Tip on the Tightrope

"The album follows the path of Cindi Mayweather, an android whose desire for a shape-shifting human causes her to break free of the bonds of society and reach a higher level of consciousness. Echoes of slave narratives and the struggles of the civil rights movement run through the work, but Philip K. Dick, Andy Warhol and the filmmaker Fritz Lang are equally important muses.
"The recording demands active involvement from listeners. Musically, it ranges widely, from Stevie Wonder soul to funk-rock hybrids to shimmery freak folk and James Bond movie-style balladry. Then there's that story, which requires detailed attention to fully comprehend."

In the Los Angeles Times, Ann Powers meets with the ArchAndroid herself, Janelle Monáe.