ALBUM REVIEW: Kanye West - Yeezus

There are 3 rules that I try to reconcile when it comes to reviewing albums:

1) Music is art, and it takes time to appreciate it in some cases.
2) Personal feelings about the artist must be put aside to fairly review the album.
3) The first impression is usually the right one in most situations.

Since I have been writing reviews, no artist has tested these rules more than Kanye West.  In my younger days, I passed on his earlier albums out of disgust for his unrelenting arrogance and ridiculous obsession with the limelight.  It was not until my wife forced me to listen to his first two albums that I realized that he is a talented artist.  He does deserve the accolades he receives for his music because he does have a great ear for music and can have some intriguing rhymes every now and then.  Of course, we all knew his talent from his production work for artists like Jay-Z, T.I., Common, Mos Def, and Alicia Keys.  Unfortunately, as his career went on, Kanye became more well known for controversy rather than music.  Sometimes it was courageous (his rant on George Bush and Hurricane Katrina relief in 2005); sometimes it was tragic (his mother's death in 2007 due to complications from plastic surgery), and sometimes it was completely ridiculous (his impromptu speech during Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the VMA's a couple years ago).  Either way, controversy continues to follow him.  For his fans and for critics, controversy has not interfered with the quality of music, for his first 5 albums all had critical and commercial appeal worldwide.

However, critics were not as happy with his performance on the 2012's Cruel Summer compilation album.  The once-potent Kanye lacked focus and inspiration.  Much of the lyrical content fed into the glamorous superstar life without the typical introspective conflict that we are accustomed to hearing from Mr. West.  The radio loved a lot of the songs on off the album, but some fans hoped that his next album would rectify the shortcomings of Cruel Summer and put Kanye back into people's hearts, minds, and ears.  Kanye has shown his ability for redemption: after the auto-tune love-fest that 2008's 808's and Heartbreaks was, his 2010 follow-up My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was musical masterpiece and a trendsetter for rap music after its release.   People believe that Kanye will come with that fire.  His high-profile relationship with paparazzi fiend Kim Kardashian and his pending fatherhood would prompt him to change the game again and rule the airwaves, or at least not distract him from doing it.  Fans have faith in Kanye just like Christians have faith in Jesus.  Hmm, maybe that is why Kanye's new album is titled Yeezus.  He has been pretty consistent among all the rap artists who came out in the 21th Century, so why would he let us down now?

I don't know why, but for me, he did.  I have listened to his album 3 times this past weekend, and each time it has felt like a chore rather than a pleasure.  See what I am doing here?  I am trying to follow Rule #1 and give it a few listens to sink in.  As much as I loathe Kanye for some of the crap he says and does in the media, I know that he has the talent to make good albums.  He deserve a fair listen.  See what I am doing here?  Rule #2 is creeping in.  At the end of the day, Rule #3 triumphs over all: my first impression of the album wins.  I am not feeling it.

I would describe this album as the worst of 808's and Heartbreaks mixed with an half-ass attempt at trip-hop.  It is a shame that his collaborations with Daft Punk on 5 tracks are wasted here.  They do well on "Black Skinhead" and "New Slaves," which happen to be the songs he performed on SNL last month.  The latter is probably my favorite track of the album, and it is far from the best song that I have heard from Kanye (Killer Mike and other artists been saying what Kanye was talking about for a minute).  Still, the grating sounds and explicit imagery makes Yeezus a tough listen.  Like I said, I listened to the album 3 times before I started this review and am currently listening to it now.  I will admit that some songs sound better on further listens.  The king Louie-assisted track "Send It Up" has a chorus that will creep up on you and get stuck in your head, and "Bound 2" sounds like a solid throwaway from Kanye's third album Graduation  (I mean that in a good way).  However, tracks like "Blood On The Leaves" shows how singing with Auto-tune can be a detriment to good song rather than a benefit (and I do not approve of him ripping off the chorus for Snoop Dogg's "Down For My N's").  Even in it better moments, there is nothing pulling me back to this record.  In fact, I have a hard time believing that this was actually the album after my first listen.  I kept believing that this version was for the bootleggers, and a better version would be released on the scheduled release date.  Well, after listening to the album on Spotify today, my beliefs were incorrect.

