People have no room for nuance anymore. Can't an artist have a way over the top and ridiculous and distracting performance AND be really talented and make a fantastic album?
This leaves me with a really strange combination of exhaustion and boredom.
It's pretty fun...but loses steam pretty quickly. Of course it's super fun to hear samples you like, but there are ones here that are not so good: like almost every classic rock or 90s alternative sample. Totally falls flat for me. Sticking to indie/90s rap would be the perfect combo for me. I do like the Wiz Khalifa/Stones combination, and the Modern English/Jay-Z part, though.
But nothing here is as surprising as Night Rippers or hits as hard as Feed the Animals.
I really have to disagree that "a lot of his material is just contrived embellishments over simple stuff." Clearly his time focusing on "classical" composition has factored into his songwriting and arranging. I'm not suggesting that you can't think objectively, I'm just strongly disagreeing. "Age Of Adz," for example, develops fantastically amidst the chaos and becomes one of the most gorgeous things he's done, although at first listen, it's insanity. If anything, his work is much more subtle now, which sounds crazy because it seems so ostentatious, but if you listen to Michigan, the brass parts are basically scales, and a lot of the strings on it (and Illinoise) are pretty basic, too. Same with the woodwinds, backup vocals, etc. Now he's using synths, vocal arrangements, brass, and strings together to create counterpoint, countermelody, harmony, etc. in a much more exciting way.
I just think his arrangements are far from "contrived embellishments."
And yes, that video is not very good (sorry for the diversion from your original point). I wish he'd drop the costumes and choreography, but he's always trying to disguise his sincerity in some way (insane arrangements, for example).
Absolutely right. And you know, the fact that the writer acknowledges both of these things in the post make it all the more flimsy. Silly, worthless post. Let's hold things to unreasonable standards! Glee is dumb and corny?? WHAT?? I'M SO INDIGNANT! WHY DIDN'T THEY CONSULT ME??
Terrible idea from a terrible show. So why the outrage?
I'm pretty sure the "broiling synth" at the end of "Runaway" is just auto-tune pushed to its extreme. And in that case, it's a pretty fucking cool idea. "DOA" was on Jay-Z's last record, but Kanye documents it on this track. Awesome. And "Blame Game" is stunning, too. Overall, the sounds and production value make this so worth every second. It might not have big pop songs on it, but it's extremely rich.
"See Me Now" is the most feel-good thing he's done since "The Good Life," and it's a shame that it's being relegated to a bonus track, but in the big picture, it would be out of place here. Same for "Good Friday" and "The Joy." Fantastic songs, but might have overstuffed an already stuffed album (and one with a pretty consistent atmosphere, too).
In that interview for MTV he said the art director did the dinner scene, with no racial intentions, just visual. He also said the red hoods represented the cult that pop culture is (MJ being an idol), not KKK. So yeah. There's an interview.
And I'm not saying it's a bad album, it's just not that great. I think Best New Music would be a stretch for this one. Still a worthwhile listen, though.
I'm shocked that with all these comments, no one is mentioning that this album is pretty damn boring. I hope this doesn't get Best New Music...Because I'm just not feeling this at all. Super uninteresting. A couple good songs, the rest feel like sketches for what could end up being AC songs.
Not specifically, but it's definitely reminiscent of the Hail To The Thief/In Rainbows era stuff. (A little bit "15 Step," a little bit "Body Snatchers" or "Jigsaw Falling Into Place")
But why is this "thumbs-down" territory?? Jesus. I didn't say it sounds like Radiohead because there are synths. That would have been stupid. I didn't say this was Sufjan's Kid A. That, also, would have been stupid. I said that specific elements of one specific part of one specific song reminded me of another band and everyone's all OHHHH BOOOOOOOOO!
But seriously, doesn't that part sound kind of like a Radiohead part?
Also, the "I'm not fucking around" section of "I Want To Be Well" is hugely Radiohead. I can't be the only one to think this...the frenetic energy of the drums, the squeaks and squalls, and the unhinged vocal approach...I mean all this in a good way as a big fan of both.
Some of his best work. That said, I just can't get into "Get Real, Get Right." I don't know if I ever will be able to, either. It sounds like the stool song in Waiting For Guffman.
But don't get me wrong, most of this album absolutely breaks my heart.
I'm not acting like it's the end of the world. I just think that encouraging mindless listening leads to the popularity of bad music. Just as it does for literature, television, and film. I don't think that's being a "complete jackass," either. I just think someone saying "don't over analyze it" as an excuse is being lazy. I really don't care how long you've been a Kings Of Leon fan. That has nothing to do with what I was saying. Neither does your assumption that I would prefer "a pretentious repetitive Animal Collective loop." Good one.
"whoever thinks this video is offensive is racist."
I just wanted to make sure that was written out twice so people can really evaluate what you just said. Good Lord.
I'm sure this band is coming from an affectionate standpoint, but to call someone racist for being critical about media is the lowest you can get. That's some straight-up Fox News shit, right there.
This whole "don't over analyze it" mentality is responsible for the prevalence of dumb shit like this.
Dear everybody, please continue to over analyze and don't settle for boring music.
No, obviously it wouldn't be racist if it were all white kids. Are you joking?! These kids are being co-opted. And no one is calling this band racist. They've just displayed some questionable decision making.
No, I really don't. Terms like "overproduced" get thrown around so often. I'm just suggesting people say what they mean. Like, is the electronic/percussive stuff too loud for their tastes? Maybe. Is there too much reverb on the vocals? Are there too many countermelodies, like the strings and back up vocals? It's just kind of lazy to say the production is too much. I get the pun, but it's not really saying anything.
This is fantastic. And the more I listen to "I Walked," the clearer it sounds. I'm assuming the whole record will have a similar feel. It's really exciting that Sufjan is willing to go here. I never would have asked for it, but we hardly know what we need, now do we?
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