Review: Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Kanye West is a straight up polarizing figure. He's classic in his approach, and is the only true hip hop artist who at this point is making his mistakes and shout outs and is human because of it. He feels things and shows it in his music, that's something hip hop lacks is the definition of being human. Like him or not, the guy is talented and has topped Hova as the king, if Graduation didn't do that, "Fantasy" does. To call it the best "hip hop" album in years doesn't do it justice, after all is said and done, it'll be thought of as one of the best albums of all time. Hip hop hasn't seen a powerful force of an album like this since Jay-Z dropped "The Blueprint", and that was nearly a decade ago.

So what makes the album so great? It's a huge question that offers many answers. Kanye has stepped up his flow big time, delivering angry and raw verses that showcase why we fell in love with him in the first place. The production on the album is of the best in years too thanks to 'Ye and a super team of producers including RZA and the latest superstar and "total package" Lex Luger. The album's only flaw, the overkill of guest spots on this album.

Unfortunately, the album's two weakest tracks feature guest spots up the ass and are back to back. "All of the Lights" gets off to a horrid start with Rhianna crooning, she has a poor voice to begin with and weakens the track which also feautres Fergie and Elton John, it's a suckfest of a song followed by a more ridiculous song in "Monster". "Monster" is a hit or miss affair for most listeners. It's a pissing contest between Mr. West, Jay-Z, Rick Ross who probably deserved more than his small bit and the queen of all that is unholy and annoying, Nicki Minaj. Miss Minaj has marked 2010 with numerous appearances, each more scating than the last, none more hopeless and unlistenable than her verse on "Monster" switching back vocal styles ranging from a challanged kid to a budget M.I.A.. It's safe to say without both these songs, this album is perfect.

"Dark Fantasy" and "Gorgeous" open the album in style and serve as what to expect. Hot beats with West spitting about him being unsure but not apologizing, he's made mistakes, we all have, he also talks a large amount of shit, but he's one of the few artists that has a body of work and talent that can back it up. Both songs serve as a great start to the album's first centerpiece of "Power".

To call "Power" is great song is too little praise. It's quite possibly the best hip hop song ever written and the best song this year by far, it's not even close. What makes it such a striking song is the delivery and focus that West puts into it. Surely he's not backing down and he lets us know. Ranging from subject from SNL to his hiatus to becoming hip hop's enemy of the state, West is letting us know it's not cramping his style, in fact, every damn thing he's been through since releasing 808's has probably strengthen someone who already was the cream of the crop. The song also has a beefy beat and a King Crimson sample. There's no shortage of emotion and heart into this song. It's West's finest hour as an emcee, and this guy wrote "Amazing", "Diamonds", and "Stronger".

The other centerpiece of the album is "Runaway", it's the king bee of a bottom heavy album. With it's modest piano and introspective lyrics, it's a nine minute titan of a song that ranks up there with the best songs he's written. Songs like "Power", "Runaway" and the Aphex Twin sapled "Blame Game" show Kanye isn't just an ordinary rapper, he's a musician, he's an artist and a very important one of this generation. We can only hope moving into a new decade where he dominated the last one, Kanye West will continue to lay cans of whomp ass to anyone who comes near him.

This isn't an ordinary hip hop album, it's probably the first of its kind which can be called a "Art Rap" album. This is a work of art, this is a masterpiece as much as "Fear of a Black Planet" is, as much as "The Marshall Mathers LP" is, as much as "The Blueprint" is, hell as much as "Kid A" is. If we're comparing here, let's say "The Blueprint" is hip hop's "Is This It", both are albums marked by their work ethic and sound of the best the 70's had to offer. So that would make "Fantasy" hip hop's "Kid A". Like "Kid A", this album shows that a savior of a genre could tear down all he was and come back with an even better version of himself. Both albums pushed just how far you could take music into being popular. You don't have to write songs, you can still make albums that you can listen to from start to finish, you can still create works of art that polarize and are thought provoking. There's a reason every critic is getting behind it. It hasn't just restored faith in hip hop, but music in general. We finally have an artist with as much popularity and smarts as West who isn't being lazy and is pushing the lmits and is creating something we never could've expected, and boy does it sound good.

