Stereogum Home

 

October 17, 2008

New Kanye West - "Coldest Winter"

thumbnail icon: New Kanye West - "Coldest Winter"

Kanye has totally gone emo on us: Strip away the Auto-Tune on "Love Lockdown" and "Heartless" and you have yourself a pop-radio dude self-deprecatingly singing about his heartache (over a Tears for Fears sample, no less). Maybe Pete Wentz should suggest Fall Out Boy use more Auto-Tune, less Elvis Costello. West's formula doesn't shift too much on "Cold Winter," but we do get interestingly upfront percussion, as if he borrowed at least one stick from Brian Chippendale's recent Björk collaborations. (OK, more likely, his percussion dudes from "Love Lockdown"'s Miami Vice version). It's a short piece, like Kanye ... wouldn't be surprising if on 808's & Heartbreak it worked as a transition into something bigger.

Your move, ColdJay.

[Emo Kanye photo via BoUNCe]

Posted at 10:59 AM by brandon
Tags:  |




40 Comments

the video is already done!

sad emoticon!

Posted by: grace6697 profile link at 10/17/08 11:18 AM  | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Turn that sad emoticon upside down -- it's back.

Posted by: brandon profile link  in reply to grace6697's comment at 10/17/08 11:23 AM  | Reply
Score = -1 Vote up Vote down

Kanye knows how to write a pop song, but what happened to the rapping? What happened to parallel double parking that motherfucker sideways?

Posted by: 6-3-2 at 10/17/08 11:37 AM  | Reply
Score = 8 Vote up Vote down

the last third of this song is great. also, i think its probably not the last version we'll get.

i want kanye to be loved more than kanye wants to be loved.

can we get a group rate on therapy?

Posted by: grace6697 profile link at 10/17/08 12:04 PM  | Reply
Score = 2 Vote up Vote down

Isn't this song more about his mother? I thought I read that somewhere.

Posted by: OrangeKrush at 10/17/08 12:37 PM  | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

after heartless and love lockdown i listened to this and was like "awesome" and got some faith restored in him, especially the awesome "goodbye my friend." then i clicked on that tears for fears link and was like "nevermind" because tears for fears wrote that great hook. this isnt like rapping over a sample, this is just like covering a really good obscure song and taking the credit for it. good thing that tears for fears link was there

Posted by: gar at 10/17/08 1:39 PM  | Reply
Score = -1 Vote up Vote down

I believe he said in a radio interview that he was getting the sample cleared right now. As in, this will be a credited sample... Like almost every hook Kanye uses in his songs.

Posted by: Sean  in reply to gar's comment at 10/17/08 1:48 PM  | Reply
Score = 2 Vote up Vote down

Not too bad. I am really looking forward to his album coming next June. I bet that it will be more of an traditional album, as opposed to an album he is putting out because he felt he had to

Posted by: MitchFTFuture profile link at 10/17/08 1:40 PM  | Reply
Score = 2 Vote up Vote down

the song's about his mother. i think we can let him slide for this. funny picture, though.

Posted by: roshan at 10/17/08 2:26 PM  | Reply
Score = 1 Vote up Vote down

yeah the song is about his mom, so i don't think the emo remarks are neccesary here...

Posted by: Will at 10/17/08 4:26 PM  | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

I think I can dig what he's doing here as long as it's just a quick stop before something better (i.e., before he releases another album, and soon).

Except for the fact that autotune is for hacks who can't sing.

Posted by: Greg at 10/17/08 4:31 PM  | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

it's not auto tune, it's a vocoder. big difference

Posted by: ok  in reply to Greg's comment at 10/17/08 8:25 PM  | Reply
Score = -2 Vote up Vote down

Being sad about yr mom dying=so emo.

Posted by: Liam at 10/17/08 4:40 PM  | Reply
Score = 13 Vote up Vote down

its gone again....

Posted by: Aria at 10/17/08 6:47 PM  | Reply
Score = 1 Vote up Vote down

This is actually great. I love it.
It's not really "emo" though. It fits right in with all the new R&B on the radio.