Perhaps I should not have considered Cruel Summer part of Kanye's catalog.  If not, I could listen to Yeezus with less skepticism and more of an open mind.  I appreciate artists that push their own boundaries as well as the boundaries of music in general.  When everyone tends to play it safe, especially with hip-hop, hearing an artist establishing their own lane and trying to set trends is refreshing.  The main reason why artists do not flex their creative muscles is because they run the risk of going so far into another zone that they simultaneously fail to catch the ears of new fans and alienate their core fan base.  It is a big risk/big reward decision, and it sometimes does not work.  Judging from the reaction that Yeezus so far, most of his fans and critics still have his back and are supporting this album.  I am sure that he lost a few, though, and for better or worse, Kanye does not seem too care.  So be it.  After looking this review over, I realized that similar to Kanye, I am contradicting myself with acknowledging delayed appreciation for art but going with my initial impression with this album.  Well, contradictions seemed to be the mantra for Kanye's career, so it is fitting for me to do the same.  This also could be Kanye's point with Yeezus - we strive to be the best but we end up falling short most of the time.  Interesting.  Still, I have a feeling that Kanye will bring me back on his next release, but for Yeezus, I gotta pass.

ALBUM REVIEW: Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, M.A.A.D City

Kendrick Lamar has some balls.  He had already developed a huge buzz through his mixtapes and release an independent album Section 80 in 2011 that was critically acclaimed.  His label Top Dawg Entertainment inked a distribution deal with Dr. Dre's Aftermath and Interscope Records, allowing him to reach wider audience.  Hip hop mainstays Lil Wayne, Game, and Dr. Dre endorsed him as the "next big thing" in rap.  On top of that, Dr. Dre was going to add his magic touch to his first major label release as executive producer.  With all these elements lined up, Kendrick could have just made one hot single, get a couple Dr. Dre beats on there, and coast through the rest of the CD while benefiting off his powerful connections and endorsements.  It sounds so easy, but what does Kendrick decide to do?  He decides to make his major label debut a concept album.

Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City serves as a day-in-the-life of Kendrick Lamar as a seventeen year old kid living in Compton, California.  The album chronicles the coming-of-age of Kendrick as lust, comedy, crime, and tragedy shapes his development as the man he is today.  Well, perhaps the coming-of-age story has been done many times in multiple mediums.  Still, even though the story is not new, getting to the beginning to the end can still be entertaining.  The question here is this: can Kendrick Lamar release a concept album that tells an engaging, enjoyable story but still be accessible to the average fan who is not familiar with K. Dot's previous work?  Indeed.

The most impressive aspect of this album is that despite having a larger profile from being released on a major label, it is clearly Kendrick's show.  There is not a track on the album where Kendrick Lamar takes a backseat to the production or the guest artists and uses them to keep the listeners' interest.  It seems easy for Kendrick to hop into the backseat based on the people involved in the album.  Pharell Williams of the Neptunes adds his signature sound and vocals to the track "Good Kid."  Just Blaze puts together a California anthem with the track "Compton."  T-Minus comes through with the infectious hit single "Swimming Pools (Drank)." Scoop DeVille laces two of the tightest tracks of last year with "Poetic Justice" featuring Drake and "The Recipe."  Many of the other producers such as Soundwave and DJ Dahi and are not as well known but will soon be in demand due to their work on "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" and "Money Trees" featuring Jay Rock, respectively.  Surprisingly, Dr. Dre has no direct involvement in any tracks but makes two guest appearances on the aforementioned "Compton" and "The Recipe."  Another west coast rap legend MC Eiht makes an unexpected but satisfying appearance on "M.A.A.D City," which should make a new generation of rap fans say "geah" as if it is 1992 all over again.  Nevertheless, Kendrick makes its clear that he is the main attraction.  All of the contributors are in the passenger seat while Kendrick is behind the wheel.  Despite what they bring, Kendrick Lamar controls where the album is going.