**** 1/2 out of *****

Review: Sufjan Stevens- The Age of Adz

In 2005, I grew weary of radio rock. Very few bands were speaking to me and I'd had a shitty time in life. I was in a strict school and had the world's worst best friend. But I remember it as the year I finally came into my own. I evolved from music and I think it had something to do with me finally hitting puberty. Going through all the best of '05 lists, two records kept showing up. One was My Morning Jacket's "Z", an album I consider to be the best pure rock and roll record since Seattle's heyday. The other was "Illinoise" by Sufjan Stevens. "Illinois" continues to show up in lists of best albums of the past decade, and rightfully so. I wasn't one to go gaga over it, but it was different from anything I heard and I always felt compelled to revisit it and see what I missed. Flash forward five years later and Stevens has finally released a proper follow up to it, and it's not even about a state.

Part of the reason I always admired Sufjan Stevens was because he used everything in his music and made it work somehow. It was never mindblowing to me, but I could never help but think whatever he was doing was pretty damned original compared to other music my peers were listening too. Now more than ever, Sufjan is using the electronics. "The Age of Adz" sounds like Trent Reznor and Owen Pallett got together, thought of all the weird ideas possible, put some surreal lyrics and came out with an album. Though Stevens has a better voice than the two, you can't help but think some of these ideas weren't borrrowed.

The album isn't for the faint of heart either, it has a million different things going on at once, sort of like the mashups my brother had been making lately, but that's the genius of the album. So much at one time only makes you want to explore this album again and again, it's a trap, but it's worth it. "Too Much" and "Age of Adz" build up like epics only to have that same quality feel that you got from the earlier albums. Filled with electronic beats and a sometimes whiny voice, the strings make things pop out more than usual, making it for a rush and a head scratching listen. But the beats are so strong, you're almost wondering why Sufjan Stevens hasn't produced a hip hop album or why Kanye West and some of the shitty rappers like Kid Cudi who think samples of a indie song are the gateway of making a good song, haven't gone to this well. It's brilliant, and I forsee a lot of that happening in the near futre if this album is as popular as I hope it will be.

The songs have a similar formula, and that's not saying they sound the same, but Stevens has found many ways to combine hip hop beats with strings and surreal images to the point where he made a well versed 11 song, 74 minute album. No these songs won't be played in clubs, and it's going to be an awesome task performing these live, but that's the point. Sufjan Stevens was always doing things and making music that you weren't hearing anywhere else, and in a age where nothing is original and everyone sounds like everyone else, Sufjan isn't breaking that mold, but he's making us believe he is.

Epic is the only word to describe this album. Perhaps there's nothing more epic than a 25 minute song to close your album. No, it's not seven minutes, then 15 minutes of silence before coming back, this bad boy goes all the way through. What easily could've been five songs for an EP, is a whole damn track. The funny thing is, it's not boring for one damn minute. Each part of the song has a reason to exist, and it brings together everything he's been doing great for his whole career. Art rock, baroque pop, electronica, you name it, every phase is covered in at least one portion of this 25 minute titan named "Impossible Soul". But that's the sign of a good musician, you can make an epic this long and not have it lag, it fact it's pretty damn interesting and if you have the time, it's worth several listens.

I always thought guys who listened to Sufjan Stevens were college dorks or people who were generally smarter than me. It's not entirely true, because there really is something for everyone. It's not something to listen to once, it's not you either get it or you don't. You owe it to yourself to let it sink it and have it overtake you at least once. Sufjan Stevens is one of the greatest American songwriters of the past two decades, and you owe it to him and everyone to give this album your time. He's doing something only a few people are actually doing, the trick is, he's probably the best at doing it.

**** 1/2 out of *****

Review: Belle & Sebastian- Belle & Sebastian Write About Love

A few weekends ago I tuned into myspace.com to watch live coverage of Matador at 21 from Vegas. A bunch of my favorite bands were playing, the likes of Sonic Youth, Spoon, The New Pornographers and two of the headlining sets were from the reunited likes of Pavement and Guided by Voices. The third headliner was Belle & Sebastian. Suffice to say, the were the best out of the three. Where Pavement was going through the reunion train on their last stop, they looked like they hated each other...still. Guided by Voices was a fun mess, complete with Uncle Bob's antics, drinking, and sloppy playing, you know what to expect at a GBV show, and don't expect a tight sounding group. Belle and Sebastian though have fallen into a catagory of "where have I been?".

