http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/arts/music/21kanye.html
In Jon Caramanica's recent article preceding Kanye's upcoming album (his fifth) I can't help but see how complacent and thoughtless music criticism and appreciation have become - and thus popular music, which is beholden only to the consumer dollar.
Mr. Caramanica's quotations range from laughable to offensive. His praise of Kanye's output on the upcoming album reaches for descriptors like "great" and "better." There is not much description of what makes Kanye's music stand out. Indeed, "[Kanye]'s committed to pop, and savvy and talented enough to make it great, every time. What's more, for him to make something other than a universally accepted smash would be a thing that his ego couldn't bear. Every Kanye West album, until the cancer of the world around him begins to encroach on the parts of his cerebral cortex that control his musical ear, will be excellent and huge."
What?
Making it great, every time? I don't think that can be done. Greatness isn't consistency. If it were, we'd all say fast food is great - maybe we do too much already.
His ego couldn't bear to be without smash hits? Tough [noogies]. His ego doesn't sound like it's invested in the music. Nor does it seem like most other "artists" are truly musical talent. Why else would the disclaimer (as praise, no less) need to appear: "Mr. West controls all of the major elements of his songs, unlike the other artists who have to rely on their taste (or their record label's taste) in outside producers or songwriters." Is this merely to say that Kanye does his work and records his own material? Is that special? I am stymied to think that extra credit is now being given for the most basic of functions as an "artist." Maybe artist isn't the right word anymore. Maybe puppet-with-or-without-some-strings is better, no?
Finally, the most artistically offensive advance of the whole article is this:
"Music that is ornate, ostentatious, curious and vivacious. But risky? No. All of the fiddling is within recognized formulas."
How is this a triumph? Of course new doesn't equal better. Different doesn't equal better. But I am wondering how music can be curious and vivacious without at least hinting at innovation.
That Kanye can be mired in the work of others and lauded for a basic commitment to creating and producing his own music might very well be what is wrong with the world today. And, as Mr. Caramanica's ending paragraph states, "his effort is valueless without response." Maybe it's time to start ignoring this loudmouth - he's got enough bling.
