Wednesday, February 24, 2016

The Life of Pablo - Kanye West

Okay, let's get this done. I wanna get this off my iPod, so why not get the review over with since I know how I feel. This is the seventh album by Kanye West, Now I cannot say I am a huge fan of  Mr. West, but I can say I am of certain tracks. Now I was anticipating this, but based on the other tracks I wasn't on the edge of my seat. This last year has honestly shit on all the music I've been anticipating. Examples such as Panda Bear Meets The Grim ReaperJust Like YouCherry Bomb, At.Long.Last.A$AP, Another EternityBeneath California, Drones, Sol Invictus, The Magic Whip, Mr. Wonderful, Fly International Luxurious Art, Hate Me, Chasing Shadows, A Head Full of Dreams, Honeymoon, Sirens and so on (I can keep going). In fact the only album I anticipated that was awesome was The Powers That B. Also i should mention, I didn't anticipate these but I did like them, I Love You, Honeybear, To Pimp A Butterfly and The Night Creeper (plus Zappa's obvious material). Basically this hopefully should be better than average or I'll lose faith in the rest of this decade (overstatement but still). The year before wasn't so awesome either, but 2016 has shown promise. With Blackstar coming right out of the gates as awesome I had good hopes for this year. And yes Dystopia was garbage, but you know I still have hope. So, as I've done before, I will review the new Kanye record. I've already done College Dropout, Dark Twisted Fantasy and Yeezus now The Life of Pablo (fucking stupid name) will have its turn. By the time this thing finally dropped, I kind of was like why the fuck. I understand perfection, but I doubt this is gonna be worth 11 million revisions. Oh and guess what, made it as another last minute change...... Waves..... well fuck you buddy. Why not just fucking release the record, You've already dug your grave, just deal with the bad press if it's not as well received as you want it to be. I'm so fucking sick of changing the information for him, I mean I understand changing or not releasing something but you've seriously dug your grave...... At this point, you're not gonna make it any better, you're only gonna alienate people. I kind of want to punch you in the throat. I also want to say, The End should also be up within a week or so, and 77 Rusty Trombones will be up next month maybe. Blackstar should be up next month, or in April. So, yeah.
  1. Ultra Light Beam: This sounds like the title of a Star Trek tribute band. Or a mashup of Beer and Trek kinda like McDonalds and Sabbath. The third choice being Newton's Lazer Sword (look how smart i am, I found out about that a week or so ago). Well anyway, horrible jokes aside, this features vocals from Kelly Price, The-Dream, Kirk Franklin and Chance the Rapper. Well this is actually a really great opener and just sort of takes you to this spiritual level of gospel. I really think just about everything here works. Kanye (while he may not hit all the notes) does a good, the choir behind him is great, even the guests are on spot and work so well. I mean honestly, this is one of those that is just, its a bit baffling. How could he make this, then also make the next track (Dumb luck maybe :D). No but really, its kind of like. Your capable of great things, why limit yourself or half ass it. My favorite part is probably Chance. He just has this sort of soothing, comforting feeling but is still able to pretty hard here and it all together feels very uplifting. This is a very strong track. I love the horns that come on later too. I mean 90% of this is just works perfectly. 
  2. Father Stretch My Hands, Prt. 1: Hey this sampled Pastor T. L. Barrett. I know this guy from Don't Pass Me By, a great record from 1976 released on Gospel Roots (a subsidiary of T.K. Records. By the way check out anything really that has the Henry Stone music [HMS] on it. There was some really great shit released in the 70's and prior). Okay, well anyway, the sample is an almost give great thing. It'd be hard to fuck this tune up just knowing this. I heard the live stream rip of the track.................. :( Let's just say I couldn't even finish it. This part features Kid Cudi, who I assume it the vocalist who made me turn the track off in the first place. Well once I finally heard the tune I have to say, I am not really on board. I mean, I'll be honest, the beginning isn't terrible. It's just the song progressively gets more bloated (buzzes even sound like farts at parts :D) but it just ...... it doesn't work well for my ears. Oh this also samples Jumpman by Drake and Future.
  3. Father Stretch My Hands, Prt. 2: This half, or part rather, features Desiigner. The transition isn't half bad, but I feel since this is a two part-er it should be more ambitious. Like there should be real epic shit going on. It should take you to the next level, this just........ I don't know. I mean, Desiigner is just...... and the auto-tune West............. I don't.......... :( Although, that little coda (or vocal thing) is pretty cool at the ending. I like it, and he would have soul samples only to cut it short.