I was skeptical about Belle and Sebastian, I'm not a girl, nor am I in love, but damn, if they weren't so adorable and great sounding live. I decided to bite the bullet, purchasing the album at work, where I'm already known for being weird and going home and listening to it, and well...I sort of like it...a lot!

"Write About Love" has it's pop sensibilities down to a point. There's ace drumming all around, great string arrangements, awesome use of synths, great song writing, and most of all, beautiful singing. Who said pop music was dead? "I Didn't See it Coming" is a nice slice of it all, featuring the fabulous pipes of Sarah Martin. In fact, Martin's vocal delivery is so good on this album, it's easy to forget Isobel Campbell was in this group, much less put out a good album this year. "Come On Sister" is a synthpop extravaganza with Stuart Murdoch taking the lead here. Murdoch isn't pretentious, in fact, much of this album revolves around ordinary life. There's no quizzical or weird imagery, and the way these songs are sung, it could almost be as if these things could happen to you. It's as relatable as pop music gets.

The album also has guest spots, and unlike many albums where this type of ordeal would take away from it and mask the band's flaws, they work extremely well. Norah Jones guests on "Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John" and while it sounds like a song that could've been on her vastly underrated "The Fall" which was released last year, you'd be foolish to say she doesn't have a voice that doesn't match what B & S are trying to accomplish, and if your local Adult Alternative station finds this song, you and your parents will be sick of how good it is.

The other guest spot is from Academy Award nominated actress Carey Mulligan. Mulligan made my pants tighter and heart flutter in last year's amazing film "An Education", and I think I'm more in love with her now that she sings back up on the title track. "Write About Love" is a cooky, upbeat, sometimes funny and brutally honest song. Realistic images are seen listening to the lyrics, the song is so infections and groovy that you can't help but smile. This song followed by "I'm Not Living In the Real World" are a strong one-two punch smack dab in the middle of the album, equally balancing the top and bottom halves of the album.

"Real World" is everything happy about this album. Living the day by day life can be hard sometimes, and doesn't the band know this, but this song makes it downright liveable. If I ever get dumped, I could play this song and not have a care in the world until the Cowboys lose again. It really is the last "upbeat" track on this album, but the album is so strong as a whole you won't even care.

The Flaming Lips' "Soft Bulletin" was an album I bought in high school because I heard it was one of the only albums that could rival "Kid A" as the best album of the past decade. What "The Soft Bulletin" did to me was restore my faith in pop music. Steven Drozd and Wayne Coyne crafted an album that took Pet Sounds senses and crafted up for the next century. While "Write About Love" isn't an album like that, it should restore your faith in good pop music. While many pop musicians are looking to do something different, most of the time it flat out sucks and it turns out badly, look at Xtina's latest turd.

Belle & Sebastian, I'm here, I'm a new convert, your style of effective and believable pop music is something I thought I could never enjoy, but congratulations, you've won me over and I don't feel guilty one bit. If I had a band like you in my life, I probably would've been a less cynical person growing up. But it's okay, I've found you guys now and I'm staying for a while, won't you?

**** 1/2 out of *****

Review: John Legend and The Roots- Wake Up!

Collaborations are supposed to be like this. This is fun, hopeful and at times, downright bad ass! "Wake Up!" sounds like a group of guys playing their favorite soul tunes and just jamming, and that's how it should sound. Is it gimmicky? Is it a little late? To both, maybe, but there's no denying that there's a strong sense of sincerity to these old songs, and who better to bring it than hip-hop's most iconoclatic group and the best R&B singer who's so good and vital to the industry that even your mom has heard of him?

That's not to say "Wake Up!" doesn't misstep. It suffers from length problems and some of these songs are questionable choices. "Humanity" is a near laughable track with a reggae backbeat that doesn't do the album favors, but when everything is clicking, you'd be hardpressed to find a better soul album. As expected, the music is top notch. In fact, you could go as far as to say this is the best The Roots have sounded as a band. Maybe it's the fact they play near every night on the talk show circuit, but the insturmentation is teriffic. In particular, Captain Kirk's awesome guitar and ?uestlove's always on pace drumming.

