the apathy/hopelessness in the opening lines is the thesis statement/definition

Deserved 12/10 Fantano, your ratings have evolved in such a good way

If it was named "To Pimp a Utopia" you would gave it a strong 10/10

this man puts everything so eloquently. great video as always

Every time travis scott drops an album, the world responds. Every time travis drops, it's a movie.

This was a 5 at best. The dummy cut the good sample on westside Gunn and gave him a beat machine instrumental.

This albums really interesting. I’ve gone back and listened to rodeo and birds in the trap, and there’s just something messy and not as “in sync” as this album. As high as some of the highs are for his earlier work, the dead spots are far too decayed for me now. While with this album, when I’m on the road, even though I really only go to a handful of tracks to get in the zone with, whenever I start Hyaena, I really have a hard time not listening to the entire thing from front to back, and considering Hyaena is one of those tracks I go to for a quick pick up, the whole entire album is simply a cut above from the rest of his work. I’d personally switch the scores for Utopia and Rodeo, and since the lowkey melancholy sound utopia gives is something I’m personally attracted to, I’d really be closer to a 9 for it. I think this album is really going to age well