  4. Famous: This must have been tracked around the same time as FourFiveSeconds because it features Rihanna. This actually isn't half bad. I mean after the review I doubt it'll stay on my iPod, but I do think it's a good listen while it happens. Rihanna does a good job here, and doesn't bother me like on the Eminem record. I do think this is a pretty solid track, I mean I don't love it but it's a fun listen. It doesn't really do that bad on it's own either. I could say it's like a 7 maybe. I also really like that sample in the tune, and I love the Nina Simone outro. It's a sample, but still.
  5. Feedback: This isn't that bad if a tune, its just it gets old. This sort of sounds like an ice cream truck that's coming around but like if I went to get ice cream from it I'd either be robbed or I'd get molested. I think the siren thing isn't half bad, but there are some lyrics in here that I am not 100%. After hearing the original sample I do like the tune more, just not so much the content. I just feel like, why. 
  6. Low Lights: This isn't that bad actually, but it kind of feels like the interlude from Dark Twisted Fantasy. I mean not exactly, but sort of. Like that basic function. There is a very nice feeling to this, but I mean..... I don't know. I kind of also feel even if this is nice and spiritual and a nice moment, I kind of don't know if I think this is whole hearted. But then again, the intro track seemed to be. I don't know. But I'd trade this for the next track any day, ever.
  7. Highlights: We get graced with a feature from Young Thug. This beat isn't terrible, but I mean the auto tune really takes me out of the touching moment in the last tune. I mean I like the synths and the together feeling of the track, but that intro really hurts it for me. I don't know, I mean..... Kanye why do you do something that isn't half bad and then some way some how fuck it up. I mean, I dig this, but I mean, this intro basically wasn't necessary. I also want to say, there is such thing as inside jokes, and being real.... but I don't write songs about things that people don't care about. I mean maybe I'd say something about my brother if he was getting married, I'd write about it. I wouldn't just bring it up as a throw away unless there was like no cohesion to the tune.
  8. Freestyle 4: I bet this is gonna be good, I mean his last one was really good wasn't' it. This is hurts to listen to. At least he's rhyming, but I mean..... I really never want to hear this again. Skip. I mean, the beat isn't terrible, the strings certainly "scare" you. But this kind of gets annoying to me after a while. I don't care about a drunk Ye in lust. I do like the sample though, it grows on you. Just not into the sort of annoying "let's fuck". 
  9. I Love Kanye: Awe, how cute. Once I heard this I was like, is he trying to be the grown up Tyler, The Creator that Anthony Fantano said he is. This tune really reminds me of Colossus off Wolf. This is supposed to be like making fun of people who want the old Kanye, but it just comes out like..... You have to have a sense of humor to be funny. Like I feel like he was kind of going, look I'm in on the joke I'm funny (not really). That or fuck off I'm doing my shit, I'm above you. But for saying this is the greatest album of all time, sadly it's a huge mess bro. So, yeah.  
  10. Waves: This features one Chris Brown, and I guess was re-added (causing a yet another delay) at the request of the feature on track 1. I heard this tune, and I didn't think it was that bad but as the song progressed I kind of lost interest in it. I mean it's supposed to sound large, but I don't feel that feeling I get from Ultralight Beam. Also I'm not crazy abut Chris Brown and the vocals almost sounds like the backmasked (if I'm remembering correctly how they did it) guitar on I'm Only Sleeping or a Revolver tune. 
  11. FML: FavoriteMovieLines, great title. I don't understand what it has to do with the theme of the song, but kiddos. This features The Weeknd, yeah. I think the song isn't half bad, I do like it and like the beat. I think The Weeknd does a good job in his little parts. I also dig how the song progressively grows and I like the drums the most. I really can't go into much detail for this, but I do enjoy it enough to revisit it outside of the review. :) its very atmospheric. I do really dig the ending part though, I think that's warranted to stay. I think it's the highlighted for me, even though the auto-tune can be a bit much. It sort of reminds me a bit of how New Slaves best part was that ending section.  
  12. Real Friends: Real Love, Real Life, Real. This song isn't half bad, its just that at the end it starts to get old. The drums in the beginning, and the atmosphere that is present is pretty solid. Ye has a solid flow, and this song is very chill. I mean not all of it is perfect, but hey I think it's good and better than some other twists here. Also this features Ty Dolla $ign. I don't know, I think he's okay I guess. 
