greenTYPEWRITERS :: REVIEW :: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

"Popular culture and hip-hop will never be the same."

This was the first thing that went through our minds after the first listen of Kanye West's
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

Since then, there has been an endless array of discussion in the two weeks leading up until its release on November 22nd, 2010. We have defended his Fantasy against leagues of indie kids and scores of hip-hop heads only to be left with the consensus that, love-love it or hate-love it, Kanye has created something exhaustingly unique.

So instead of re-writing those extensive replies and discussions into one lengthy and wordy body of text, we have decided to write our review on the critical defensive, and tell you specifically what we have told our friends and co-critics:

It's his most self-aware and personal album to date by far.
Date Posted: 11/12/2010

RE: Kanye's "horrible" singing on "Runaway"
Date Posted: 11/12/2010

Sometimes passion exceeds talent brah.

"Should I be ashamed to admit that this has taken my number one spot this year?"
Date Posted: 11/14/2010

It is hard to deny how well put together this album is. There are literally no overbearing weak/slow points like those found in The Suburbs (eg. "Wasted Hours"/"Half Light II"/"Sprawl") or Cosmogramma (eg. "Mmmhmm"/"Satelllliiiiiteee"/"German Haircut"). Even the seemingly misplaced tracks are incredibly well produced and do not detract from the album very much (dem french horns on "Turn on the Lights" and bass on "Monster")!

Ego's aside.. what the fuck is going on here? "I know damn well ya'll feelin' this shit!"

I should also mention that Yeezy put on the best performances that SNL has seen since who the fuck knows:

"POWER"

"It would be the same as comparing Aphex Twin to Portishead..."
Date Posted: 11/18/2010

"UGHH, I don't get what people find so great about this record, Big Boi's record is about a hundred times better than this... and it's unbelievable how much jizz is being released; Kanye being called a genius and a poet. Seriously, sure lyrically he's somewhat clever, but c'mon.
The Chris rock interlude ruins Blame game [and] I just don't see what's so great about it, maybe my opinion will change, but even if it did, I can't see myself proclaiming this anywhere near the level of a lot of people I've talked to."

1.) Sir Lucious Left Foot is absolutely in our top five of the year but the thing that pushes Fantasy past it is the emotional dialogue going on throughout the album. Big Boi does his fuckin' thang as usual but ultimately he isn't involved on certain levels that push Kanye outside of his self-righteous bubble for a few bare moments. It would be the same as comparing Aphex Twin to Portishead because, in theory, both are generally contrived of electronic roots when, in practice, they are vastly different. Big Boi plays it safe and sticks to his deafening guns while Kanye goes AWOL on this album and that is daring.

2.) There has been a bunch of talk about the Chris Rock skit at the end of "Blame Game". The same people that say they loved Kanye's old use of skits go on to say that they hate the Chris Rock dialogue. I love it.. I loooove it. It is a genuine throwback to hip-hop's great use of skits and because it is a part of "Blame Game" you think it "nearly ruins" it? Pleeease.. So if this skit were a stand alone track, "Blame Game" would remain the best song on the album and you would just hate the skit? Give me a fucking break. It makes no sense.

Humour is subjective. Personally I love the computerized response of "Yeezy taaught me" repeated in the skit. It is eerie as hell!

Chris Rock is a comedic icon. I can't understand how yelling TWISTA WORE THAT SHIT IN THA SOURCE and I'MMA SHOOT A BOOTLEGGA isn't funny.. but I guess we stroke different folks.

"I am not here to justify Pitchfork's 10/10..."
Date Posted: 11/22/2010

"It's really good, I have to admit. I don't think it's a 10 though.
There are still some other albums that I prefer that have come out this year, like deerhunter, arcade fire, the national, etc. If I had to pick an arbitrary number to go along with how I feel about the album, I'd probably give it a 9.5.
I went back today and listned to Takk... What a great album. I would suggest that any album by Sigur Ros in the past decade is more deserving of a 10 than, the aforementioned, [Person Pitch, Merriweather Post Pavilion, In Rainbows, Funeral, or Illinois]."

I am not here to justify Pitchfork's 10/10 because I do not know what albums they have given 10s and what albums they haven't given 10s. I don't care for their reviews or care that they're more important than every other online music review site. I visit Pitchfork strictly for the news and their "best new albums" list, which is usually spot-on regardless of how arbitrary their system of numbers and vocabulary may be.

http://nymag.com/arts/popmusic/features/69682/

The review above, that was previously posted, is incredibly well written and definitely the best review that My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy has received so far. I am not mad at Pitchfork because I generally never "read" their reviews and ultimately don't care.
Why do you care?

"I do not think that it is too far of an intellectual stretch to fantasize..."
Date Posted: 11/22/2010

I think the Pitchfork review ignores the fact that on some level, you kind of have to be interested in Kanye on some level to take certain things out of this album. A looooot of material on this album is central to him and his life and there's not a lot of universal themes that every single person can relate to - I love the album but you have to admit that that is true on some level.

