This week’s reviews: Kanye West, The Beatles, Belle and Sebastian

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) – Kanye West

“Can we get much higher?” This is the question My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy asks in the album opener. Who or what was this question addressing? If this is asking if Kanye West’s music would get even better, then yes, it did. On the surface, this is man at the top of his game. On the top of the world, actually. Straight off of his personal tragedies and his most ubiquitous controversies, Kanye West had nowhere to turn but into self-imposed exile. And what came out of his Hawaii sessions was the stuff of legends. While there was never a drop in quality for his music, his public perception was at an all-time low, which makes this opus a comeback for the times. But on a deeper level, this is something more than a coincidental set of greatest hits. This album’s ornate and grandiose feel is multifunctional. First and foremost, it’s a comeback album, full of stadium-worthy anthems and luxurious rhyme-fests; the Olympic-blaring horns of “All of the Lights”, the star-studded “Monster”, and the apocalyptic death-march of “So Appalled”. A smarter Graduation; braggadocio with purpose. Maximalism turned up to 11, so much that even his detractors would be forced to listen. Secondly, this album, aside from being a collection of some of his best songs, was a public-service

\announcement that West had not gone anywhere and that he was more relevant than ever. And thirdly, this grandiosity parallels the celebrity culture, fame, and excess that West is way too familiar with. But West recognizes the culture for what it is: an unfulfilling lifestyle of lavish overindulgence. “Champagne wishes, 30 white bitches. I mean this shit is fucking ridiculous.” Braggadocio at first listen? A little bit, but he can spot superficiality from a mile away. Materialism and consumerism is something he’s been aware of, but as he said in 2004, “I ain’t even gonna act holier than thou, ‘cause fuck it, I went to Jacob with $25,000. Before I had a house and I’d do it again. I wanna be on 106 & Park, pushing the Benz.” Honesty has always been a virtue of West, even it’s a tad too blunt for his more sensitive audiences. As much as he wants to hate it, he still can’t resist the lifestyle. He’ll fall into temptation over and over again because of his not-so-subtle insecurity. And, in the end, what else is a black man in America to do but relish in the fruits of his labor? This sentiment would be further echoed in 2011’s fantastic “Niggas in Paris”, where Jay Z proclaims a simple truth, “Had you escaped what I escaped, you’d be in Paris getting fucked up too.” Could all of this be seen as an over-analyzation of tired isolated-celebrity themes? Hardly. It’s why the album opens up with Nicki Minaj giving a brief monologue of America’s seedier, darker underbelly as if she were reading a book to a bunch of children in a classroom, and ends with a preachy Gil-Scott Heron expanding upon that. West wants to change the world, but instead, he’ll settle for Heron’s, “Good home and a wife, and children, and some food to feed them every night.” Behind West’s twisted dark fantasy is something more sinister: A true vision of America, an America only a choice few can see. But before he can attempt to change the world, West must first improve upon himself, which is why he opens up like never before in his nine-minute epic, “Runaway”, which finds him in a state of vulnerability like we’ve never seen before. His biggest enemy has never been the paparazzi, the women who’ve wronged him (or the other way around), or even the lifestyle. It’s his ego. He knows it, and the public is all too familiar with it. In the wake of West’s spiraling out of control, the album needed to acknowledge it somehow. Brilliant undertones aside, the album also needed a human touch. West didn’t have to apologize, but in this case, the album wouldn’t have connected as well. It’s quite rare for one song out of many to play such an integral part in an album, but that’s a testament to how amazing “Runaway” is. He turned a public apology into a song, and it’s damn poignant; the greatest composition of the decade up to this point. “And I always find something wrong. You been putting up with my shit just way too long. I’m so gifted at finding what I don’t like the most.” A truly cathartic and revealing song, and if you’re a jerk, then double-points for you: You can relate to it more than anyone else. When all is said and done though, he’ll dive right back into his old ways, shown in the follow-up song, “Hell of a Life”. Unforgivable maybe, but West has never been much of a hero, much less a role model. But heck, I’ll forgive him, and you know why? Because he gave us an album to match just about any Beatles or Rolling Stones’ masterpiece. It’s been a long time since I’ve finished an album thinking that this was the greatest thing I’ve ever listened to. That thought has long been dispelled, but for an album to be that impressionable? It must’ve been a pretty damn good album. A+

(Key Tracks: "Runaway," "Power," "Monster," "Devil in a New Dress," "All of the Lights")

