REVIEW: Kanye West // My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

With most albums that get released, I try to not let the musician’s personal flaws or public mishaps get involved in my opinion of the album. But with Kanye, how the hell do you not do that? He is easily the most prominent celebrity since… Michael Jackson? John Lennon? Ok-- maybe that’s a stress, but still, his antics are absurd, he is a huge prick according to most who don’t understand him, but yet our society keeps running back to him for our entertainment. And that entertainment is not just comedy. When he said, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people,” people (including myself) were in joy because, to a great degree, he spoke the truth. Anyway, a few months ago I would ask myself, “Why do we even care about Kanye West?” Since 808s and Heartbreak came out (I wasn’t a huge fan), I almost forgot why people gave two shits about Kanye, but with My Beautfiul Dark Twisted Fantasy, I remember why: the man is a genius. This is his Sgt. Pepper (and yes, like Sgt. Pepper, it will be the only album of this man’s illustrious career that will win “record of the year,” but nobody cares about the Grammys anyway). This album will “runaway” with album of the year, even more so than Merriweather Post Pavillion did last year. Is it my album of the year? I think so.

The album is meant to represent his life. People fantasize about fame and stardom, but when we get to that plateau we realize how dark and twisted it can be. Kicking off the album with “Dark Fantasy” is just brilliant, especially noting that the first line is, “I fantasized about this back in Chicago,” kicking off his hour plus story of his fame and life. It’s easily one of the best opening tracks I have heard on any album this year. The prolific gospel singing is just chilling. I get goose bumps listening to it. I can run track to track and explain why this album is just amazing, but I will just stick to a few to keep you from shooting yourself. “POWER,” which was the public’s first preview of what the album would sound like, continues on the notion of Kanye West’s domination. It’s obnoxiously arrogant, but man is it catchy and the PRODUCTION is just out this world! I will get to that later, but “POWER,” with its sample of King Crimson’s "21st Century Schizoid Man,” is just startling. Only Kanye could think of using that as a sample (and yes I KNOW that Kanye wasn’t the only one to produce the whole album, but IT'S HIS ALBUM… that’s a completely different stupid argument anyway). Furthermore, from “Monster” to “So Appalled” to “Devil In a New Dress,” there is not a single unlikeable second (besides Nicki Minaj’s verse on “Monster,” sorry… not a huge fan of hers).

My only gripes with this album are that A.) “Runaway” goes on too too long. B.) “Lost in the World” just doesn’t really fit into the album well to me. Besides that… I will just continue to explain why I love this and you should too.

A lot of haters get on Kanye’s rapping, but A.) Kanye is not that bad… he doesn’t have the flow of Big L, he doesn’t have the wordplay of Weezy, he doesn’t rap about things as intense as Biggie or Pac, but who cares… he is still better than most people rapping today. B.) Many rappers that are better than him ARE ON THE ALBUM! Jay-Z, Raekwon (put out the best rap album of last year), RZA… plus many others like Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, and Pusha T (this not to say that the three previously mentioned are actually better in my opinion) I don’t think you’re listening to the lyrics (probably because the production is just so much better than anything else that have come out in a long long time) if you don’t think that Kanye is an above adequate rapper.

- “Too many Urkels on your team, that's why your winslow”

- “They rewrite history, I don’t believe in yesterday and what’s a black beetle anyway? A fucking roach?”

- “Is hip hop, just a euphemism for a new religion, the soul music for the slaves that the youth is missing”

 If you don’t think Kanye is a pretty damn good rapper, I think your just listening to My Beautiful Dark Twisty Fantasy to just not like it and be ironic (aka hipsters).

I think it goes without much saying that what makes this album special is the production. The album sounds better than anything I have heard all year… by a long shot. For one, the samples used on the album are just phenomenal. From King Crimson to Manfred Mann's Earth Band to Smokey Robinson to Aphex Twin to Bon Iver to Gil Scott-Heron the album’s sample choices are not just eclectic and unique, but also fit the flows and styles of many of the rappers featured excellently. Two, the production and beats used create an atmosphere where every artist flourishes. Every verse on the album is immaculately put together. I can’t think of a verse that sounds half-assed in any sense.