What probably helps in Kendrick's command over the album is his clear vision and its flawless execution on the album.  He seems to have thought out every aspect in how the album is put together, and it makes every listen better each time.  I am always a sucker for the subtle moments that make an album intriguing, and there are plenty of them: the interplay of the music and K Dot's lyrics in "Sing About Me, Dying of Thirst," using a snippet of the opening track "Sherane aka Master Splinter's Daughter" to bring the story back to the beginning at the end of "Poetic Justice," the transition of K Dot getting into the backseat of his friend's car before moving to the track "Backseat Freestyle" - it is all there.  Even the interludes demand replay (the interludes with Kendrick's parents are definitely the highlights), and unlike some albums, the interludes help keep the album together instead of shaking up the album's flow.  No album that I have heard since OutKast's Aquemini has been able to achieve this feat so convincingly, and Kendrick should consider this a victory in itself.

Fortunately, Kendrick does not settle for just having an album that comes together musically.  He does not hit you with tongue-twisting, deep metaphors and punchlines.  However, Kendrick Lamar uses his words to weave his tale of youthful angst and loss of innocence to put you right there in the action.  The album cover states that the album is a short film by Kendrick Lamar, and that is exactly the feeling that you receive when you play it.  The highs and lows that one feels when watching a movie is apparent despite being in audible form instead of visual form.  There are still some moments that are surprisingly insightful even when you are likely having fun with it, such as the one on "Swimming Pools (Drank):"

Now I done grew up round some people living their life in bottles 
Granddaddy had the golden flask, back stroke every day in Chicago 
Some people like the way it feels, some people wanna kill their sorrows 
Some people wanna fit in with the popular, that was my problem 
I was in a dark room, loud tunes, looking to make a vow soon 
That I'ma get fucked up, filling up my cup, I see the crowd move 
Changing by the minute, and the record on repeat 
Took a sip, then another sip, then somebody said to me 

 [Chorus] 
Nigga, why you babysitting only two or three shots? 
I'ma show you how to turn it up a notch 
First you get a swimming pool full of liquor, then you dive in it 
Pool full of liquor, then you dive in it 
I wave a few bottles, then I watch 'em all flock 
All the girls wanna play Baywatch 
I got a swimming pool full of liquor and they dive in it 
Pool full of liquor, I'ma dive in it

I am probably the only one who thinks this, but I think this song is as genius as Afroman's "Because I Got High."   Like Afroman, Kendrick makes a song that simultaneously glorifies getting drunk and criticizes getting drunk (he even calls it "poison" on the second verse).  You got to appreciate songs like these because it's so tough to get anyone to listen to a rap song with any sort of substance.  It is also tough to make a song with substance that is sonically enjoyable, and Kendrick pulled it off here.

Other artists have made similar albums, but I have not heard any rap album that was able to pull it off as well as Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City.  Kendrick's vision and courage in making this album definitely paid off, and he clearly released one of the best albums in 2012.  I have no problem recommending this album as well as the deluxe edition to any music fan, whether they like rap or not.  After fully digesting this album, I imagine that when a new crop of rappers rise up 10-15 years later, they will point to this album as one of their biggest influences in their work.  Yep, it is that good. 

AUDIO SHAKEDOWN - Volume 10

Here we are at the tenth installment of the Audio Shakedown, or Shakedown X, if you prefer a more dramatic branding. My brain has been all over the place lately, so there's a good mix of stuff in here, though I have been spending a lot of time with some of the records from the first wave of NYC punk rock, which factors in a bit in this Shakedown. So without further ado, here's what I've been digging lately:

Black Sabbath - 13 - All the fans waiting for this record for the past year have had quite a ride. The initial excitement about a new album from the original Sabbath lineup was dampened by news of Tony Iommi's health issues and the departure of Bill Ward from the project (initially it was a "contract dispute," but later statements by Ozzy indicate that Ward's playing just wasn't up to par anymore). Then came the puzzling news that Ward's replacement was Brad Wilk from Rage Against the Machine, despite the fact that there exists a legion of drummers already playing in the Sabbath style out there in doom and sludge bands across the world. No one was sure what to expect, but the record is out and the results are in: Sabbath still rules. Producer Rick Rubin got this one just right, with the unmistakable feel of classic Black Sabbath intact, though the individual members show that they've been busy in the interim. Geezer's bass tone is thunderous, Tony's still at the top of his game, and Ozzy's vocals are great. Brad Wilk performs admirably, though if you really listen you can tell there are places where Wilk sticks with a straight ahead stomp where Ward might've made it swing a bit, but that's a non-issue, as it never becomes distracting. In the end it turns out there was no cause for concern; giants still walk the earth, and 13 is an album that Sabbath can be proud of. 

