See Lex, I liked the album but wasn't blind to its many faults. I gave it 3.5, and that's being generous.
― altered boners (rennavate), Monday, 22 November 2010 22:50 (thirteen years ago) link
thing is, it doesn't have all that many strengths to balance out the many (many many) faults - the nicki verse obviously, and like "hell of a life" is the only song i actively enjoy (no coincidence that that's where kanye talks about SOMEONE ELSE for once), and i like the idea of "runaway"s douchebags/assholes chorus if not the whiny, weak execution (and certainly not the NINE STUPID MINUTES it extends to here). a three-minute "runaway" performed as a kanye west/taylor swift duet might have been a great pop song though!
― lex lex lex lex lex on the track BOW (lex pretend), Monday, 22 November 2010 22:55 (thirteen years ago) link
i like the idea of "runaway"s douchebags/assholes chorus if not the whiny, weak execution
wow, that's interesting. i can't imagine characterizing the chorus as "weak execution." if anything, it sounds to me like a full-throated, robust execution, like he's throwing daggers with the lyrics.
― Daniel, Esq., Monday, 22 November 2010 22:59 (thirteen years ago) link
kanye's singing voice is pretty much the defn of "weak execution", it's like his horrible new whiny rapping but even more nasal and insufferable
― lex lex lex lex lex on the track BOW (lex pretend), Monday, 22 November 2010 23:06 (thirteen years ago) link
i like the song but his singing is terrible obv
― J0rdan S., Monday, 22 November 2010 23:07 (thirteen years ago) link
With all my reservations, I find it hard to fuck with Power and Lost in the World - not coincidentally, two of the only tracks under 5 minutes long.
― The baby boomers have defined everything once and for all (Dorianlynskey), Monday, 22 November 2010 23:09 (thirteen years ago) link
idk. his singing here isn't good, but it's a whole lot better than what i remember of his voice from the last album. and it's not his voice -- but rather his inflections, the way he bites down at the end of words, and the agression behind his voice -- that make his delivery compelling to me. his voice sucks.
― Daniel, Esq., Monday, 22 November 2010 23:11 (thirteen years ago) link
the inflections RUIN this album - as someone said way upthread, it's the way he leans into all his awful laboured jokes and puns that really highlights how bad his lyrics are.
― lex lex lex lex lex on the track BOW (lex pretend), Monday, 22 November 2010 23:16 (thirteen years ago) link
― Daniel, Esq., Monday, November 22, 2010 5:59 PM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
"the jerkoffs, the ones who never take work off" is like the definition of a half-assed first draft chorus
― vodka loko lame (some dude), Monday, 22 November 2010 23:19 (thirteen years ago) link
- not coincidentally, two of the only tracks under 5 minutes long.
this terrifies me
― questeon the answers (call all destroyer), Monday, 22 November 2010 23:21 (thirteen years ago) link
As well it should.
― The baby boomers have defined everything once and for all (Dorianlynskey), Monday, 22 November 2010 23:26 (thirteen years ago) link
This making-of oral history is interesting, if sycophantic. Big Sean's description of the catering reflects how I feel listening to the album: "There's great stuff for breakfast, whatever you wanted: smoothies, omelettes, chicken sausages, pork sausages, bacon, grapefruit, fresh fruit, waffles, pancakes, toast, muffins." Like, enough already, I'm full.
http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/11/behind_the_scenes_of_kanye_wes.html#photo=7x70227
― The baby boomers have defined everything once and for all (Dorianlynskey), Monday, 22 November 2010 23:29 (thirteen years ago) link
that's true, but the lead portion of the verse -- right up to the part you quote -- is the opposite.
― Daniel, Esq., Monday, 22 November 2010 23:33 (thirteen years ago) link
sorry, i meant the chorus!
i'm going to pretend that kanye set up an elaborate breakfast buffet so that big sean was in the bathroom whenever they were recording rap verse
― J0rdan S., Monday, 22 November 2010 23:35 (thirteen years ago) link
it's the way he leans into all his awful laboured jokes and puns that really highlights how bad his lyrics are.
Yeah but Kanye's not the only one doing this lately. Not that I'm excusing it.