In closing, this album has everything you could have asked for from Kanye. It’s catchy and exciting at some points, prolific and gorgeous at others, but above all, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is his most ambitious album to date. More so, it’s the most ambitious album to be released in the past five years. Without a doubt, this is one of the best albums of the year, if not, the album of the year.

-- Greg

RATING: 95/100

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by louis scolnick

French New Wave Dylan--Bare with me on this

I was introduced to French New Wave pop singer Jacques Dutronc while en route to Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity with the roommates. The six hour long bus ride was getting to me, and without an iPod, it was unbearable. My roommate Daniel gave me his iPod and suggested I listen to a guy by the name of Jacques Dutronc. The album artwork that popped up showed a good looking guy who looked like he could of appeared in a GQ spread. The picture did not match the music. After the first song, I was immediately hooked and thought of Bob Dylan's performance of when he went electric at the Newport Folk festival in '65. Dutronc shares the same kind of sarcastic, shit-grin style Dylan had evoked that day, with a straightforward jangling band that knocked the living hell out of people. Dutronc is dry with some songs sounding the same, but the majority of the songs have upbeat, dancy tunes on them that feature music stylings way before it's time.

--Mike

Take a listen: Jacques Dutronc--"Les Cactus"


"Et moi, Et moi, Et moi"

Esther Caulfield Orchestra--"Industrial Good Day Mantra"

Dayton, Ohio collective the Esther Caulfield Orchestra take the best from The Kink's Village Preservation Society and back roads country rock and revamp it for 2010. They're American, but have English accents. They dress like dandies/hobos. They have beards. A formula for success in my opinion.

--Mike

Take a listen: "Industrial Good Day Mantra"
http://www.myspace.com/ecorchestra

REVISITED: The Rockin' Ramrods--"Bright Lit Blue Skies"

 I'm usually all for covers. On Before Today, the latest album from lo-fi wonderlusts Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, the group perform a cover of the Rockin' Ramrods' "Bright Lit Blue Skies." Ariel Pink does a fantastic job of recreating it and they certainly make it their own, but the Ramrods have a rawness in their original that Ariel Pink is missing. The Ramrods' recording is grainy and gritty, sounding more like a bunch of 16 year old friends recording in their garage. Although they never made it big, the Ramrods have developed a strong following in recent years and are regarded as one of the Nugget era's best bands. Take a listen.

--Mike

It's 1:30 in the am, I'm tired, and I'm listening to a collective of stoner metal/camaro rock/ revivalist rock. Don't judge me.

That's what I told my brother after a long night of doing some Latin homework (which is a dead language by the way) that may just be the nine circles of Hell on Earth. I send my brother Sean, who has posted some things for the site in the past, new music whenever I come across it, We share an identical interest in the same music, so it's usually a gift when he sends me stuff as well. I had a feeling he might enjoy these guys. Last night, I came across the stoner metal group, Sleep, and their song, "Dragonaut." I remember being shown these guys in my junior year of high school in art class and not knowing what to think. I hadn't even heard of the genre "stoner metal." There's not much to explain this one--heavy, druggy, and full of dirty, sludgetastic riff work that makes you want to kick a demon in the balls (and yes, I'm going with a hell theme for this one because that is what I was in for a hour and half last night).

Upon listening to Sleep, I was connected to Witchcraft, a Swedish revivalist group of Sabbath era metal who can be cheesy at times, but are definitely doing something right with the way they play.

Lastly, I came upon Graveyard, who play dark but melodic songs like "Satan's Finest," and "Evil Ways." The guitar work is fantastic and lyrics are even better.

These three bands are just a small amount of whats out there, so if your interested, keep looking and listening. All hail, sabbath bloody sabbath.

--Mike

Take a listen:
 Sleep--"Dragonaut"


Witchcraft--"Chylde of Fire"


Graveyard--"Satan's Finest"

The Beatles Finally Come to iTunes

Girls--get out your panties, scream your lungs out, and wipe the mascara running from your eyes because the entire Beatles catalog has just been released on iTunes. After years of dispute and arguing, it has been agreed upon to release almost every album for purchase through Apple. If you do have iTunes, it's not hard to miss the giant section promoting the Beatles' arrival to the world of purchasing music online. iTunes also presents two substantially long videos, one celebrating the Beatles transformation through the years and the other showing their first concert in the U.S. Can you say Christmas present?


