Hi, Just coming to your writing by way of your comment on Harmony Holiday's latest. I'm digging your enthusiasm for discovering new music and how you describe it. I also prefer West's earlier stuff but am more critical of "My . . .". When I first heard it, I really enjoyed and played it a lot. Over time that year, I found myself listening more often to Big Boi's first solo album that came out a few months prior. It also got critical accolades though not like "My . . . ". Ten+ years later I find that I would still much rather listen to Big Boi's Sir Luscious Leftfoot. And I'll spontaneously think to play it, but never "My . . ." I think it illustrates something about West's music over time: it is made to dazzle, and dazzle fades. I just don't think that much of his music has staying power past the first few albums. Is that *just* my subjective experience? I'd love for people who know more about music to tell me why I'm wrong. In the meantime, I think more should give Big Boi's solo work a chance. He also continued to be experimental, though in different ways from West, and I think a lot of it is more interesting and enduring.
Thanks for your detailed comment Enoch, much appreciated. My knowledge of hip hop is still very limited and I hadn't actually heard of Sir Luscious - I'm definitely gonna check it out now though. I have a lot of time for OutKast and I'm glad to hear Big Boi didn't lose his experimental spirit after he went his own way.
My main criticism of Ye's music is that he feels the need to go the grandiose, maximalist route 90% of the time. 808s and parts of his debut show that he can be very effective when he strips things down a bit and communicates in a subtler way. It's a bit exhausting to be beaten over the head with anthem after anthem after anthem, no matter how good the anthems are. One of the reasons Dylan's my favourite musician is that for every Like a Rolling Stone or Hurricane you get a Corrina, Corrina or Tell Me That It Isn't True.
Hi, Just coming to your writing by way of your comment on Harmony Holiday's latest. I'm digging your enthusiasm for discovering new music and how you describe it. I also prefer West's earlier stuff but am more critical of "My . . .". When I first heard it, I really enjoyed and played it a lot. Over time that year, I found myself listening more often to Big Boi's first solo album that came out a few months prior. It also got critical accolades though not like "My . . . ". Ten+ years later I find that I would still much rather listen to Big Boi's Sir Luscious Leftfoot. And I'll spontaneously think to play it, but never "My . . ." I think it illustrates something about West's music over time: it is made to dazzle, and dazzle fades. I just don't think that much of his music has staying power past the first few albums. Is that *just* my subjective experience? I'd love for people who know more about music to tell me why I'm wrong. In the meantime, I think more should give Big Boi's solo work a chance. He also continued to be experimental, though in different ways from West, and I think a lot of it is more interesting and enduring.
Thanks for your detailed comment Enoch, much appreciated. My knowledge of hip hop is still very limited and I hadn't actually heard of Sir Luscious - I'm definitely gonna check it out now though. I have a lot of time for OutKast and I'm glad to hear Big Boi didn't lose his experimental spirit after he went his own way.
My main criticism of Ye's music is that he feels the need to go the grandiose, maximalist route 90% of the time. 808s and parts of his debut show that he can be very effective when he strips things down a bit and communicates in a subtler way. It's a bit exhausting to be beaten over the head with anthem after anthem after anthem, no matter how good the anthems are. One of the reasons Dylan's my favourite musician is that for every Like a Rolling Stone or Hurricane you get a Corrina, Corrina or Tell Me That It Isn't True.