Watsky’s “Cardboard Castles” [Review]

I think one of the few rappers that I’ve actually enjoyed throughout the years is Watsky. When “Cardboard Castles” was first released, it was one of the few albums I actually enjoyed despite it being a rap artist. As the album turned 10 years old yesterday, and with Watsky recently releasing the 3rd part of his symmetry trilogy of albums “INTENTION”, I figured it might be time to take a look at one of my favorite albums of all time.

On March 12th, 2013, Watsky’s released his second studio album, ‘Cardboard Castles’, and was able to top the iTunes Hip Hop Charts as the number one album. The album was very well praised and contains a mix of songs, skits, and poetry. It has since become a cult classic and one of the fan-favorite albums.

The main theme of this album is aspirations and dreams. While Watsky is “a pale ass pale middle-class straight white male” this album is Watsky’s perspective on things like love, loss, hope, insecurity, anxiety, and so on. While everyone has a different story, this is something that we can all relate to. This album is for those who don’t want to give up on their dreams, who are working their asses off, but also those who realize that their goals aren’t that important in the grand scheme of things, those who want to enjoy their time and want to make the world a better place.

Cardboard Castles represents the trajectory of his life in the sense that he was once a kid in his room writing poems and doing college shows around the country, to blowing up on Youtube, performing on Epic Rap Battles of History, and now releasing incredible albums, Watsky has built his castle from the ground up and this album is a reflection of that.

The album quite literally starts out with a bang with the lead track “Fireworks”. The first thing you hear is a group of people attempting to light a firework and then running away as it shoots off along with a bunch of other fireworks. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone other than Watsky using something like fireworks as a musical instrument, and it works incredibly well as a percussive ensemble. Being able to hit high peaks with the whistling of the rockets shooting off, and the explosive crackles on the deeper end of the spectrum, it’s something that can only be done with fireworks. Complementing the explosives are a bass guitar, a typical electric guitar, and an actual set of drums. All of these sounds help build out the sound that the fireworks make, creating a sense of a fuller composition. The lyrics of this song can pretty much be summed up in the first few words, It’s hard to be living. Watsky is essentially telling us his life story and the events that led to what became a fever pitch of his life and the spark of ‘Cardboard Castles’ that became the jumping-off point for his career. You gotta play the cards you were given, and make the most of what you have. Life is hard and you need to chip the limestone a bit at a time, to get to where you want to be. Watsky then goes on to sing how his parents provided a lot for him, how he had to deal with writer's block at 4 am, sleeping in a rental car at a rest stop on a highway, and living out of a public storage unit. Despite all of this, Watsky chased his dream no matter how hard saying that you can poke fun at him, but that doesn’t stop him because it’s embedded in his DNA. A recurring bit on this album is having Norton Leufven do skits with Watsky, however, this is the only one that is part of another song. While the skit a first doesn’t feel like it belongs in the song, the theme of being scared of a loud boom, or a huge change in their life, the meaning is the same.

The music video shows a lot of ice sculptures being blown up and melting and while it doesn’t really add anything to the song, it’s a really cool video, and the behind-the-scenes is a great watch as well.

“Strong as an Oak” revolves around the theme of being broke, and how even though you don’t have a dollar to your name, or can’t afford a soda with your fries, everything will be A-OK. The use of very few instruments makes this song feel as if it was made with that theme in mind. Watsky goes on to describe how he’s focusing on the positive side of things despite being broke. Eventually, he’ll be able to look back on when he was poor and relying on others, to when he’ll be living a better life, one where he’s proud of the choices he’s made instead of just chasing money.

This is one of those songs that can also be explained in the first few words of the song. “Moral of the Story” fits the overall motif of the album, building something from nothing by putting as much work in as you can to accomplish something great. The use of horns at the beginning of the song provides a grandiose and inspirational feeling. While the horns make other appearances in the song, the use of simple string instruments and piano being the main backing of the lyrics just add to that feeling of inspiration. The song, however, does feel like it drags on a bit too long as the last minute of it is mostly instrumental.

“Ugly faces” is based on a Calvin and Hobbes strip as well as a scene from The Simpsons. This song has Norton lending his “voice” for the parts with laughter and the noises that are made toward the end of the song. This is one of those songs that makes pretty much no sense and it’s here just for fun. Watsky does try to convey the sense that he’s in charge in the line “And from the second that I step in I’ll be smelling like a big cheese” as well as in the line “I’m not gonna ever stop if you think I’m chopped liver in the crockpot, Cause I am a boss hog and I want the top spot and I got this”. While this song really doesn’t offer anything that isn’t too surface-deep, the song flows incredibly well and has a fantastic beat, which is all you can really ask from a song like this.

You do it ’cause you love it like nothing else in the universe
And fuck it, it’s embedded in your DNA

The first of two skits on this album is up next and while they don’t really add too much to the overall work, it does help break up the album and makes it more raw and human feeling. These skits were recorded during an hour-long conversation that Norton and Watsky had had.