Posted by: Will3 at 10/17/08 8:01 PM  | Reply
Score = 3 Vote up Vote down

Ten years ago, in 1998, Neutral Milk Hotel released their album, the legendary In The Aeroplane Over The Sea. The closing track on that album was a sad, heart-wrenching track titled "Two-Headed Boy Pt. 2".

Ten years later, Kanye West would release an album, titled 808s & Heartbreak, that would be a departure from his past works. This track is said to be the closer of the album.

Posted by: Geoff at 10/17/08 8:31 PM  | Reply
Score = -8 Vote up Vote down

I usually just scroll over any post that says Kanye West but had to click on the link after I saw that picture. Can I get an unison WTF?!

Then I click on play and it's like some generic r&b popster singing over a NIN track (yeah, I know it's Tears for Fears)

Kanye Wentz

Posted by: d33r profile link at 10/17/08 9:19 PM  | Reply
Score = -3 Vote up Vote down

Tears for Fears is one of the best bands ever.

Posted by: Ruben at 10/18/08 8:42 AM  | Reply
Score = 5 Vote up Vote down

i have to kind of agree with the whole kanye gone emo concept...i think that it has to do with the passing of his moms thats taking the toll on some of his music...but this 808's and Heartbreak album should be excellent if the songs r like heartless, love lockdown, and coldest winter

Posted by: Malcom at 10/18/08 12:50 PM  | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

This is definitely the best out of the three so far, even if this audio you have up is horrid.

Posted by: Evan at 10/18/08 1:44 PM  | Reply
Score = 2 Vote up Vote down

THE NEW SEAL

Posted by: luvr at 10/18/08 1:57 PM  | Reply
Score = 3 Vote up Vote down

Coldplayest Winter

Again, don't we normally celebrate artists branching out? People get so pissed off at rappers not staying in their place.

And I'll defend vocoders and autotune. It's not necessarily about making your voice sound good, it's just a sound you like. To me it's no different than using a distortion pedal on a guitar.

Posted by: Skronk profile link at 10/18/08 2:38 PM  | Reply
Score = -1 Vote up Vote down

sounds like he is using Japanese Taiko drums at the end of the song

pretty cool

Posted by: jugdish at 10/19/08 12:12 AM  | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Love Lockdown - Nu Era rub:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/g236iy

Posted by: Nu Era at 10/19/08 12:53 PM  | Reply
Score = -1 Vote up Vote down

TEARS FOR FEARS RIPPED THIS SONG OFF ME!
SQUID BRAINS!

Posted by: KANYE WEST!!!!!! DOH! at 10/19/08 2:31 PM  | Reply
Score = 2 Vote up Vote down

this song is the shit -- absolutely beautiful melody (and i don't care who came up with it, because it's used so well here)

this mid-level use of autotune is a better sound than the all-out love lockdown. it also doesn't sound dated like heartless -- it's the best track yet. hopefully this is a sign of more good things to come

Posted by: justin at 10/20/08 12:54 AM  | Reply
Score = 1 Vote up Vote down

Kanye gone emo? Do you people even know what emo is? Obviously you don't if you're including Fall Out Boy in your emo jokes. Fall Out Boy is not an emo band, and the word emo has been mangled and twisted so much that it's hard for idiots like you to recognize real emo if you see it. And you won't see it if you're listening to any recent music that is relatively mainstream. Quit using the word "emo" as a diss, especially when you have no concept of the real mean. And lay off Kanye for making music that has emotion and feeling. At least somebody still speaks from his soul.

Posted by: Ty at 10/20/08 1:17 AM  | Reply
Score = -4 Vote up Vote down

The best is when emo kids defend emo by saying it's not emo. Hilarity ensues.

Posted by: Elliot profile link  in reply to Ty's comment at 10/21/08 12:52 AM  | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Yet another example of Kanya West's impeccable abilities to cool chase. This is complete trash.

Posted by: McNuggets at 10/20/08 1:11 PM  | Reply
Score = -3 Vote up Vote down

http://www.hiphopfrequency.com

Damn, Kanye done flipped things around. This is not HipHop.
This is Neo-HipHop

HipHop is ALive

Posted by: HipHop is Alive at 10/21/08 9:42 AM  | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Tears for Fears did write some seriously cool shit.

