Metropolis is in trouble. A secret society known as The Great Divide is using time travel to suppress freedom and love among its android citizens. Thankfully, heroic ArchAndroid Cindi Mayweather is here to save the day. If this all sounds like the plot of a science fiction flick, that’s because it’s inspired by the godfather of science fiction flicks, Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. The protagonist’s moniker–not to mention her monomythic role–are both inventions of monstrously talented, Godfather of Soul-inspired Janelle Monáe.
Think of Monáe as the female version of Outkast’s Andre 3000. She can sing, dance, rap and write space-inspired funk and soul. The ArchAndroid, her sophomore disc, was recently released on Diddy’s Bad Boy Records, but don’t let that detail negatively color your perception of it. There are plenty of esteemed artists or “thrivals” in Monáe’s orbit, including pro poet Saul Williams, Of Montreal bandleader Kevin Barnes, MGMT (she opened their Red Rocks show this past Friday) and 3000’s baby momma Erykah Badu, who she’ll warm up for at The Fillmore on Wednesday.