“My Presence Is A Present, Kiss My Ass.” – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy By Kanye West Album Review
Rap is dying. Let’s just face it. People are too caught up in shitty mainstream rap music to see good artists, like Atmosphere, Saul Williams, and (even though he is more well known…) Lupe Fiasco. When I heard Kanye West was going back to rapping on his new album, at the time called Good Ass Job, I was waiting for something that was only entertaining because it was drowning in its own ego, like most West albums. I listened to West every now and then, but I never thought he was anything more than a decently good rapper from the shitstream of popular rap. Though, when I started hearing the rave reviews of his new album, now titled My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, I will admit, it struck me as surprising. I mean, even Pitchfork gave him a 10/10 and they only give scores like that to The Cure! Being the curious man I am, I got the album and started listening to it. What hit me was one of the biggest surprises I have ever had while listening to a rap album. I mean, in a year where mostly nothing but shit came out, the one album that is coming from the biggest douche-bag in music (right next to Axl Rose and Metallica) today is the one you would expect to be the worst, right? Well, I nominate this album for “Biggest Shock of 2010″, because My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy ended up being one of the greatest albums I have heard all year.
You see, this would be the point where I say “LINKIN PARK IS BACK!” but this isn’t Linkin Park. And for the first time, I feel that’s for the best. Let’s admit it: Minutes To Midnight was an attempt to distance themselves from a sound, not an attempt to make a great record. It was okay, but it was overall throwaway. Mike, Chester, Joe, Phoenix, Brad and Rob are still trying to distance themselves from the dead (or what should be dead) genre of nu-metal after becoming the pinnacle of it, but it looks like this time they are trying to do something more than just run away from the past. But the almighty question(s) is this: Is this better than what they have done before? Has Linkin Park finally proved they can make music that has the same energy, emotion and awesomeness as Hybrid Theory and Meteora? Have they finally been able to make themselves a band instead of just a snapshot of the music industry in the early 2000′s? When am I going to stop asking questions and start answering them? Right about now, actually.
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It’s been a long time guys. The rock/rap/nu-metal/pop/whatever (and UK!) band Lostprophets are back after a few years and a disappointing album. James Oliver, the band’s live keyboardist, stated that this new album, titled The Betrayed, had “the bite that Start Something (their second album, it was the heaviest of the three) had, with the song-ability of Liberation Transmission (their third album, which was very poppy and disappointing) but personality of Thefakesoundofprogress (their first album, which was an odd mix of metal, rock, and nu-metal… which turned out amazing).” Any Lostprophets fan would be excited as all hell for this album then! That just described awesomeness! Hell, I actually had hope that they would be able to redeem themselves. Now, notice how earlier I said that they are back. I really… REALLY wanted to say “and better than ever” but that, sadly, is just not the case.
Don’t call them a side-project because no one in the band would agree. You could call them a supergroup if you want to, but they wouldn’t really agree with that either. Josh Homme (singer/guitarist) of Queens Of The Stone Age and Eagles Of Death Metal fame, Dave Grohl (drummer) from Foo Fighters and the almighty Nirvana, and John Paul Jones (bassist) from the legendary Led Zeppelin see their newly formed band, oddly titled “Them Crooked Vultures”, as a bunch of friends (both new and old) just jamming. You would think that this would go decently well, as Dave and Josh have worked together before on the Queens Of The Stone Age album “Songs For The Deaf” and with Josh providing one guitar part on the Foo Fighters album “In Your Honor”, but it goes WAY more then decently well. It goes “Best Album Of The Year” well.
That’s right boys and girls, Michael “I like to dangle babies off of high ledges and rape little children” Jackson has died today, June 25, 2009, the same day as actress Farrah Fawcett, and the same week as late-night sidekick Ed McMahon. He was 50. More info after the break.