“Kill a Hipster” features Chinaka Hodge, a fellow slam poet, as well as Andrew Oedel who portrays the “hipster”. The meaning of this song is pretty straightforward. Watsky grew up in San Francisco and seeing his hometown being taken over by the hipster crowd, along with trendy restaurants and thrift shops, makes him want to get rid of them. The neighborhood where Watsky grew up was primarily Spanish/Mexican and you can definitely hear that influence in this song. This also leads me to another thing about this album. Each song feels very unique and varied compared to one another.

Kate Nash lends her lovely voice to “Hey, Asshole”, a song about depression. I never really understood this song until I listened to it for this review. Depression is something that affects us all, whether it’s something that hits you once a decade or something that sticks with you for months or years at a time, we all have those days. A day where it’s perfect weather, and you can hear birds chirping, children playing, and the scent of a neighbor barbecuing, and you can’t bring yourself to smile despite that. Even being faced with incredible opportunities, you may find it hard to get out of bed and try to be productive, but sometimes “Don’t you ever forget, Why you get up and you put one foot in front of the next”. This is by far one of the most laidback songs on the album and that helps reflect the message excellently. Compared to all of the other songs on this album, “Hey, Asshole” is the most somber melodically and lyrically.

“All I need is one” comes off the heels of depression and jumps into a feeling of anxiety, hoping for just one place to call home, a person who cares, or just one prayer. When you lose your way, all you can hope for is just one thing to help you through that rough patch. For everyone down on their luck, just take a leap of faith. The skit at the end helps bring a bit more meaning to the song when Watsky brings up the word “utopia”, hoping to describe a world that is perfect and where one wouldn’t be out on a limb. While this track features a funky beat, it’s by far the weakest song on the album as it doesn’t do anything too special and feels a bit generic. There are 17 songs on this album (15, without the skits) so they all can’t be winners.

Cardboard Castles features “Tiny Glowing Screens” Parts 1 and 2, with Part 3 releasing on x INFINITY a few years later. The whole concept of tiny glowing screens is in reference to cell phones and smart devices, and is just a commentary on modern life in general. Watsky’s commentary on how everyone is glued to their phones and sees life through a camera. The music video does this song justice better than I could with words as it shows a young girl’s family all on their phones while she goes out and lassos the moon.

Part 2 of Tiny Glowing Screens is more of a rant than a song as Watsky rambles on and on about the insignificance of our lives. How we obsess over the smallest detail that won’t even matter in the grand scheme of things, but even though they’re small, they matter to us.

“Sloppy Seconds” is Watsky’s most popular song and for good reason, the bassline is killer and the vocals are stunning. The song itself is about how no matter what baggage someone carries, no matter the flaws, you can still care incredibly deeply about them.

“Dedicated to Christina Li” is a ballad dedicated to Watsky’s classmate Christina Li. It’s a heartbreaking tale of Watsky rejecting Christina’s attempts of helping him get through his struggles of dealing with epilepsy. Not knowing until it was too late, Christina was born with heart problems and unfortunately passed away. The simplistic beat on this track draws your focus to the lyrics which can really hit you hard if you’re not careful.

The second skit on this album is a good time to take a breather after the last track and as before it doesn’t really add much to the album other than helping to reflect on the innocence of youth.

“The Legend of Hardhead Ned” is a weird one. This song really doesn’t fit the rest of the album thematically. It’s pretty out there as a song itself, but the instrumentals are a delight here with the woodwinds as well as the bassline. It’s a fun song to listen to, and Watsky is known for some quite out there tracks so while it doesn’t fit the album, it fits his character.

The title track “Cardboard Castles” is probably the most powerful on the album. The song is much more lowkey than the rest of the album. With a chill bassline and a backing chorus really help strengthen this song. This track is the summation of this record in its entirety. Taking the time to build and perfect whatever you’re working on, whether it’s an album, a house, a castle, or your life, taking the time to get it all right only have it crumble right in front of you, this track is all about picking up the pieces and keeping the dream going.

“Send in the Sun” is the penultimate track on the album. Comparing this song to “Hey, Asshole”, sending in the sun is more of a way of letting the good vibes into your life. The song itself however is more about remembering those who’ve died in the past and appreciate what they’ve done. While it’s rough at the moment, looking back and remembering the best of a loved one is what you should be doing. The backing vocals during the chorus are the real highlight of this track.

Finally, closing out the album is “Dent in the Moon”. Watsky is using baseball as a metaphor for his life, where leaving his mark on the world is equivalent to making an impact on the moon with a baseball. I absolutely love the female vocals on this track and it’s an excellent way to close out this record.

Final Thoughts

“Cardboard Castles” holds up well after 10 years and it’s a great reflection of coming up from nothing and persevering through everything life throws at you. Hearing Watsky’s music evolve over the past decade has been a real treat and I’m glad this album was there for a really strong start.

Album Score: 8/10
Favorite Track: “Sloppy Seconds”