I agree that you have to be interested in Kanye but the production on this album should win over audiences that generally don't like hip-hop, and if you have any interest in contemporary culture whatsoever then Kanye should already be an incredibly appealing person.

The magic of this album deals with the influence that fame has on European/Western culture. Fame is relatable to everyone that consciously or unconsciously eats it up or confines themselves from it. Kanye is the epitomist of pop culture and the most self-righteous voice that it has created in a while. He reinsures this fact by producing his best piece of work that is not confined by traditional pop culture models placed on mainstream music. He wonderfully attacks and withholds the glorified level that he is, in all rights, living on.

The general theme of lost love and voyeurism is not exactly the most abstract ideas either. Yes, they are central to Kanye's very outspoken life and universal audiences will not necessarily relate to dating porn stars etc. etc.. but I do not think that it is too far of an intellectual stretch to fantasize about this life and project yourself within his Fantasy.

That is the universal magic of this album.

It influences those that dream and those that live the dream and I personally think it relates to a vast array of audiences including musicaholics, sexaholics, fameaholics, cultureaholics, loveaholics, alcoholics, drugaholics, fashionaholics, etc. etc..

Kanye contextualizes his life into a lived fantasy and he accepts that this life is obviously not defined as normal. More importantly, he is self-aware enough to view it from an outside source, thus purposely naming it his Fantasy. It is a concept album that breaks down the unnecessary barrier between those with or without fame by proving that there are relatable themes that exist beyond or below these emphasized class differences.

"None of those albums you listed had to rebel against anything..."
Date Posted: 11/22/2010

"The real problem that I am having with this album is that I am confused as to what it's suppose to be, I almost feel like I'm missing the point. Almost all the songs are good, Blame Game and Runaway are classics, Devil in a New Dress is smooth as hell and I love it, the opener is brilliant, it has its bangers like Monster and something else, I can't remember. Really though, I hear so many people saying this is a beautiful masterpiece, and it's so personal and tragic, but I just don't get it. Kanye's parts can be those things, at times, but there are some lyrics that are just so different from what I keep being told this album is that I almost feel like I have the wrong copy. Maybe it's just that I'm not really a big rap fan. To me the rap albums I like find a theme and stick with it(hell hath no fury, madvillainy, dr. octagon), perhaps this is just over my head. Oh, and I think most of the choruses are just terrible. All of the Lights, Hell of a Life, and Gorgeous are almost unlistenable to me because of the chorus.

I personally relate the excellence of Twisted Fantasy to the fact that this album could, and probably should, have been awful.

When Tiger Woods' downward spiral eventually hit rock bottom he came back to the one thing that he excelled at, arguably more than anyone else, and even that had deteriorated. Kanye has gone through much more, yet he turns his downward spiral into arguably the best piece of art that he has/will ever create. There was so much pressure stacked against this album and it is jaw dropping that this is what was produced out of all that hate. None of those albums you listed had to rebel against anything.. they didn't have to prove anything.. they weren't the social outcasts of an entire culture/genre. I'm not saying that Kanye's Fantasy is essentially better than all of those albums, but it was created under global pressure that very few artists have ever had to face.

It is just refreshing as hell to have a guy who is continuously scrutinized to rise up and dominate like this. I love that shit.

I cannot say why you're having trouble missing the tongue and cheek theme that is obvious throughout the entire album. Songs like "So Appalled", "Monster" and "All of the Lights" are written to be the "typical swag filled hip-hop anthems celebrating selfishness" and the lyrics consciously reflect that type of ideology. Kanye isn't one of the best lyricists ever.. that much is obvious.. the dude is an amazing producer first and a good rapper second.

I can honestly name several albums that are on the same level but I absolutely agree that this album is gargantuan in terms of production.. it really is insane. Simply wrapping my head around the creativity here is enough for me to ponder right now, let alone stacking it up against the likes of Madvillainy, 36 Chambers, Deltron 3030, or A Piece Of Strange.. and I don't think that time has come.

The thing that seperates My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy from those albums is the fact that we have never seen production on this level come from a guy who also exposes himself lyrically on each track as well. That is what seperates Kanye from all of those producers listed above.. the fact that he does everything. In that respect this album may not have a match.. I really don't think it does.. but lyrically all of those albums above are leagues ahead of Fantasy and from a production stand point this album needs more time to process before any comparison is fair.

Either way, it is the conceptual uniqueness of this album that I can ideally recognize right now.. everything else is speculation.

It is his masterpiece as far as we're concerned. It is beautiful. It is utterly personal.. sometimes tragic.. but refreshingly honest.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy [2010]

Overall :: 58 / 65 :: 89.23%%

REVIEW :: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

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