neurological dryer lint

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kanye west’s late registration

i admit, i bought into the hype when this guy first rolled around. i was such a huge fan of his produced stuff and i’d enjoyed his rhymes on other peoples’ tracks. and the first disc was vibrant, with minute little sparks of honesty and authenticity that jumped out of the halfway decent flow of each track. so this disc had been hyped as a masterpiece in the making for most of the year… the result?

entertaining but unfocused. this guy could tell stories if he wanted to, big, long, winding stories like ready to die was. but it felt like he was trying to show off for the entirety of the record. there are a handful of standout tracks – the beat on gold digger is simply infectious… the diamonds remix is pretty solid, and gone makes me want to go buy a Cam’ron disc cause he makes that track. when it got to the end of the disc, though, i felt like i had just gotten in a really nice, expensive car and not driven anywhere.

maybe in another album or two. he’s no BIG, who dropped a timeless classic as his first disc… maybe in a few more years…


so i did grab wilco’s yankee hotel foxtrot, curiousity getting the better of me. i know that the stuff i like at any given time is dictated by my mood and the things going on around me. a few days ago i was ready for this but i waited to long too download it and by the time i did, i think the mood had passed.

that said. i’ll adore this disc any time i’m feeling moody or desiring solitude, because this album is moody and makes one feel alone. it’s isolating. it makes you think, but not because it’s saying something interesting, but because the vibe of every track feels familiar. it’s innovative, but not because it sounds new or never-done-before. it’s folksy acoustic rock, weezer-meets-johnny-cash-meets-beck. but never like this. like a quirky, strange friend who sometimes feels awkward to be around, but always makes an event positive and enjoyable. war on war particularly. i enjoyed it, not because it’s mind-blowing music (although they’re incredibly talented songwriters and performers and it is great music)… but because it was unexpected, unpredictable. a departure from the predictable really hits the spot.