Hey there all you loyal readers!! We have almost hit the 4 month mark here! It is safe to assume that it is as good of a time as any to introduce a new feature!! It is called “A Roundtable Discussion”. In this feature I will invite guest bloggers to chat together about the hottest new music releases! The goal is to have other bloggers put their thoughts together about albums and get a good discussion going giving the ultimate opinion on an album. I asked some of the best bloggers out there to take part in this to get the finest opinions on some of the most discussed albums of the year. There may be some heated arguments and fights, but its all for arguments sake.
In this week’s roundtable discussion we discussed the new albums from Kanye West and The Killers. The guest bloggers featured in this discussion are Luis from Pretty Much Amazing!, Confusion from Pigeons and Planes, JP from JP’s Blog, and Patrick from Kickin the Peanuts.
The debates got heated at various points, bringing out some hard faught debates. Read part one below:
Hey all, Luis from PMA here:
I’ll start out with the Killers because, honestly, I haven’t given
Kanye’s 808s a decent shot yet — I’ve been pretty caught up with the
Killers’ Day & Age and Britney’s Circus.
I know some people think D&A is sort of bland, I did too upon first
listen, but after a few listens the genius that is Brandon Flowers was
slowly creeping back in.
Oh, how damn well can he write a song! “Human” is terrifically
danceable and lyrically potent (for those who think the lyrics are
“weird”… read some poetry, dumbfucks!). The second single,
“Spaceman” is just as danceable and mindblowing, if not more so. I
think the Killers have unleashed 2 of the best singles of the year.
Other Day & Age highlights include: Losing Touch, Joy Ride, The World
We Live In, and A Crippling Blow (a bonus track, but an amazing one).
Confusion:
I agree with Luis that “Human” and “Spaceman” are instantly recognizable as great songs. It’s too early for me to say whether D&A will stay in my play list as a whole, or whether I’ll pick out 3 or 4 tracks to listen to and ditch the rest. To be honest, I haven’t been a Killers fan in the past, and this was the first album I got excited for. After hearing “Human” and “Spaceman” I had very high expectations, so I’m still balancing on the edge of disappointment and contentedness with the album. One thing that I have grown to appreciate on D&A is Flowers’ ability to hold my attention. As a front man, he seems to add a little bit of attitude and edge at the right moments. Even when I’ve lost interest in the melody and instrumentation, I still want to hear Brandon’s delivery.
As far as Kanye West’s 808s, I love it. I love that he’s in a position where he could do pretty much whatever the fuck he wants, and he chooses to push the limits and do something that he must have known would be hard for people to accept. Even if you think the music sucks, isn’t it cool that he made 808s instead of your standard hip-hop record? He knew he could have easily sold another million doing the same shit. I think the impact this album could potentially have on the hip-hop world is much more important than whether or not the masses feel it. Kanye has already made some trends stick (remember when speeding up a sample to sound like a chipmunk was unheard of?), and I think the 808s style might do the same. With up and comers like Kid Cudi experimenting with the same kinda sound (and contributing on the record), I think hip hop is gonna be more than just a loop and a lyricist. Kanye’s 808s delivers great melodies, tight beats, and some really unique shit. That being said, I DO wish Kanye had a better singing voice, and although I can feel the message of his songs, his word choice could be better. Other than “Love Lockdown”, I’m feeling “Heartless” and “Tell Everybody You Know” the most so far, but I haven’t heard anything on it that I don’t want to listen to more.
Luis:
“I think hip hop is gonna be more than just a loop and a lyricist.” Yeah, it’s going to be pop music! And maybe with more bands who try to
get played on Top 40 radio, or more country acts like Taylor Swift,
all/most music can be pop music! Yippie!
I think people have to acknowledge that just because Kanye West is
doing something different, it’s not necessarily good. I understand
that Hip-Hop needs some sort of revolution/resurrection, but is
turning their backs on the basics and picking up a vocoder and singing
really the way do that? It doesn’t sound like a revival, it sounds
like someone is giving up.
On that note, I did enjoy “808s and Heartbreak.” A lot, actually. The
production is out of this world. It’s dramatic and supermassive. The
lyrics are spot-on most the time. But I don’t see or want Hip-Hop be
like this. Hip-hop would be better off if more albums like Wayne’s
“Tha Carter III,” Nas’ “Untitled,” T.I.’s “Paper Trail,” the Root’s
“Rising Down” were released. Hip-Hop doesn’t need a makeover as
drastic as this.
Wanting to clarify:
My last message sounded like a big 808s bash. It wasn’t mean to. 808s
and Heartbreak is really one of my favorite albums of 2008. The
concept is fantastic, and I’ve already discussed (at length) how much
I am enjoying the production and lyrics. I just don’t like it when
people label it as Hip-Hop’s Jesus. It really shouldn’t be seen as a
pivotal or turning-point album in the everlasting journey of “defining
Hip-Hop.” it is, however a pivotal album in Kanye West’s career.
I don’t think that because Kanye did this, all hip-hop is going to turn into vocoder laced pop. I just think that by a respected mainstream hip-hop artist doing this, it’s going to open doors and allow other hip-hop artists to take chances. We don’t need more albums like Wayne’s, Nas’, The Roots’ etc. because it’s already been done. Sure, it’s good music, but I think it’s good to see things move forward.
And giving up? Come on. I think what Kanye is doing is far from giving up. If anything he’s trying to stretch the genre too far and being too ambitious.
I don’t think hip hop needs a revolution…it just needs some creativity. It seems like everyone got way too comfortable with doing the same things. I think 808s could change that. Even if it means someone decides “fuck this bullshit” and takes things in another direction. I think after this it will be hard for people to NOT try something new.
Luis:
There’s nothing wrong with having more good hip-hop records. We can’t
have big genre-altering albums happen all the time. Hip-Hop will
slowly disappear. I think what really needs to disappear is Ringtone
Rap. There’s nothing wrong with good rap music.
Music will always move forward as long as there are good producers and
lyricists. I think 808s (and Kanye West in general) brings that to the
table. And I cannot ignore the fact that it will open many doors for
musicians. But I also don’t think we need intense genre-stretching to
keep music interesting.
but it will keep it relevant when sales are declining. The record does show a
turning point in Kanye West career where he can just release anything he
wants an it will be a hit. The record wasn’t the best I heard in 2008 but I liked it.
He is trying to change with every record and this one is definitrly different. I just
think it could’ve used more rapping especially by Kanye.
[MP3] : Kanye West – Paranoid (Feat. Mr. Hudson)
[MP3] : Kanye West – Bad News
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