― altered boners (rennavate), Monday, 22 November 2010 23:38 (thirteen years ago) link
feel like "Breakfasts with Kanye" could really be expanded out into a book
― J0rdan S., Monday, 22 November 2010 23:40 (thirteen years ago) link
with Sandra Lee preparing her cottage cheese blintzes.
― look at it, pwn3d, made u look at my peen/vadge (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 22 November 2010 23:52 (thirteen years ago) link
okay, so i'm not done listening, and this is therefore more liveblog shit, but i am loving this album to death. and sweet jesus it is appalling! and brilliant, and hilarious, and very clearly from another planet. the appalling part is never far off the radar, but neither is the damn near genius, and it's like this magnificent, hypnotic, kick-ass car that never stops crashing. a giant red fireball with "malcolm west" spelled out in diamond-encrusted block letters forevermore. and this makes me love it so damn much. i like every sound, every line, every awkward line delivery, every overloaded second of every overloaded track (so far). got to the bit about "the same people that try to blackball me" and realized that i would never not be loving this album. gah, and the "21st century schizoid man" bite is so awesome.
"tell em yeezy said they could kiss my whole ass, more specifically they can kiss my asshole, i'm an asshole? you n_____s got drugs!" dying @ this.
― phish in your sleazebag (contenderizer), Tuesday, 23 November 2010 00:02 (thirteen years ago) link
a giant red fireball with "malcolm west" spelled out in diamond-encrusted block letters forevermore.
http://i40.tinypic.com/29lxrva.jpg
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 23 November 2010 00:09 (thirteen years ago) link
^^^ 7.8
― look at it, pwn3d, made u look at my peen/vadge (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 23 November 2010 00:10 (thirteen years ago) link
I love that description, contenderizer, and if I could ignore - or even relish - the flaws in the same way I would be a happy man. But nah.
― The baby boomers have defined everything once and for all (Dorianlynskey), Tuesday, 23 November 2010 00:14 (thirteen years ago) link
got to the bit about "the same people that try to blackball me" and realized that i would never not be loving this album.
oh god this is the line that sets up a joke about his black balls
PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER, MAN
― lex lex lex lex lex on the track BOW (lex pretend), Tuesday, 23 November 2010 00:15 (thirteen years ago) link
The grotesqueries in "Runaway" are defensible, but the album has at least six others.
― look at it, pwn3d, made u look at my peen/vadge (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 23 November 2010 00:17 (thirteen years ago) link
i agree with contenderizer
― congratulations (n/a), Tuesday, 23 November 2010 00:17 (thirteen years ago) link
this album is ok i guess
― ed chilliband (max arrrrrgh), Tuesday, 23 November 2010 00:18 (thirteen years ago) link
from hits daily double
KANYE AND NICKI BATTLE: Kanye West’s critically acclaimed Roc-A-Fella/IDJ album My Dark Twisted Fantasy and touted newcomer Nicki Minaj’s long-awaited Cash Money/Universal Motown debut, Pink Friday, both hit the street today and should duke it out for #1 on the HITS chart a week from tomorrow, with totals that could have a “4” in front of it.
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 23 November 2010 00:24 (thirteen years ago) link
going out in the snow tonight to buy a copy cuz this rip sounds like whole ass
― phish in your sleazebag (contenderizer), Tuesday, 23 November 2010 00:35 (thirteen years ago) link
lol i made j0rdan shake some other guy's head
― phish in your sleazebag (contenderizer), Tuesday, 23 November 2010 00:37 (thirteen years ago) link
like how nicki minaj was heavily influenced by that one busta line
― phish in your sleazebag (contenderizer), Tuesday, 23 November 2010 00:45 (thirteen years ago) link
it's like - i hate douchebags! and i don't like hearing them celebrate themselves.
― sean gramophone, Tuesday, 23 November 2010 00:51 (thirteen years ago) link
secret best rap album out is actually curren$y's
man i cant stand yelawolf outside of like 'pop the trunk' maybekinda prefer the kanye album tbh even if i skip over big parts of it
― smangs of new york (deej), Tuesday, 23 November 2010 00:56 (thirteen years ago) link
After listening to the Pilot Talk sequel today, I'm ready to accept anything from him.