Also, let us know what you think about the greatest band in music history finally making it to iTunes. Are you for it? Against it? Let us know!

-Mike

Bounce for Pogo: "Wishery"

 Pogo is a DJ from Western Australia who mixes Disney soundclips and blips into a fully functioning cerebral wall of sound. I was first introduced to him last year by my roommate who proceeded to play Pogo's song, "Alice," in which he, you guessed it--mixes sounds and instruments from Disney's Alice in Wonderland. Each song has an identifiable feature that leaves the listener to easily distinguish the movie it was taken from as well as a bit of childhood nostalgia. Pogo is fun to listen to and hasn't constructed one bad song yet. His newest production, "Wishery," pieces together the sounds and audio clips from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This one could easily be my favorite yet. Give it a listen.

-Mike

No Rest for the Weary

My apologies for not keeping up with the blog as much as I would like to. As usual, Greg has been doing a phenomenal job posting new music and interesting finds like clockwork. My hats off to him for keeping up with it. I finally have some time to get out the music I've been listening to the past couple of weeks. Get ready for new music from Australian dj Pogo, a new found interest in stoner metal/camara rock, and a golden oldie that rocks the shit out of it's cover. Stay tuned ladies and gents!

-Mike

COVER/REMIX: Chiddy Bang -- "Don't Worry Be Happy" (Bobby McFerrin)

I hate (that's harsh... maybe strongly dislike is the better word choice) Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry Be Happy," but luckily I like Chiddy Bang and you should too. Chiddy Bang made their way from two young & hungry Drexel University Students to hip hop's most promising duo in what seems like a millisecond and with good reason. Their style of witty wordplay over unique and fresh samples is something to aspire to for musicians of any genre. This cover was done for Billboard's Mashup Mondays project, which normally suck, but in this case, I was showing this to anyone who was on facebook at the time I found it (4 people... I don't have many friends). There is a quick explanation of what happens in the song before they do the cover, but all you need to know is that the whole purpose of this was to have Chiddy freestyle and incorporate a few words/concepts into his freestyle (i.e. Pink Starburst and Back to School). I really enjoyed this and I hope you do too.

- Greg

Chiddy Bang - Don't Worry, Be Happy Freestyle (live) by Dj Seminole Kush

RECOMMENDED: Brian Eno :: Small Craft on a Milk Sea

Brian Eno has done it all. He was in Roxy Music, wrote electo-pop in the mid 70's, produced U2, and has also pioneered ambient music. Like his career, Brian Eno's newest album, Small Craft on a Milk Sea, is quite transformative. Small Craft on a Milk Sea is Eno's 400th album to date (that was a joke) and it is arguably (at least to me) up there with many of his classics, such as Ambient 1: Music for Airports or Ambient 4: On Land. My one gripe with ambient music and this album is that it takes patience and it is really difficult to listen to this album unless you listen to all of it or at least most of it at a time. I remember when "2 Forms of Anger" dropped before the album and people were psyched to hear more stuff like that, which the album doesn't really fulfill. However, unlike many other music constituents, I enjoyed the fact that the whole album doesn't sound like "2 Forms." Ambient music may often seem to sit still like wall paper, but Eno's Ambient is constantly growing and diminishing in texture; moving from a gorgeous piece of music like "Emerald and Lime" to the jurassic drone of "2 Forms of Anger" to the hypnotizing "Dust Shuffle." One must hear this album as a whole to fully grasp what is going on. To some this will not be easy, but those who give Small Craft on a Milk Sea a listen will not be disappointed. I can assure you of that.

