By now you probably have heard at least some of Kanye’s new album, 808s & Heartbreak – if you haven’t, you should. To me, this album is a truly epic/beautiful ordeal.
I have never liked auto-tune. I don’t like it for any of the music I’m involved with nor do I tend to like it in pop songs. I dig the talk box and think robot voices can sound rad, but auto-tune has always just felt thin to me – there was nothing that interesting about it (everything is automatic, unlike the talk box which at least requires physical coordination) and it is more of a crutch than an effect (robot voice). I’m don’t completley know why Kanye’s use doesn’t bother me – I think I get a kick out of the idea that he is using it because it is “fun”. Regardless I’m not hung up on it at all, which to me speaks immensely to what type of album this is.
This album is composed, paced, structured, and written in a genius fashion. It is incredibly dark, contains moments of infectious pop, and is endlessly introspective. These are traits I’m readily drawn to, so I’m not surprised that I am so behind 808s – they are the same atmosphere’s I attempt to create in Superhumanoids. I’m not much of a lyricist, so while I love some of Kanye’s choices (“My friend showed me pictures of his kid/And all I could show him were pictures of my cribs.” and “Cuz i can make it good i can make it hood/I can make you come i can make you go “), I’m much more impressed with his ability to invoke emotion through musical textures, melody, and instrumentation.
From a sonic perspective, the album is absolutely beautiful (although compressed to hell – just look at any wav form and there is such little horizontal variance it is almost a crime). The lows are huge and the synths sound sparkling. There are some weird imperfections – Kanye’s vocals on Love Lockdown still sound like they were on a laptop mic – but to me these add rawness to an otherwise clean aesthetic. The sonic palette Ye chooses from is also inspiring limited – for an artist who could use a huge array of sounds/instruments , he stays pretty committed to an overall aesthetic built from an 808, tribal drums, fat synths, piano, strings, and his voice.
I wanted to talk at length about all the songs on the album, but it would take up too much space. I love them all for different reasons, but my favorites are Heartless, Paranoid, RoboCop (so starkly improved over the early leak), Street Lights, and Coldest Winter. They all feature some phenomenal production, general weirdness, and incredible structure. Paranoid is obviously the catchiest song on the album, but I have a soft spot for RoboCop as well. Oh and the Pinocchio Story freestyle at the end is perfect.
If nothing else, 808s & Heartbreak reinforces so many things I admire (and personally strive for) in the contemporary artist – an inclination to follow impulse (the album is was finished in three weeks), the choice to share your ideas/thoughts/content with others through out the artistic process (read Ye’s blog), and the creation of art/music that is both transformative and pop-oriented at the same time.
To me, this album is bizarrely subversive and a product of a very peculiar time in music history. I love it and hope you do too. There is a great feature on Kanye in the most recent FADER to read a little more and get on your hands on the album if you haven’t already.
6 Comments
you’re too much of a yeasayer. say something bad about an album for once. this one was even hackier than his first three. at least then he was sampling old soul classics and not changing anything as opposed to biting what people did two weeks ago.
and you’re too much of a hater – i’ve never known you to say anything positive about kanye’s output. now you are commending his use of samples, which through many conversations we’ve had, you have previously claimed as unoriginal.
i very much believe it is a great album, not good or OK, but great. i’m not a music journalist and there is plenty of stuff i hear that i dislike – i just choose not to blog about it. i really only post about things that enamor me. this album is one of those things.
constructive criticism is helpful, and harsh criticism often eye opening, but there is something to be said about finding the positives in music as opposed to harping on the negatives. it just isn’t what i want to pursue in general.
just for fun though, i think he could have redone some of the vocal tracks without the cheesy distortion (“system overload” in particular).
and you’re right that i could use with a dose of criticism on the blog. i still think this album is phenomenal.
i’m not commending his use of samples. i’m just saying it was better to dig a little deeper in the past for who he rips off. though there are many things i like about kanye, he gets way too much credit already and i don’t want to contribute to that.
FWIW, Pitchfork posted a great review IMO: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/node/147813