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue - Usually when something finds a massive audience, it's because it's a piece of lowest common denominator mush. But Kind of Blue is one of those very rare artifacts of human culture, an album whose appeal is so universal that they may as well just issue everyone on Earth a copy with their birth certificates. There is something built into the modal structure of the chords and leads that speaks to a deeper part of our brains. It's an ineffable alchemy, and one of the very few records where I feel pretty confident saying that if you can't find anything to enjoy here, there is something wrong with you.

Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers - L.A.M.F. - Despite the cachet that the New York Dolls carried in their namesake city, it's odd that the Heartbreakers' debuted to the sound of crickets initially, though the collapse of their label and their unceasing drug habits probably had something to do with it. At any rate, L.A.M.F. gradually grew through "cult status" to "essential album," which is really where it belongs, among the big names of the CBGB scene in late 70's New York. The album is trashy and raw, dealing mostly with drugs and sex, and carried the essence of the burgeoning punk rock aesthetic, thanks to members Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan, both of the New York Dolls, and Richard Hell, who had just left another early punk titan, Television. By the way, don't bother with the "revisited" edition of this album, with its cleaned-up production.  It's much better in its raw original form, as dirty and dangerous as the city that spawned it. 

Deafheaven - Sunbather - Sunbather is a novel brew of arty post-rock à la Godspeed or Mogwai blended with smile-free black metal, a bold move considering how unforgiving some black metal fans can be about violations of traditionalism. Deafheaven's enjoyable first record was done in a similar vein, and their mixed approach really upset the metal purists, which I always find amusing. But Sunbather, their sophomore release, represents a phenomenon that I enjoy even more: it's so good that even the purists have had to give them credit, despite their stylistic objections. Sunbather maintains an interesting atmosphere throughout, as they borrow black metal techniques but somehow manage to leave behind the icy feel that they usually evoke, instead using the same tremolo picking and minor key melodies to bring some sun into their expansive yet introspective compositions.

Patti Smith Group - Easter - Horses was the breakout album, and it's definitely excellent, but if you're looking for something with more fully realized songs, it's probably a good idea to reach for Easter. Not that Easter lacks Patti's spoken word performance, but it's where the band becomes skilled enough at their craft that they feel confident being more musical than textural. The best known track is of course "Because the Night," Smith's collaboration with Bruce Springsteen (whose influence on the track is obvious), but there are great songs all over the record. The eerie, ritualistic "Ghost Dance" is a particular favorite of mine, as is "Godspeed" a non-LP track that was included on later pressings. The religious imagery that Smith plays with over the course of the album works surprisingly well; its use is direct but not blunt. This is a diverse, challenging listen that stands as one of Smith's greatest statements.    

Motorpsycho - Little Lucid Moments - This record sounds like an extradimensional intelligence has assembled a metal band, a punk band, and a prog band, and then manipulated their minds and bodies in order to play them like an arcane puppet orchestra to attempt to communicate some vital information. The songs are twenty plus minutes long, and different sections sound like they're from different albums (some sections sound like they're made by a different species), yet there seems to be an overall sensibility knitting it all together into a cohesive whole. I feel like if I could just listen a little harder to this music, the chords would restructure themselves into instructions on how to leave this planet and join a waiting cadre of elite galactic scholars. And honestly, if none of this sounds remotely interesting to you, I'm not sure why we're even talking here.

AUDIO SHAKEDOWN - Volume 9

In this edition of the Shakedown, I'm taking the opportunity to catch up on some new (and new-ish) releases. There's been a lot of good stuff coming out, but I've been so obsessed by older music lately that I've ignored some of it for a while, an oversight which I will now rectify.

Coliseum - Sister Faith - It doesn't seem like ten years ago that I was asked to review Coliseum's self-titled debut, but I find that I enjoy their brand of messy, wild, gruff-voiced punk as much as ever on their fourth LP, Sister Faith. At the beginning of their career, their sound was nearly off the rails, like the song might fly apart at any moment and it was only momentum that kept it all together. Even though they've tightened everything up a bit on their newer releases, the feeling is still there in the throaty distortion, heavy bass, and powerful drumming.

Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork - I don't agree with those who say that this is the greatest extant rock band on earth, and I'm going to be honest with you, this is the first album by QOTSA that I've found listenable since Songs for the Deaf. All the stuff in between was too unfocused and dependent on Homme's falsetto singing for me to find enjoyable. Make no mistake, though, ...Like Clockwork doesn't really sound anything like Songs for the Deaf. Homme and company have found a new approach here that borrows more from Bowie circa Aladdin Sane than you might expect, especially on the second half of the record. There are of course the much-touted guest stars, but if they hadn't been so discussed in the pre-release press, you'd probably never know they were there. This album was dangerously over-hyped, but nevertheless manages to be a surprisingly interesting release.

Alice in Chains - The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here- I was pleasantly surprised by 2009's Black Gives Way to Blue, despite being all too willing to can it for its obvious lack of Layne Staley. That album was a reminder that Jerry Cantrell was always Alice's main composer, and was responsible for more of the band's essence than perhaps anyone else in the band. It was also a display of the admirable talents of William DuVall, who stepped in as lead singer to take the vacant spot once filled by one of the most recognizable voices in modern rock music, and ably did a job that can't have been easy. So the comeback provided some quality material, and there's more where that came from on The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here. There may not be any big surprises on the album, but the grinding distortion, phrygian-laced lead work, and vocal harmonies that we all know and love are firmly in place. Layne Staley's voice and lyrics, both of them surprisingly elegant and a little bit venomous, will always be missed, but this new incarnation of AiC has the goods and is worth a listen.

Fauna - Avifauna - Black metal is one of those gut-reaction genres, where no amount of persuasion  will convince a person that it's their thing if it isn't. It's like they're physiologically unable to tolerate the sound. That being said, I'm going to tell you how good this black metal record is. Avifauna is Fauna's third LP, and probably their best so far. There are two short interlude tracks sandwiched between three massive epics, ranging from thirty to seventeen minutes. Fauna is one of the tentpole bands of the so-called Cascadian Black Metal scene, and this album is very representative of the sound: long tracks filled with an atmospheric, majestic black metal devoted to natural and pagan themes (Avifauna starts with a minute and a half of birdsong), sprinkled liberally with quiet, moody acoustic passages. Avifauna also plays with drone elements without becoming boring and experiments with strings without sounding lamely "symphonic." It's a beautiful record, if you can handle it.

October Falls - The Plague of a Coming Age - October Falls' previous releases populate a spectrum ranging from minimalist moody folk to rasping black metal whose nature-loving sympathies lay near to the aforementioned Cascadian Black Metal scene (though October Falls hails from Finland). On The Plague of a Coming Age, they've moved out of that more minimalist sound into a much more lush, and maybe even accessible, style of arrangement, experimenting with clean vocals and fuller drum sounds. The black metal style is still present, but it's been augmented by some adventurous techniques (more than one guitar tone!), and a more midtempo feel, a bit like early Opeth. This is a risky move, as black metal fans tend to be pretty unforgiving of change, but this release represents a largely successful experiment. I can't say I wasn't hoping for another album in the vein of their fantastic record The Womb of Primordial Nature, but I can safely say that this record will find a place for itself in my listening nonetheless.

Kylesa - Ultraviolet - Kylesa returns with another dose of their signature brand of sludgy noise tinged with psychedelia. I've been increasingly impressed with this band's output as their career has progressed, and this is another strong release from them. They haven't changed too much about their sound since 2010's Spiral Shadows, but I admire their willingness to pull back from an all-out sonic blast to provide some shading and nuance. Philip Cope delivers a good vocal performance as usual, but it's Laura Pleasants' vocals that are the star of the show for me. The guitar work is dirty and driving with some nice winding psychedelic flourishes throughout, and the dual drummers and sturdy bass provide a more than ample framework for it all. Kylesa seem to know what they're good at and deliver it, but retain their motivation to try out a few new tricks as well. It's a process that ensures reliability as well as relevance.