Update: There has been tension between The Guardian and Wikileaks recently and because of this The Guardian's day-to-day coverage has been discontinued. Fortunately, The Nation's Greg Mitchell has continued to update the slow release of leaks and related articles each day for the past five weeks through his blog located below.
An example of Arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh (Article).
Let us break from our political coverage to take a refreshing breath of scientific air as twelve puny phosphorus based human scientists have expanded the definition of life on Earth.
The soon-to-be published article in Science, the world's foremost journal of original scientific research, has inevitably appeared/leaked as compounded interests/questions are being raised despite NASA's overly layman press release that took place this afternoon.
Julian Assange has created his own fountain of youth with the WikiLeaks' release of "Cablegate: 250,000 US Embassy Diplomatic Cables". These cables have essentially tossed authority figures around the world back into the gossip filled arena of your typical suburban secondary school.
There are the petit-bourgeois students who have inferiority complexes and complain to their parents about being teased, thus forcing Principal America to apologize to said parents. There are the cool students who smoke and methodically deny it to Principal America who continuously disciplines them despite also smoking on occasion. There are the popular kids who call the unpopular kids immature things like "dumb liars" in spite of Principal America's attempts at breaking them apart. And there are the students that thoughtlessly make blatant racial slurs, which would make their great-great-grandparents proud, behind the backs of the few non-Caucasian "Others" as Principal America grabs her twenty-foot pole and stands back.
Thoroughly rinse and repeat...
Unfortunately on this global fantasy campus the parents are a divorced countryside, racism is as affluent as ever, and smoke still kills.
Countless news sources have, for the most part, bullhorned the cables that have become publically accessible through WikiLeaks and we aim to amplify any information that we find particularly significant.
"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.
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]
1| Dark Fantasy :: 4.5
2| Gorgeous [ft. Kid Cudi & Raekwon] :: 4.25
3| Power :: 5
4| All Of The Lights (Interlude) :: 4.25
5| All Of The Lights [ft. Rihanna] :: 4.25
6| Monster [ft. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj & Bon Iver] :: 4.25
7| So Appalled [ft. Jay-Z, Pusha T, Prynce Cy Hi, Swizz Beatz & The RZA] :: 4.5
8| Devil In A New Dress [ft. Rick Ross] :: 4.25
9| Runaway [ft. Pusha T] :: 4.75
10| Hell Of A Life :: 4.5
11| Blame Game [ft. John Legend] :: 5
12| Lost In The World [ft. Bon Iver] :: 4.25
13| Who Will Survive In America :: 4.25
Last week greenT had the privilege to see one of Canada's finest contemporary bands melt faces and cause an entire stadium to remain on its feet for the duration of a near perfect set. The setlist included most of the Arcade Fires brilliant new album The Suburbs, six tracks from their even better debut Funeral, and four tracks off of their dark sophomore Neon Bible.
Encore:
17. Intervention
18. Modern Man
19. Wake Up
Now when I say "near perfect" I do not mean that the sound wasn't clear as crystal or that the crowd was as subdued as a group of swaying zombies, but if you glace at the setlist and are as enthralled with the new album as greenT is, then you must notice the lack of the arguably best song from the new album, "Suburban War" (live in Bologna). I was in disbelief that the Montreal group aren't playing this track as much as they possibly can.
That being said we did snag some video of our second favourite track from The Suburbs called "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)":
Do what you can to catch this band live if you aren't planning on it already. They may not be the animated child-like group of friends and lovers that ecstatically first toured the globe in 2005, but they have grown into a band that are knowingly making music that will be remembered as the staple example of music from the decade of double zeroes.
Now that humankind has taken a collective deep breath since watching Inception, only to find themselves waking up in a breathless world of neverending discussions about Nolan's newest film, the internet have collectively spun their web of laughs around Cobbs spinning totem and greenT provides you with the best of the best.
Enjoy!
Click to enlarge:
Whether you love this film or just kind of love it, you will never find any mention of it in a Directing Summer Blockbusters for Dummies book, and that is something that is usually unheard of.
DAY THREE:
Day three was our camp's day of relaxation. Sure we missed The Heavy ("Cause for Alarm" live at Sasquatch) and Fresh Espresso ("Lazerbeams" live at Sasquatch) but it is very rare for music fiends to have any downtime before the performances start since there is so much to see and such little time to see it in. Instead we took the day off to relax and drink all the alcohol that needed to be finished before we headed back across the border. Luckily for our premiere camping spots we were right across from the festival grounds and listened to Seattle Rock Orchestra's Arcade Fire cover set during our drinking games.
So we headed to the festival for around 4:30pm sufficiently intoxicated and wandered around for about an hour possibly heading to the main stage to check out Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward'sShe & Him ("Magic Trick" live at Sasquatch).. but possibly not.
What I do know for sure is that we saw the first half of the Mountain Goats ("No Children" live at Sasquatch) set who put on a very relatable show to the drab afternoon.. which was a good thing!
Next up we headed to the barely visited Yeti Stage to catch L.A.'s ferocious No Age ("Depletion" live at Sasquatch) who added some loud bangs to Sasquatch's usual soft and mellow vibe. Vancouver's two-piece Japandroids ("Crazy/Forever" and "Sovereignty" live at Sasquatch) had opened up for the American two-piece and the mix of the two groups definitely got everyone amped up for what was to come on the final day of Sasquatch Fest.