Rubber Soul (1965) – The Beatles

Some people consider Pet Sounds both the start of the concept album and when the album had started to be taken seriously as an artistic statement. Both are false. While it is a great album, Sinatra had his fair share of concept albums in the 50’s. And then we have Rubber Soul; not only is it the start of the most legendary run of albums ever made, it is the first album where a great deal of care, time and thought was put into each song. For such a turning point in the history of modern popular music, it’s such a modest masterpiece. Of course, The Beatles didn’t know what they’d just done. At the time, all they thought they were doing were just making a set of carefully crafted and melodic songs. Historical importance and all prior knowledge aside, it’s still a masterful set of songs. This is not to say that The Beatles didn’t do the same thing with the almost-as-good Please Please Me or A Hard Day’s Night, but here is when every aspect has matured and been refined. It also probably contains the most irresistible melodies ever conceived in popular music, all in the span of 14 songs. The Beatles get a lot of flak for not being especially-skilled musicians, but who really cares other than the bitterest of naysayers? When you’re able to write songs as catchy as “Michelle” or “Drive My Car”, none of that matters. That’s not to say that there are some weaker cuts on here, but they’re also overshadowed by the other 10 to 11 stronger songs. “The Word” is downright cheesy, but it’s also the one that’s most likely to be stuck in your head all day. “What Goes On” has a country vibe that isn’t as infectious as Help!’s “I’ve Just Seen a Face” or “Act Naturally”. And in today’s PC culture, “Run for your Life” would’ve raised a red flag from everyone for its violent and misogynistic message (unfortunately, that one has a nice melody too). Had this been The Beatles only and final masterpiece, they would’ve still been among the greats if only for their singles. The astounding thing is… Rubber Soul, which cannot be understated in any way, was only a warm-up for what was to come. For as artsy as they got, this one still strikes a chord with me the most. I’ll probably say the same thing 10 years from now: As much as my music taste has changed over the years, I still hold The Beatles in the same regard I had then. If this is the least of their golden age, then there’s no quarrel, no debate; they must the world’s greatest artist in this modern age of music. Funny, there’s not much to them other than knowing how to write great songs. That and they’re unburdened by pretensions. A+

(Key Tracks: "In My Life," "Norwegian Wood," "Michelle," "Drive My Car," "Nowhere Man")

If You’re Feeling Sinister (1996) – Belle and Sebastian

You have to be heartless to not enjoy these glorious melodies or sorrowful arrangements. The main complaint against Belle and Sebastian, or rather Stuart Murdoch’s quiet vocals, is that they’re too soft or too sensitive. But really, either these people have double-standards, or they just claim to be too tough for music this tender. Exhibit A: The Beatles may have not been this soft, but they’ve written cheesier lyrics and cornier melodies. But keep on complaining, and you’ll miss out on so much being this hypocritical. This may be one of the greatest records I’ve ever heard, but there’s nothing astounding or ground-breaking about it. It’s nothing but a great collection of songs with no concept or real meaning behind them. The only real overarching aspects are Murdoch’s tales of wimpy boys and girls being shy and quirky with one another. For an adult in his late 20’s at the time, Murdoch really knew how to encapsulate the spirit of the youth without ever being childish or sappy. However, if those stories don’t interest you, worry not; it’s the melodies you listen to and will sing in your head until the day you die. Yes, they’re that memorable and brilliant. It isn’t a stretch to say that this album may be the most skilled melodically since The Beatles’ Rubber Soul. You might be skeptical upon hearing this claim, but listeners of both albums would be hard-pressed not to hear it. But what really makes these songs so amazing is how each song is flawless without being flashy or showy. Each song is constructed with little to no cracks visible. Every instrumental element fits perfectly together like a jigsaw puzzle. No guitar, violin, piano, organ, or vocal is outspoken here, but rather exists in perfect cohesion, as if they were each made exclusively for each other. It seems that if any part was placed in any other song, it would’ve felt out of its element somehow. In a way, there are either no standout tracks, or they’re all standout tracks. That’s how solid everything comes together. But they all contain their own identities; some devastating, some jolly, some pondering. It would be a crime to leave out any song on here off their greatest-hits collection. Almost every album ever has that one sore thumb that sticks out from the rest; this isn’t that kind of album. Even Loveless has that one interlude you skip through when you listen through it. My only quandary with this album is that it’s too perfect, as if it were a gift from heaven. You could argue that it never rises to the epic levels of louder artists, but subtlety is a rare, yet understated strong point. I wouldn’t have it any other way. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, this is my favorite album at the moment and I can’t see it changing anytime soon. If and when I get to heaven, this is the one album I’ll hope is waiting for me when I get there. I can find solitude, beauty, nostalgia, and bliss all in the same package. After all, that’s what’s supposedly waiting for me when I get there, right? A+

(Key Tracks: "If You’re Feeling Sinister," "The Stars of Track and Field," "Judy and the Dream of Horses," "Like Dylan in the Movies," "The Fox in the Snow")