I’m sure you’ve all heard the praise heaped upon Kanye’s fifth record since its release. Pitchfork deemed it good enough to be one of 12 records that they’ve given a 10/10 upon its release. And yes, it’s amazing. It truly is. Never before has a hip hop record carried this quality of… well, of anything, really.
Production-wise, it’s perfect. Kanye has cemented himself as one of the greatest producers of this generation. Nothing seems out of place or tacked on – even the auto-tune, of which I am usually a passionate and outspoken condemner. Unlike the majority of hip hop records being released recently, Kanye hasn’t felt compelled to smother the beats and hooks in layer upon layer of overdone production. His sampling is fitting, emphasizing his wide range of musical influence, from the recurring Gil Scott-Heron sample to King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man”.
But it wasn’t just Kanye who created Dark Twisted Fantasy. The smorgasbord of special guests all work perfectly in their respective songs – yes, even Drake, though, thankfully, he’s not the most prominent performer in the track. Pusha T.’s collaboration in “Runaway” is an early candidate for the best hip hop track of the decade. Even the unusual partnership between Kanye and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver works, without sounding overly like either a Bon Iver song or a typical Kanye song.
Dark Twisted Fantasy just isn’t a typical album. It’s not your run-of-the-mill, Flo Rida-style, Auto Tune-obsessed, money-hungry, commercial product of some big record producer. Dark Twisted Fantasy is a product of, well, Kanye’s own beautiful, dark, and twisted fantasy. Unlike the majority of pop records being released at the moment, the lyrical content is far too deep to be overlooked, even for a second. There’s not really any “Stronger”-esque club-pumpers, but there doesn’t need to be. Dark Twisted Fantasy brings to mind Warp Records’ compilation “Artificial Intelligence”. They are two albums, both of a style that contemporary society dictates must be danced to. And both records seem to emphasize that they’re not for dancing, but for listening. Properly. If that makes sense, I dunno, it made sense in my head.
No, I wouldn’t consider it a 10/10. It’s probably not even the best album of the year, in my own personal opinion. But yes, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is, undeniably, brilliant.
9.3
Posted by Pearly 
So, Phil Selway – probably the last member of Radiohead I expected to release a solo album – has gone ahead and, despite being recognised as one of the finest drummers of the past two decades, abandoned his drum kit for a guitar. Thank god, might I add. He’s a brilliant drummer, but I’m not so sure I could bear a solo drum album. So, leaving his drum kit for six nylon strings and a microphone, Selway has composed an album that slots just left of centre in with the rest of the indie-folk coming out at the moment.
For 50 minutes and 51 seconds, I ignored my prejudices against 3OH!3 and gave them a second chance to redeem themselves. Even with their stupid name. Needless to say, they’re going to need a lot more than two chances if they’re going to make their way into my good books. Somehow topping the pure stupidity of their last effort, 3OH!3 have created an album that can proudly stake its claim amongst the worst of all time. Really, this shit is bad.
It’s always hard to come up with something original about a record. Especially when those devils at Pitchfork Media have already said the funny, clever stuff that you were thinking when you first listened to it. Legendary indie-hipster-favourites-huge-Canadian-musical-collective Broken Social Scene have returned to the scene with album number 4. Is it different? No, not really. There’s plenty of clever, introspective, thought-provoking music on here, reminiscent of everything else that BSS have ever done. But is it good? Yes, dear God, yes, it is. Comparing this to most of the other self-proclaimed “indie” records released this year, it stands out like a golden nugget floating on a sludgy, brown river of shit.
Canadian duo Crystal Castles have followed up their debut self titled record with yet another self titled record. Crystal Castles (2010), while shying away from the kind-of radio friendly singles from their debut such as “Alice Practice”, also loses the perfect mixture of fun, doom and experimentation that their debut has. While experimenting is never a bad thing, Ethan’s gone a little too far down the wrong path this time, and come up with an altogether bland, dreary final product.
Electronic juggernauts Faithless have departed from their recent delve into trip hop and returned to their roots in pure house music. In Not Going Home, the trio drop their politically conscious lyrics in favour of dance-hall influenced lines such as “I watch the rhythm slide right up your dress”. Maxi Jazz’s smooth, gravelly vocals are sure to melt even the coldest heart. The production work is also great, with Sister Bliss and Rollo sticking to repetitive, catchy hooks and clever vocal effects, all set against a typical house drum beat. It all sounds very simple, but to put it all together and get it to work is a complex task.