The vibe we got from No Age absolutely helped the vibe we were getting from the $12 King Cans on the festival grounds this Monday afternoon.. and this vibe led us to watch a couple of Band of Horses songs, where we remained for about 5 minutes before boredom set in and the realization that Hudson Mohawke ("Fuse" live at Sasquatch) were about to tear shit apart in the Rumpus Room.
Hudson Mohawke were one of the few bands.. actually the only band.. that I was looking forward to without knowing anything about. I had heard from some music buds that I had to check them out.. and check them out we did. Despite the bad set time and a half-empty Rumpus Room.. the Scottish DJ/producer layed his glitchy/electronic music on thiiiiick and absolutely blew every other electronic artist out of the water in terms of sheer quality tunes at this years Sasquatch:
The show ended and we headed over to the main stage to get as close as possible for Ween.. which meant we needed to get as close as possible for MGMT ("Kids" live at Sasquatch). There isn't much to say about MGMT since everyone knew what we were getting in to, albeit they have some absolutely catchy tunes, I am not a fan of the new album and unfortunately their stage presence, which technically should do everything in its power to make the band seem more fun (ala of Montreal), was dull and colourless. People did explode when "Kids
came on though, which was worth the watch. Thankfully all the fans cleared out, much like LCD/Pavement the day before, and I was able to get to the second row for the mysterious entity, to everyone who have and haven't experienced them live, known as WEEN! ("Buckingham Green" live at Sasquatch)
Now I can say that I am a bit of a fan of Ween.. but clearly after the set had finished I had a lot to learn about the band and their pretty massive catalogue. I'm sure that no one, except those that have seen Ween before, were expecting the rough and epic performance that we were given to cap the end of the festival. They were loud, brash, and utterly happy to be closing out the weekend's activities, which one cannot exactly say about Pavement the day before. They say that it is always good to go out with a bang and Ween performed the hell out of that bang with such dominant confidence that it absolutely made them the only band at Sasquatch that could have successfully wraped the whole weekend together in one nice loud and fun package.
Here is greenTYPEWRITERS Top 5 performances from Sasquatch 2010:
This year the festival added the likes of Pavement, Massive Attack and Ween to it's history of star acts and not one of the groups disappointed their headlining duties. Luckily for you greenT was there dancing and singing through the sun, rain, booze and unprescribed goodies that make this particular festival a communal entity of fun rather than a place where the audience is too busy acting too cool to fucking dance (coughLOLLAPALOOZA///PITCHFORKcough).
Here's a breakdown of our day-by-day activities and bands that blew our minds and knees out.. and those that were less than spectacular:
DAY ONE:
Our day opened early with Brother Ali ("Blah Blah Blah" live at Sasquatch) performing on the main stage at 1:05 and although a couple of us had seen him down in Cali for Coachella a few years back, he is on the top his game right now sporting a slick white beard and DJ Snuggles, who was a funny dude and decent beat-boxer.
After setting the day on a high note, we wandered over to check out London's Mumford & Sons ("Little Lion Man" live at Sasquatch) and Arkansa's Portugal. The Man. Both acts were great but failed to live up to Brother Ali's uplifting performance as we scorched in the hot sun.. so.. moving on.
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros ("Home" live at Sasquatch) were up on the Big Foot stage next and the crowd. went. crazy. Despite a short set, the band of gypsies put on a fun show and set the crowd ablaze during their much anticipated "Home":
Sorry for the terrible filming.. twas the first video of the festival!
Next up was Broken Social Scene ("World Sick" live at Sasquatch) on the main stage and they had a great set including about half of Forgiveness Rock Record and half from their previous two. The collective was definitely a highlight of the festival.
After a slight walk through the Miike Snow crowd it came time to decide between Why?, the National, the Very Best, and the Hold Steady. Why? has been a long time favourite here and the Hold Steady has been seen before so the plan was to watch Why?, leave a bit early, then catch the end of the National set.. but all things came to a halt when Why? ("The Hollows" live in NC and Sasquatch) compeletely blew everyone out of the water. Their set was full of all the bangers that I wanted to hear and I have never seen stage presence like that of lead singer Yoni Wolf before. I was literally laughing to tears at his Rosie Perez dance from Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing.
Why? - The Vowels, pt. 2:
We were so blown away with Why? that the two songs that we did hear from the National felt drab and boring.. something I feel all to familiar with at times listening to the National.
Luckily Vampire Weekend ("A-Punk" live at Sasquatch) were coming on soon and they kept the energy levels high as the entire ampitheatre erupted into dance throughout their whole set.
The sun had set at some point during Vampire Weekend's fun-as-hell set and we all looked at each other with fire in our eyes.. Not to be let down by more downer rock, the greenT crew skipped My Morning Jacket and set off to watch a great set by Z-Trip (live at Sasquatch) where we danced until there was no more moisture to sweat out of our bodies.. and closing down Saturday night was the incredibly needed live visuals of Toronto's Deadmau5 ("Sometimes Things Get, Whatever" live at Sasquatch). Can't say that the tunes matched the lights but I'll have to check out more of his stuff to decide.. and who cares when you're having fun?
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1. Tim Hecker - Hatred Of Music I [mp3]
2. Tennis - South Carolina [mp3]
3. Toro y Moi - Leave Everywhere [mp3]
4. the Books - Beautiful People [mp3]
