A few gentle orchestral notes, a smattering of applause… and a pushy violin breaks the still air, a gong sounds. Operatic chants begins, tinkling reminiscent of computer-speak in old sci-fi movies resonates. 30 seconds in and Janelle Monae’s The ArchAndroid is heralding itself with the oddest amalgamation this side of the Y2K scare.

In pre-release interviews Monae has cited Hitchcock, bad robot invasion movies, and famous hair styles (Princess Leia’s buns?) as influences, as well as verifying the album’s namesake: “I think androids are sexy”. But whether or not you’re a fan of mechanical humans, you can and should be a fan of her. Delving deep into the archives of deep South jazz and soul, her music infuses these with technologic – not electronica, as this bares no resemblance to house or pop music – jingles and warbles. Her debut EP, Metropolis: The Chase and an accompanying tour with the doyennes of all weird shit, of Montreal (who also add vocals to a track on ArchAndroid), helped put her on the map, but it was her unbelievably strong vocals belting from a pint-sized tuxedoed frame that garnered her acclaim. Considering the small number of songs released prior to this album, the hype over The ArchAndroid was substantial. And it’s definitely been met – the album is not only a fearless blend of genres and styles that resonates loudly and smoothly throughout but also a very welcome new voice and style that isn’t like anything currently being produced.

The mix is more than odd: it’s ultimately soul with parts jazz, R&B, and classical, but the overriding theme is futurism: the android’s voice is a wavering lazer, his laugh an electric xylophone, and he is not to be overshadowed by this mere human. This first track is purely instrumental but the second, ‘Dance or Die’ ft. Saul Williams, is a tango of snares and computed riffs where she asserts what is to come: “Baby can you understand the clock will never rewind”. There is no pause into the next, appropriately named Faster. The drums are incessant and are actually the frontrunner to the gently accompanying electric guitar. The repetitious chorus of “Faster and faster I should run” combines with that incessant beat to assert that this album will be anything but langorous. Time moves fast, the future is now. “I’m a weirdo” she interjects. Perhaps. But that’s the appeal; in this age of the cyclical female pop star (Lily Allen, Katy Perry, Amy Winehouse, Ke$ha) a ‘new’ voice is barely deserving of that adjective as it usually sounds the same as last year’s chart-topper.

This first half of the album, Suite II, does not center on a shattered or budding romance, unless you’d like to stretch out an analogy to humanity’s love for technology. She makes statements on the reality of living in today’s world, saying “in this life you spend time running from depravity/ This is a cold war/ you better know what you’re fighting for” in ‘Cold War’ and “so much hurt/ in this Earth” in ‘Oh, Maker’. Suite III is a bit slower, the emphatic drums taking, if not a back seat at least a middle, to purer trumpets in ‘Neon Valley Street’, unaltered guitar chords in ‘57821’, and a generally more prevalent keyboard and xylophone. Her wails descend to croons but do not lose the heart for a minute. Here we feel her step away from the futurism for a moment, touching upon tender togetherness in ‘Say You’ll Go’. It’s a more classically based second half, which poses a beautiful contrast to the punches and gyrations of the first. If Suite II was Monae’s iconic dance moves – combinations of the twist, Michael Jackson’s toe-stands and Elvis’s hips, all struck by lightenting – Suite III is the crisp cleanliness of her white tuxedo and wide, long-lashed eyes.

The combination is her social commentary, saying in an interview: “People think, ‘Oh god, robots are going to kill us!’ I don't want us to think that because I want my music to unite as many different species and humans and everything as possible. I don't want my future kids living in fear of anything”. She’s taken her Southern and Midwestern roots and made them modern, literally: technology is the future. She’s banishing stereotypes and breaking the female singer/songwriter mold all in one. Expect (even) big(er) things from Monae in the future.