Let’s be honest, 2016 has been a pretty terrible year. It’s had a rough election cycle, too many celebrity deaths, the Zika outbreak and plenty of other unfortunate events. However, it’s been a really great year for music and music comebacks, including LCD Soundsystem, American Football, The Avalanches, The Strokes, Gorillaz, Frank Ocean, the XX, and De La Soul among others.
This Friday marks the release of A Tribe Called Quest’s sixth album, following its first breakup in 1998. The Emerald thought it would be interesting to take a look at why the comeback albums from this year haven’t been well received, and what listeners can do to manage their expectations when a popular band comes back after a long hiatus.
After 16 long years, The Avalanches finally returned this past summer with its second album, Wildflower, and while it was rather critically acclaimed it could never reach the same amount of positive reception as its debut, Since I Left You. The Avalanches’ first album ended up on multiple year-end lists, won awards in Australia, and is one of the most influential albums in the genre. While many critics and fans enjoyed Wildflower, it hasn’t had the same staying power or influence that Since I Left You had in 2000 (2001 if you were in the U.S.).

Just three weeks ago, acclaimed emo/indie rock band American Football also released its second self-titled album in 17 years. The first self-titled was recorded in four days while the band’s members were enrolled at the University of Illinois. It was originally intended to be a side project. It has since gone on to receive dozens of positive reviews and is considered to be one of the most influential albums in the emo revival. American Football’s newest album was only recorded so they would have more songs to play at their shows and is mostly about the members’ adult lives. While still good, the revival isn’t as special nor as influential as its debut.

There has been a lot of news surrounding A Tribe Called Quest in recent years, from the 25th anniversary of its first album, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, last year to the unfortunate passing of core member Phife Dawg this past March. Its first new album in 18 years, We Got It from Here…Thank You 4 Your Service, features guest appearances from André 3000, Kendrick Lamar, Jack White, Elton John, Anderson Paak, Talib Kweli, Consequence and Busta Rhymes. This already seems like a great album — and we haven’t even heard anything from it — but we should learn from this year’s abundance of comeback albums.

Tip #1 – Keep your expectations neutral
Even if A Tribe Called Quest is your favorite music group of all time, you’ll want to keep an open mind leading up to the album’s release. This goes for every comeback album; the bands haven’t been together for a very long time so they might not have the same chemistry it had on its last album (see: The Strokes’ new EP). Then again, with the amount of time between albums, the band may have spent that time creating something utterly unique and incredibly listenable (see: Frank Ocean’s Blonde). Either way, any new listening experience requires an open mind, so approach a group’s new album like you would any other debut.
Tip #2 – Listen to the group’s previous album(s)
If you consider the group or artist’s previous album(s) as your favorite piece of music, you’ll probably want to revisit those albums before a new release because maybe (just maybe) they’re not as good as you remember. Listen to the group or artist’s discography and think about what made them so special to you and critically acclaimed to others. Think about what could possibly be on the new album. Will they drastically change the tried and true formula? Will they stick to that formula and just make an album that sounds the same as the last one? Or will it be a strong combination of both aspects? Again, keep an open mind.
Tip #3 – Listen to the new album multiple times before forming an opinion
This really goes for any new album by any artist or group, but it’s key when an artist or group comes back after not recording for a long time. Listen to it once just to listen to it. Don’t analyze it or critique it, just listen. For the second listen, start developing your opinion on the record and think about what makes it good or not. On the third listen, maybe after some time between sessions, revisit the album to possibly validate your feelings on the songs. You might agree with your previous opinions, or you might end up forming a completely different opinion that’ll influence your thoughts on the album or artist’s comeback as a whole.
We should always celebrate the release of a band that hasn’t been around for a long time, but we should also manage our expectations so as not too get too hyped or too let down. Don’t overthink if the new music is good or not, just listen and be thankful that you’re finally hearing something new from your favorite artist.