In this weekly feature Nina (a real live breathing 16 year old-ed) will examine whatever song is currently at the top end of the charts and defend its “musical merits” to the best of her ability talk about it.
"Heartless" by Kanye West
Oh Kanye. What made you do it? What made you abandon the clever rhymes and beats that fueled three completely enjoyable albums? Was it the break-up of your engagement? The death of your mother? The paparazzi gettin' all up in yo' bizness? No matter what it was that spun you into depression, I sincerely hope you will emerge soon.
It's not that this song is bad- it's not. You've broadened AutoTune's scope to include someone besides T-Pain, the beat is killer, and the music video is fun to watch. The lyrics are kinda clunky, but hey, they could be worse. It's got a catchy, no-brainer tune that sounds like it could fit a soundtrack or musical if arranged the right way. The 808's got a nice muted boom in the back, and the soft, spiking synth track is perfect in its simplicity. When all's been said and done, Kanye, I like it, I really do.
My problem isn't with "Heartless" specifically, it's with the album overall. I've listened to the whole thing start-to-finish a bunch of times. And I've done this voluntarily. The songs are all pretty good. Not as good as the rap ones, and sometimes (read: most of the time) you can be meldramatic, but I enjoy them. The bone I have to pick is with the album as a whole. It's a buzzkill, dude. Where are the laughs?!? The sly rhymes about gold-diggers and drunk girls?! At least give me some soul samples!?
When I bought 808s & Heartbreak, I was expecting some downer tracks, yeah, but I didn't realize that it was possible to make a song featuring Lil Wayne depressing.
Track-by-track, I like what you've done. It's an original take on the pop album. Not fantastic, definitely polarizing, but there are some crowning achievments ("RoboCop," "Street Lights," "Love Lockdown"). Just lighten up next time, ok?
God loves a cheerful giver.
you didn't like paranoid?
i think paranoid was definitely the best. i enjoy the album to say the least.
old kanye was so much better than newer kanye
i love that we have this column.
that is all.
oh-and i totally love kanye too. maybe newer a little more than older but love nonetheless.
"Say You Will", the first track is mezmerizing. I love how he drags the instrumental part out for for another 3 minutes with no singing. Sets a good stage for the rest of the record, which for the most part I enjoyed.
This column is my latest guilty pleasure--no scratch that, I'm loving this unashamedly!
I must question the timing of this post though--is Kanye's album the official soundtrack to V-Day 2009, what with a bad economy, failed stimulus package and Restaurant Weak?
The only good thing about Kanye is the fact that he was the impetus for Michael Myers' "are you fucking kidding me you ignorant douchebag" look a few years ago on television.
I never understood how that rambling ignoramus could come up with a rhyming lyric.
yeah, paranoid's solid.
Paranoid is definitely the standout, and I'm with John T on the first track. On another note, I love this column.
i do like heartless for working out and love lockdown a little less, but i cant take more than two songs of auto-tune-oh-my-voice-is-half-robot-ism at a time. please go back to sampling. any idiot that wants to outlaw sampling in hip hop redefines "lame".