  13. Wolves: Isn't it cute, this tune features Sia. She's like so amazing, I think like totes. It also features Vic Mensa.... I couldn't give less fucks, it wasn't until I saw Frank Ocean was added that I actually began to care about the song (before it's release). Now once I get to hear it I think that intro kind of reminds me of wolves. His autotune isn't that amazing though, its kind of like..... The bad auto tune. Sometimes it isn't terrible, but this is a bit much. Once the non auto tune Kanye comes in I feel like its a bit off. Like there is something that's is missing. It could have been great, but it is just..... There is something missing. And the intro is getting a bit old and distracting.  I think Frank's part isn't half bad, but it's so bare. I feel like it isnt finished really. I think his part is better than the rest of the song though. 
  14. Silver Surfer (Intermission): This is an interlude recorded when the album was still called Waves. That would explain Max B's add-libs. Also I have to say this, I can tell when this was made. It was while the album was still titled Waves. Hearing him say it so many times made me think, whats the point of this. You changed the name of the album, why keep this in?
  15. 30 Hours: This sampled Joy by Isaac Hayes along with Answer Me by Arthur Rusell. I actually know the Hayes tune, I dig it. My favorite part about this is me and one of my friends did a track like the second half of this. It wasn't released, but the joke was the music was still doing. I don't think this was supposed to be a joke..... Also if he used that Joy vocal sample he could have done something interesting. Like when he found out she cheated he could have sang or used the chorus. I don't know, would have been ironic maybe. 
  16. No Parties in LA: This tuneski features one Kendrick Lamar and was produced by West and Madlib. So I can almost assume, I didn't listen ahead of time, this would be a solid tune. I mean the other two guys here.... solid. Also there's a Johnny "Guitar" Watson and Larry Graham track sampled in this (2 separate songs just to clarify). Then the asshole cut the track, only to re-add it probably because he wants to give us what we want. I don't necessarily get with that philosophy, but whatever. Argue with me all you want, no way in hell you can convince me it wasn't re-included for that reason (unless the 18 tracks were planned all along and this was just to piss people off - or a permutation where this was to always be on once it was finished). Wow that's a lot, but once I heard the track I have to say its great. They both go hard and I love the la de da da introduction. I also picked up on the Ghostface sample, and this really sounds like it could be a sort of Wu-Tang track. More so than other tubes.  I don't think it's perfect, at times it feels a bit bloated and too much going on with the other voices but I do think the guitar that's on replay sounds sick. Maybe if it didn't make it harder to hear, the other voices, Kendrick or Ye maybe it'd work better. But it kind of takes away from it for me. Like my attention. I really have to finish that TPAB review. 
  17. Facts (Charlie Heat Version):  I mean the samples aren't that bad, but this words kind of ruin this song for me. I like how he can yell, but I really can hardly sit thought this track.
  18. Fade: This closes the album and contains a sample from Rare Earth's cover of (I Know) I'm Losing You, along with Mystery of Love by Mr Fingers along two other samples. It also features Young Thug and Post Malone on vocals. I really dig this song. I really can't find anything to complain about other that that shit of autotune towards the end. Upon multiple listens this kind of begins to get a tad old, but I really do like the Rare Earth sample in the intro and the Mystery of Love sample in the verses.
Overall I have to give this album a 6.4/10. Okay, so basically, what I'm seeing here is like all the songs that were supposed to be on the album but All Day and Only One. And it is just, it took three years to make, some tunes are great with flaws and some range from boring to annoying to even pointless. There really isn't anything here that could remotely be considered greatest album ever. Its kind of like he had ideas and threw the shit together. Made a stew and put all the ingredients out for you to hear. Its kind if a disappointment. I mean at least his good songs were actually good (with minor flaws or none at all). Someone reviewed the album before it came out, and it was brief but they basically said the fames going to his head and he's making crazy choices. That guys kind of right, maybe if it came out last year without the million additions it would have been great, who knows. Let's only hope that Bottomless Pit comes out and wasn't just a joke.... We need someone like DG to make good great music you know. To keep pushing boundaries, this is just...... I mean it might down the line inspire people, but I don't really see how this is any better than the score I gave it. And outside of the one or two songs I liked I'll even be revisiting this album outside of a, oh hey I forgot how that song goes. Why not refresh my memory.

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