Posted by: whistle at 10/21/08 10:54 AM  | Reply
Score = 4 Vote up Vote down

Tears for QUEERS

Posted by: big dick at 10/23/08 8:42 AM  | Reply
Score = -3 Vote up Vote down

I have conflicting feelings about the new emo Kanye. I like it, but it makes me feel like i need to be wearing eyeliner and cutting myself to really like it.

Posted by: ElliotP profile link at 10/23/08 8:28 PM  | Reply
Score = 1 Vote up Vote down

I'm definitely not emo; in fact, I know way more about hip-hop than you do or ever will. But I also understand the concept of emo, and this sure as hell is not emo. It's not like Kanye's talking about slitting his wrists; he's grieving over his mother, for Christ's sake. Stop covering hip-hop (or whatever you want to call this, pop I guess) if you indie-loving homosexuals aren't going to do your research. Real talk. I'm out.

Posted by: Ty at 10/24/08 2:41 PM  | Reply
Score = -1 Vote up Vote down

BTW. Eat a dick.

Sincerely,
A guy who actually knows what he's talking about

Posted by: Ty at 10/24/08 2:43 PM  | Reply
Score = -3 Vote up Vote down

idk about this branch out kanye's going to surprise alot of fan's with this sh** i mean it's different not bad but just not kanye i don't know why he decided to drop the rap game.....terrible decision idk why he can't sing and spit cause the 3 songs i've heard aren't worth buying an album to hear

Posted by: nic0hsnap at 10/25/08 10:10 PM  | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

He can't sing and spit because this album isn't for you. It's not for the fans. It's for him; it's something he has to do. I personally like it, but I can respect it if you don't like it. I'm not asking anyone to like it, just don't call it emo.

Posted by: Ty  in reply to nic0hsnap's comment at 10/27/08 4:01 PM  | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Just because hes making a Cd that has songs that u dont like makes him EMO if u heard him on the radio talking about the song or heard him in other songs after his mom passing you can def se he is not EMO. He is the same old kanye

Posted by: Money at 11/11/08 7:25 PM  | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

This shouldn't be considered a sample. It's rewritten lyrics to a song. The entire melody (and lyrical hook) come directly from Memories Fade. And the original has better production, arrangement and lyrics.

Posted by: Michael at 12/21/08 8:20 PM  | Reply
Score = 1 Vote up Vote down

Kanye West did not sample Tears For Fears. The entire instrumental was redone; and then he rote different lyrics for it. That's not smapling, or covering. I guess it's ok as long as it's ok with Tears For Fears.

Posted by: h-rock at 01/31/09 8:21 PM  | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Leave a comment


Staff

  • Founder/Editor-In-Chief: Scott Lapatine
  • Executive Editor: Amrit Singh
  • Senior Writer: Brandon Stosuy

Info

Contact

Get Flash to see our mp3 player. Here are our mp3s: Cold Cave - Life Magazine (»)
Pants Yell! - Cold Hands (»)
Bill Quick - Take Me Away (»)
Fool's Gold - Surprise Hotel (Wallpaper's Mariah Mashup) (»)
Air - Sing Sang Sung (Black Moth Super Rainbow Remix) (»)
Avi Buffalo - What's In It For (»)
Vampire Weekend - Horchata (»)
Small Black - Kings Of Animals (»)
Max Tundra - Which Song (Passion Pit Remix) (»)
Cold Cave - Theme From Tomorrowland (»)
Tegan And Sara - Hell (»)
Jeff The Brotherhood - Bone Jam (»)
Mount Eerie - Wind's Dark Poem (»)
Tigercity - Fake Gold (»)
Yeasayer - Ambling Alp (»)
Drink Up Buttercup - Even Think (Andrew W.K. Remix) (»)
Florence And The Machine - You've Got The Love (The xx Remix) (»)
Cold Cave - The Laurels of Erotomania (»)
Jookabox - Phantom Don't Go (»)
Jookabox - You Cried Me (»)

Progress Report logo
Commercial Appeal logo
Premature Evaluation logo
Band to Watch logo
Quit Your Day Job logo
The Outsiders logo
The 'Gum Drop logo