- Greg

"2 Forms of Anger"
Brian Eno - 2 Forms Of Anger by H+ Records


"Emerald and Lime"
Brian Eno - Emerald and Lime by pasalavida

DOWNLOAD: Girl Talk :: All Day

My Monday just got about a billion times better. Girl Talk has come to the rescue with his newest album, All Day, and the best part is that its FREE! This album sounds and, in my opinion, is meant to be a more serious album than his past work. Stretching over an hour and ten minutes, this is Gillis's longest and most ambitious album to date. All Day seems to be less of a dancer and more of a flexing of Girl Talk's mashing muscles. There are some truly great mashups on this, but my favorites thus far (Wiz Khalifa - "Black and Yellow" vs The Rolling Stones - "Paint It Black" ....and.... Simon and Garfunkel - "Cecilia" vs U2 - "Sunday Bloody Sunday" vs Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz featuring Ying Yang Twins - "Get Low") are not necessarily the most danceable tracks. I am going to have to give this thing a second and maybe a third listen before I can truly compare All Day to his past work, but so far... pretty good. Enjoy!

- Greg

DOWNLOAD IT HERE

RECOMMENDED: Das Racist :: Sit Down, Man

I guess I am hopping on the bandwagon with this pick, but whatever. Das Racist's newest mixtape, Sit Down, Man, is simply fantastic (yeah, just as every critic in the past month has already proclaimed). Their style of goofy, but yet intellegent "weed rap" never seems to play itself out. I will never get tired of the ridiculous pop culture references that get thrown out in their songs or the wacky productions on many of the cuts. I think people who don't really "get" this type of rap may just not appreciate the fact that Das Racist, which is made up of MC's Victor Vazquez and Himanshu Suri along with their hype man, Dap, are not taking themselves incredibly seriously. This mixtape is certainly not as prolific as other huge rap albums to drop this year, such as The Root's How I Got Over, but who cares? I enjoy the fact that I can listen to this mixtape and just bob my head and smile when I get one of their bizarre pop culture references. It's just a fun listen.

I doubt that most of you will actually listen to this whole mixtape right here and now, but I will suggest you listen to "Amazing," which is where I believe you get the best idea of what Das Racist is trying to achieve with Sit Down, Man. Enjoy!

- Greg

Das Racist - Sit Down, Man by Andy Surprise

VIDEO: OK Go -- "Last Leaf"

I don't know how the hell they do it, but video after video OK Go just seem to amaze me. "Last Leaf" is one of my favorite cuts from Of the Blue Colour of the Sky, but when I heard they were making a video for it I was really curious to see what they would do with such a gentle song. I will just say that this is everything I imagined it would be plus some. This certainly gets my vote for "cutest video of the year." Enjoy!

- Greg

Last Leaf

OK Go | Myspace Music Videos

Ghostface Killah -- "Together Baby"

Illustrious rapper Ghostface Killah is set to release his ninth studio album, The Apollo Kids, on December 14. "Together Baby" was just released as the first single and hopefully the rest of the album is as good as this track. I feel that this new album might be in the same vein as Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Pt. 2, my favorite rap album of last year. By this I mean a return to the old, which in my book is a change for the best. That's just me though. This track is not something we haven't heard, at least in terms of flow, but what is amazing about guys like Ghostface and Raekwon, is that they can always make their "dated" style sound so fresh today. This track is a perfect example of this, especially with this sick production. Give it a listen!

Ghostface Killah - Together Baby (Dirty) by jkid2311

Smith Westerns -- "Weekend"

This is often a very stressful time of the year for music bloggers. It's a time where you keep asking yourself, "What did I miss? What albums did I not get? What should be in my end of the year list?" I am one of these people, but I think people who focus too much on this often miss a lot of great singles that get thrown around for albums that are releasing early next year. For example, last year "Ambling Alp," the first single off of Yeasayer's Odd Blood, was released this same week last November and I totally missed it and didn't discover it until a week or so before Odd Blood dropped. This year, I am doing my best to stay on top of singles that are just now being released for albums next year.

The best of new singles that I have heard so far for albums dropping in 2011 comes from Smith Westerns, an up-and-coming Chicago band. Dye It Blonde, the band's second album, is set to release on January 18th. "Weekend" was recently released as the first single from the album and man is it awesome. This song is a pretty clear example of what to expect from Smith Westerns: glam/punk. This is certainly going to make Pitchfork's top songs of the year. I don't know why, but I just have that vibe that Pitchfork has a hard on for these guys... As well as I do. Give this a listen.