"Hard Times" and "Compared to What" are the first two cuts on the album and immediately suck you in with their vintage vibe and Legend's sense of urgency singing on both tracks. He's believing in the wrong and want's to do something about it damn it! Lord, does it sound all powerful too. "Compared to What" is a favorite forthe best song of the year, the song gets everything right that made the original such a vital soul tune in its day.

The lead single "Wake Up Everybody" doesn't live up to the high standard held up by the first two songs. It's not even Melanie Fiona who ruins it, but a verse by Common which at best, sounds out of place for a would-be legend who has been swinging and missing as of late. "Our Generation" makes up for it as it displays the sense of urgency and passion displayed on the first two tracks of the album, with its beat and production as retro as it should sound.

"Hang on in There" has the Curtis Mayfield vibe going on with its strings and dark view of the urban world which is on display this whole damn album. "Wholy Holy" doesn't exactly fit the mold for a would be gospel tune in the midst of an album whose views lie on taking on those who have bastardized faith, but I may be looking too much into it, and it doesn't help that the song is the slowest in a thick of jams.

John Legend starts of "I Can't Write Left Handed" talking about Bill Withers' last days before launching into a 10+ minute jam session full of amazing solos and guitar work done by the underrated Captain Kirk Douglass. He makes it shine with Hendrix like explosions, solidifying his spot has the best soul guitarist since the purple one.

Even though "Shine" may be a weak way to end this album, there's no denying that despite playing other people's songs, it showcases the talents of all these gentleman, who are the best at what they do, whether you've been watching or not. It's not a vital album by any means and both parties have done better, but in the hip-hop world, it's entirely refreshing and amazing to see artists talking about issues that matter, no matter how old the songs may be. In the world of "Not Afraid" or "Fine Your Love", I will take this any day of the week.

*** 1/2 out of *****

Review: Grinderman- Grinderman 2

The idea of Nick Cave making a doom metal album sounds silly, yet here we are with Grinderman. Grinderman is a side project consisting of Cave and the core of the past decade's Bad Seeds lineup minus Mick Harvey and unlike the Bad Seeds, it's heavy as FUUUUCCCKKKK! The first Grinderman album was a much needed can of whomp ass for anyone who thought Cave was losing it at his old age. Even Snoop Dogg admitted to liking "No Pussy Blues". So with one album done and Cave's "Dig Lazarus Dig!!!" album being Grinderman-lite, we get the much needed sequel, and while it's not entirely more of the same, it's still pretty damn awesome.

Album opener "Mickey Mouse and the Goodbye Man" and first single "Heathen Child" are the expected straight forward "rawk" affairs that you'd come to expect. More than that, the band shows of more a blues style in this album than in the previous one. It's dirtier and grungier and the songs are as heavy as they could possibly be, evoking a Stones "Exile" like blues approach to an already distinct sound for a band. It's a ballsy and admirable move, and of course something that only Nick Cave and Warren Ellis could make work.

There's also no shortage of weird, druggy like tunes on this album too. "When My Baby Comes" is a down tuned affair with the perfect musicianship these middle aged guys should and have been putting together for quite some time now. "Evil" and "Kitchenette" while having a different sound from each other, best showcase Cave's magnetic wordplay with the dirty sound to match the equally dirty lyrical content of both songs. Not that Cave's ever had the friendliest or cleanest of lyrics. He's the dirty uncle writing about things that would make Donald Dagan and Walter Becker say he's a little fucked up.

Like every hard rock band, Grinderman mix in their share of ballads. "What I Know" and "Palaces of Montezuma" aren't traditional ballads in any sense, but it's as soft as the band gets. It doesn't last long, in fact, both songs are among the shortest of the album, leaving more time for ass kicking rock and roll. They're not throw away songs by any reason and if the whole album was as heavy as the rest, you wouldn't be able to stand up afterward.

Nick Cave is on the wrong side of 50, but of course if you've been paying attention, it doesn't matter, nor should you give a damn, because he obviously doesn't. Cave is as creepy and cryptic as he's ever been. The past decade of work is perhaps his best, and even when he's doing a completely different style than what we're used to, he's still knocking it out of the park. Musicians aren't supposed to age this gracefully, considering the amount of drugs this guy has taken. But who are we to complain, the music still rocks and that's all I'll ever ask.

