Review Summary: Having amazing guest appearances and confidence, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight is a carefully curated cinematic experience created out of Travis Scott's gifted musical vision
When Travis’ auto-tuned crooning first came through the speakers, I knew all the delays were worth the wait for
Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight. Where
Rodeo accumulated La Flame’s influences into a grand statement, this record is more of a celebration of his influences and his current success. For listeners it’s a celebration of getting the chance to hear freaking Travis Scott at what he does best: building immersive musical worlds with eccentric characters.
Throughout
Birds in the Trap, Travis Scott returns to his dark and moody atmosphere of near operatic synth constructed beats. Even though Travis Scott is not a talented lyricist in the traditional sense, appreciation should be given to his hook writing ability on this album and that nearly every track is a straight banger. “way back” and “coordinate” are bleak rockstar studded anthems, while the remix to K. Forest’s track “guidance” is perfect for night driving. And “beiebs in the trap” and “goosebumps” slap the speakers. Through each track, Travis Scott’s transitions from auto-tune entranced melodic singing to rapid-fire flow becomes an instrument within the album’s brooding musical tapestry. The vocals on “sdp interlude” are beautiful and ethereal, enough to get lost in its simplicity.
Like
Rodeo,
Birds in the Trap fronts a spectacular guest list, each one giving a mind-boggling performance. Besides the serious mystery of how the hell did Travis manage to get Andre 3000 on his album there is 3 Stacks’ actual verse about the late 1970s child murders in Atlanta. “through the late night” brings backs that classic Kid Cudi flow circa
Man on the Moon and when Travis spits a portion of Cudi’s “Day ‘n’ Nite,” it brings back the best kind of nostalgia. “outside,” a clear highlight on the album, has a threatening 21 Savage verse and “beibs in the trap” brings out Nav for a bangin’ feature. Kendrick Lamar, of course, has an amazing verse but besides the lyrical bravado performs with melodic flexibility. Props to Travis Scott for bringing the likes of Andre 3000 and company into his world without sacrificing his signature dark aura.
Those who did not enjoy
Rodeo will have a hard time enjoying this album. With every complaint of unoriginal lyricism, shameless pillaging of his contemporaries’ style and over-aggrandizement of his own ego there is an eager desire to futilely disregard the other side of the narrative. Travis Scott is a musical auteur, who re-conceptualizes his idols' and peers’ visions into new cinematic experiences. He encapsulates his producer’s sonic menagerie into beautiful landscapes and his carefully curated guest appearances into wonderful set-pieces. Rumors of crazy live shows and the hype surrounding him only propel him to new heights among this generation. Reminiscent of his previous efforts, Travis Scott gladly revels in his own microcosm and continues to get better for doing so.
Every portion of
Birds in the Trap is meticulously crafted, always allowing for the possibility to become mesmerized at its invention. With each listen, there is a new insight, a new imagining of a verse, a new chord or vocal adjustment pops out. To me, that’s what the best albums accomplish.