- Greg

Smith Westerns - Weekend by forcefieldpr

Warpaint Perform "Bees" and "Undertow" for Yours Truly

When I first heard the name Warpaint I immediately conjured up this image of an all-guy hardcore group with tons of tattoos, but when I finally got to hear the music and see the band members of Warpaint I was a little surprised. For one, Warpaint is made up of all girls, which shocked the hell out of me. I haven't heard a bunch of girls rock this hard in a long time. Second, their music is rather angelic, but in a devilish sort of way. Maybe elevator music in Purgatory or something like that. The band has this awesome dynamic of these two gorgeous singers, but underneath is this totally thrashing rhythm section and haunting guitars. The sound created from this dynamic is truly unique. It really is something to admire. This performance showcases two highlights from their newest album, The Fool. Check it out!


Yourstru.ly Presents: Warpaint "Undertow" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.


Yourstru.ly Presents: Warpaint "Bees" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.


- Greg

Sharon Van Etten -- "Don't Do It"

I was first introduced to Sharon Van Etten while listening to The Antler's Hospice (my third favorite record of 2009). She appeared on what is one of the strangest songs on the album, "Thirteen," with these unbelievably desperate vocals. It was honestly like the first time I heard Janis Joplin or Joni Mitchell. I was in total awe.

Etten is now on her own most recently releasing her second album, Epic. Like the title implies, the album truly is EPIC. Despite its mere seven tracks, the album is full of a wide rang of emotions: from empowerment, to  despondence, to even optimism. I love every song on this album, but "Don't Do It" is certainly my favorite. Perhaps this is because "Don't Do It" is where I hear all the emotions of songs previous and after it coming together as one. It is easily one of the most engaging songs I have heard all year. I suggest you not only give this song a listen, but I also suggest you listen to all of Epic. After listening to Epic multiple times, I can assure you that Sharon Van Etten will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. Listen to this and I think you will soon agree.

- Greg

Don't Do It - Sharon Van Etten by The Wounded Jukebox

RECOMMENDED: Sun City Girls :: Funeral Mariachi

Sun City Girls is an experimental rock band formed in Phoenix back in the late 70s. I really don't know how to describe this band. They pretty much sound like everything, but, to make life easier, I will just say that on their newest album, Funeral Mariachi, there is an influence of Arabian, African, and "Western" music. Yeah, whatever that means.

I gave this album a listen today while walking around campus and I haven't felt this to myself and placid in a long time.The music of Funeral Mariachi is quite abstruse, but not necessarily in it's musicality. There is not much mystery of what is going on in the production of the music, but rather a mystery in the tone of the music. It really is one of the most perplexing, but yet gorgeous albums I have heard all year. The song below is easily the most beautiful song on the album, "Vine Street Piano." I am not sure if this is an album for everyone, but it is certainly worth giving a listen.

-- Greg

Sun City Girls – Vine Street Piano by paulheintz 

Shugo Tokumaru -- "Rum Hee"

Fans and followers of FILWAD might be familiar with the music of Shugo Tokumaru because of my post about his 2008 album, Exit, which is easily one of my favorite albums by an non-English speaking artist ever. People have often called Tokumaru the Japanese Sufjan Stevens, but this is not really a fair or obvious comparison for a few reasons: a) Sufjan Steven's most recent album, The Age of Adz, sounds nothing like the work of Tokumau or even most of Steven's previous work and b) Tokumaru is just cooler (not seriously), but I really find it ridiculous to compare musicians just because they both are multi-instrumentalists. There music is not even remotely similar, especially on Tokumaru's most recent release Port Entropy, where the music is quite, to quote Pitchfork's review, "chipper." "Chipper" is not a word that I would ever use to describe Sufjan Steven's mastery of sound.

I first heard "Rum Hee" on Tokumaru's Rum Hee EP and I always wanted to show it to the world and now that the song is also used on his new album, there is even more of an excuse to have the world give it a listen. "Rum Hee" is an absolutely perfect pop gem from start to finish. From the jangly guitars to the cute glockenshpiel chirping the melody, this song just screams out for attention with pure charm. Check it out!

-- Greg

Shugo Tokumaru - Rum Hee by souterraintransmissions