**** 1/2 out of *****

Review: Of Montreal- False Priest

First things first, as of right now, this may be the most satisfying album to any band's fanbase this year. Of Montreal have been popular in the indie community for the past decade, now taking their funky styles to new heights, the band has recorded what should be their breakthrough album. "False Priest" is an album with no dull moments, it lasts damn near an album but there is no filler, it's classic Of Montreal. The band has enlisted Solange Knowles, sister of megastar Beyonce, as well as Janelle Monae, who released the amazing "Archandroid" this year. It's a recipe for something great and it pays off.

"I Feel Ya' Strutter" is a opening funk jam with Kevin Barnes sounding like a coked up Donald Fagan. He talks through most of the song except when he's breaking into a falsetto, and it's teriffic. With its thumping bass and porn guitar, it would be right at home with Sly Stone. "Our Rioutous Defects" follows and has Barnes almost rapping and dueling with Monae into a mash of battle of the sexes who is more crazy? Apparently Monae is a "crazy girl".

"Godly Intersex" is a club banger that's sure to shake the asses. Less on the live insturments, heavy on the beats and ever surreal imagery, and heavy on the Bee Gee's like chorus. It stands to be one of the best songs of the year by far. "Hydra Fancies" is hokey and sounds like mid-80's R&B, but you can't help but get the feeling that they're trying to have fun with every other R&B style that isn't New Jack Swing on this album.

"Like A Tourist" goes back to that Sly Stone sound but reinvents it for a new sound that doesn't sound dated. Once again Barnes is singing silly for the hell of it and none of his words make much sense, but that's half the fun of listening to the band. "Sex Karma" is as awesome as it sounds, and with Beyonce's little sister taking some vocal calls, it would be silly to think that they weren't writing a single.

The ending of the album is just as fun as the start. It's a smartly sequenced album and songs like "Girl Named Hello" are basically a hangover from all the fun within the first half hour of listening to this album. "You Do Mutilate?" ends the album as three different songs, all unique and original to the band's sound in every way possible.

If you haven't checked out Of Montreal already, there's no better place to start. It's a classic album by a band who has deserved all the praise out outcry from their fans in the indie community. In a world where Lady Gaga is passing off as listenable pop music, it's refreshing as shit to hear a funky, pop album with balls that isn't pretentious and is enjoyable for all fronts. If this is any indication of the new decade for the band, I can't wait to go along for the ride.

**** 1/2 out of *****

Review: Interpol- Interpol

The cover of the album says it all. It's the band logo being broken up. Ladies an gentleman, Interpol are broken. Once they were they were being hailed as the next Joy Division, they're now yesterday's news. But it's not all bad, there's some signs of life, just not enough to justify them being back. The band started beautifully with "Turn on the Bright Lights" and "Antics", a great one-two punch to the start of the career. They then released "Our Love to Admire" in which I'm in the minority for liking. Now having a chance to redeem themselves to their fanbase, they fizzle.

Musically the band is as good as they've ever been. Hard hitting drums, thumping bass lines and the usual kick ass guitar we've come to expect. "Success" followed by "Memory Serves" are a testament to that, and if you haven't gotten used to the weird vocal effects for Paul Banks by these two tracks, you won't enjoy this album at all. As unexciting as these songs sound, things start to pick up.

"Summer Well" through "Always Malaise (The Man That I Am)" are probably the best four sequenced songs in Interpol's canon. It's classic Intepol that channel the first two albums very well and helped earn them the new kings of post punk. First single "Barricade" is a chest thumper and as hard as a song as the band has written, it may be one of the best songs they've ever written.

Sadly, this album also contains one of the worst songs they've written. "Try It On" is one od the most boring turds of a song a rock band has written in years, it even makes me question if this was the same band that wrote "PDA". Luckily "All of the Ways" washes the taste out of our mouth, if only for a little while. "The Undoing" closes us out, and yet, we're stuck with another boring and weakly track that hust makes you scratch your head.

There's not much to say here. It's almost as if all the energy has been taken from the band in favor of piano and string sections. Not that that's a bad thing at all, but a band that had such fury and a knack for writing some of the best alt-rock songs of the past decade shouldn't flame out so quick like this. Maybe it's a drought and they can recapture the glory. But with former bassist and brainchild Carlos D leaving, we're left to wonder what could've been, but for right now, what was.

** out of *****