November 27, 2008

He showed the promise of making an album like 808s & Heartbreak with the single Stronger. The beats were more techno-pop than hip-hop on that record. His look and the sound were early 80s. Shiny, new, futuristic.

Kanye West is obnoxious. But he is sexy, talented, and stylish. His look, much like my own, consists of sneakers, suits, bow-ties, colors and patterns. He rocks too much LV, but other than that, he is pretty much a style icon. I love that he runs away from most cliched hip-hop looks.

The album is a mixed bag of ingredients. Throw in these references: Madonna, New Order, Nintendo, Kraftwerk, Human League, early 80s NYC rap, Cher (yes), and Depeche Mode. Couple it with sad lyrics, in the classic sense of most break-up records. And what you have is an album more Martin Gore than Jay Z. It is not unlike Annie Lennox or Alison Moyet. But where their voices were the human foil to the soulless, robotic pulse of their respective bandmates' tunes, Kayne wants to become that soulless sound. He sings here. He alters his voice to remove the human emotion. He becomes one with the bleeps and blips and pulses. He sounds like the Tin Man would sound: heartless, tin, and silver-colored.

But the lyrics do say something. That is where he taps into classic techno-pop territory: human emotion via heartbroken lyrics coupled with those 808s. It is a wonderful exploration for his artistry and it is a big risk methinks. It could alienate his core, and he knows that, which makes me respect him even more. He truly believes in his art: music, cover art, videos, live shows, image. He is more like Madonna than any other artist in pop. He is gambling with risk. It will pay off.

When he sings "I'm just not there, life's just not fair," you believe the man with everything is realizing fame and fortune doesn't make you happy(reference Madonna's Ray of Light record).

The album cover, a deflated red balloon heart, is like Kanye: deflated yet beautiful, high-art yet simplistic. A contradiction. Something once fun, damaged, and then new again. The damage making it beautiful.

He wears his heart on his sleeve. And lapel.