― look at it, pwn3d, made u look at my peen/vadge (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 23 November 2010 00:57 (thirteen years ago) link
thats what im talking about ... esp the opening run of songs, pilot talk 2 is just dope. the only real weak spot is 'silence'
― smangs of new york (deej), Tuesday, 23 November 2010 01:07 (thirteen years ago) link
& hes rapping way better on it / less wallpaper-y than on the 1st one
― smangs of new york (deej), Tuesday, 23 November 2010 01:08 (thirteen years ago) link
again, haven't heard the kanye album yet, but would argue the opposite re: "leans into jokes" etc. -- to me, a convincing delivery actually draws the emphasis OFF any sort of questionable lyrics, and puts the focus on the delivery itself. don't really care what any musician is saying if he/she delivers the words in an interesting way (sonically/phonetically speaking). i mean, what % of lyrics are really any good even in critically acclaimed or ILM-preferred albums, like 5% or less?
― ilxor, Tuesday, 23 November 2010 01:53 (thirteen years ago) link
in attempting to make a case for kanye west, and failing, you actually made a decent enough case for nicki minaj
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 23 November 2010 01:54 (thirteen years ago) link
i mean, what % of lyrics are really any good even in critically acclaimed or ILM-preferred albums, like 5% or less?
also, no
so... less than 5%, then?
thought so!
― ilxor, Tuesday, 23 November 2010 01:55 (thirteen years ago) link
that's an incredibly dim & cynical view of the music 'critics' (& i'm assuming you) like
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 23 November 2010 01:56 (thirteen years ago) link
if anyone can pull off "my music is so awesome that it makes up for my lyrics" it's def kanye tho (& at times the dream -- altho when his lyrics aren't good, they're not 'bad', they're just kinda stock)
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 23 November 2010 01:58 (thirteen years ago) link
you actually made a decent enough case for nicki minaj
same rule applies to nicki -- she's great when her delivery is great, e.g., "monster" verse, when her tone, inflection and character are so compelling that i couldn't care less what she's actually saying, and still actually have no clue, tbh
― ilxor, Tuesday, 23 November 2010 01:58 (thirteen years ago) link
i like nicki's "monster" verse cuz it's really well written, and tho i have some issues w/ her being in robin williams mode in that song, it generally doesn't bother me anymore -- but like lex w/ kanye, i think that when nicki's lyrics are bad AND she's in robin williams mode (i.e. "lil freak") it's all types of cringeworthy -- the only verse where i think robin williams mode actually amplifies a verse is "bottoms up"
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 23 November 2010 02:01 (thirteen years ago) link
if anyone can pull off "my music is so awesome that it makes up for my lyrics" it's def kanye tho
j0rdan c'mon it's not just kanye, it's fucking everyone!
i mean
metacritic top albums of 2010:http://www.metacritic.com/browse/albums/score/metascore/year?sort=desc
show me the non-reissue albums on this list w/ great (not just passable -- GREAT) lyrics
janelle? ...maybe occasionally?big boi at times but there's plenty of cringe-worthy stuff there too
i mean really
― ilxor, Tuesday, 23 November 2010 02:02 (thirteen years ago) link
the difference is kanye puts his lyrics at center stage, even ahead of the production
― _| ̄|○| ̄|○| ̄|○ (dayo), Tuesday, 23 November 2010 02:04 (thirteen years ago) link
well i'm not talking about GREAT lyrics -- clearly tons of artists make great albums w/o great lyrics -- with kanye i'm saying that he can make great music (pretty much strictly on his own albums -- not even good friday) when the lyrics are actively bad -- that's pretty unique
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 23 November 2010 02:06 (thirteen years ago) link
― _| ̄|○| ̄|○| ̄|○ (dayo), Monday, November 22, 2010 8:04 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark
i don't agree w/ this
yeah couldn't disagree more
― ilxor, Tuesday, 23 November 2010 02:07 (thirteen years ago) link
on that list? bruce springsteen; deerhunter; kanye; lcd soundsystem; grinderman; titus andronicus; the books (sort of lyrics); others.
― Daniel, Esq., Tuesday, 23 November 2010 02:07 (thirteen years ago) link
springsteen = reissuedeerhunter, nokanye, occasionally great, much more often cringe-worthylcd, nah, not on the new album at leastgrinderman 2 has some really great one-liners i'll admittitus, no ideabooks, no idea
― ilxor, Tuesday, 23 November 2010 02:10 (thirteen years ago) link