I miss the old Kanye

How do we deal with an artist that is “growing” in all the wrong directions? In light of the last few years of controversy he has been dealing with, Kanye has fallen from being one of the kings of the rap scene to a joke, nearly an afterthought when it comes to his music coming out. He has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons, from a very publicized breakup and divorce from his former wife Kim Kardashian, to appearances within alt-right media such as Alex Jones where he has pushed anti-semitic rhetoric, to pushing his support onto Donald Trump’s presidential campaign before declaring his own campaign, to everything in between. None of what he has done or said has been anything close to alright, and pushing these viewpoints to many highly impressionable young fans is damaging, to say the least. But how does this fall from the limelight impact the music that he spent most of his life making, without any of the extracurriculars going on?

This is far from the first time that he has been making headlines for reasons other than his art, much as it will likely be his last. Following the release of his critically acclaimed 2008 album 808s and Heartbreaks, he made a highly publicized appearance at the VMA Awards, storming on stage and interrupting Taylor Swift’s award acceptance to declare that it was Beyonce who truly deserved it, not Swift. Despite showing some remorse for the event, he later took back any apology he had made about his outburst on stage. While this pales in comparison to what we are currently seeing unfold, it helped to set the stage for what would be to come in the last few years.

Earlier this month, Ye released a collaborative studio album with Ty Dolla $ign, titled Vultures 1. Despite still having legions of fans at his side, ready to defend his every move and push his music to the masses still, most saw this album as a fall from grace, including me. It was sad to see someone who was so musically brilliant, crafting classics such as College Dropout, Late Registration and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy stoop to writing punchlines comparing him to R. Kelly and Bill Cosby. Although he was never the pinnacle of lyrical rap, Ye has time and again proven that he can write some effective songs, whether catchy hits that live on forever like “Stronger” or heart wrenching tracks about his family such as “Roses” or “Come To Life.” It’s hard to come to terms with his spectacular fall from grace, seeming almost as if these two eras of Kanye are completely different people. And to be fair, they pretty much are. 

Still, it’s particularly difficult at times to separate the art from the artist, especially within his most recent music. In the promotion for his latest album, he opted to use imagery that is highly referential to controversial black metal artist, Burzum, and has even baked the controversy into the music, such as with the aforementioned line comparing him to convicted sex offenders. So how can we reconcile this? Should we be able to listen to his former music, continually financially supporting him through the streaming revenue, despite the disgusting things he has said recently and the views that he is spewing out repeatedly? Whether you believe that he means it or not personally, and regardless of your opinion on his recent music, there is no denying that he is setting a horrible example for any youths that may still look up to him. 

At the end of the day, separating the art from the artist is always a complicated conversation. Many, many, many notable musicians and actor and producers and everything in between are verified assholes to say the least, and yet we do not want to cut them out of our media consumption because they play a big part in what we enjoy: Mel Gibson is anti-semitic and racist, but we all love Lethal Weapon still; Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are likely both victims and perpetrators, but Pirates of the Caribbean, Donnie Brasco, and Aquaman still gain television play repeatedly. It’s hard to push away our inherent biases in light of things coming out following our parasocial worship of these massive figures. In my little opinion, consuming their media is okay, but you cannot ignore and disregard the harm these figures have caused, and they need to be held accountable all the same, whether they are in the prime of their careers or not.

The One

Everyone’s got that song or album, ol’ reliable which you can return to any day of the week, or every day of the week, and it still feels as fresh as it did the first time you ever listened to it. For some people, it can even be a ritual to listen to it. Regardless of who you are, you’ve got that piece of music that just speaks to you on a level that may not speak to anyone else. Maybe you’ve even got a couple of them, a whole suite of music that you can spend your days with til you can’t hear anymore. For me, that album is, and always will be, The Strokes’ debut album Is This It. Since the day I first heard it, which must have been eight or so years ago at this point, it has stuck to me like nothing else ever has, or likely will.

It’s hard to explain why it speaks to me on such a level. From a technical aspect, there is nothing crazy going on through the album. No shredding guitar solos, pounding drum breaks that blast your brain into bits, or falsettos that could shatter your spectacles. What you will find in its place, however, is outstanding melody and catchiness, each song rooting deep into your brain til it's something that lives with you endlessly. The simple, repetitive drum line that opens the title track signifies something familiar, even if it’s brand new to you. It’s truly a magical feeling, for something to feel so fresh while seeming like something you have had in your life for as long as you can remember. 

The singles on this album, enshrined forever in the minds of any former Rock Band players, feel timeless. The jangly guitar lines combined with the gruff, boozy vocals from Julian Casablancas hearken to late nights at a bar, full of bands formed on a whim just for the sake of having some fun and looking cool. Only, nobody has ever sounded or looked cooler than this band did.. The interlocking guitars that kick off hit single “Last Nite” set the tone for the track, before Julian Casablancas immerses you in that time, reminding me of memories I never even made in the first place. The ability to bring you to a specific time and place, and envelop you in the feelings of that setting without having been there in the first place, is a magical feeling and an ability that happens not often enough. Perhaps in time, more albums will be granted this power, but to me this album stands alone as the pinnacle of that.

So why do I love Is This It so much? Is it that false nostalgia, the beauty of being transported to a brand new world? Is it the juxtaposition of the vocals to the instrumental, the way that it can be so raw and pretty simultaneously? Or could it just be that this is the perfect pop album, 36 minutes of some of the catchiest, most simple yet undeniable tracks ever put onto tape? Whatever it is, I doubt I will ever find an album that can impact my life nearly as much as this one had the ability to, all those years ago.

A Return To Brutalism?

Almost seven years removed from their debut album, British punk rockers IDLES returned this past Friday with their fifth studio album, TANGK. Featuring production from Kenny Beats and Nigel Godrich, and a lone feature from dance-punk icons LCD Soundsystem, this album sees them straying further from the raw, aggressive sound of 2017’s Brutalism, a contender for top album of the decade for me. While that in no way detracts from the quality of this new album, it does make me wonder how much more of that sound they may have had in them, nearly abandoning the sound entirely following their 2018 album Joy as an Act of Resistance.

Take for example the intro tracks. With “Idea 01,” TANGK kicks off with a very mellow and low-key track, showing heavy influence from their later-guest James Murphy. Vocalist Joe Talbot keeps things to a whisper throughout, almost trying to blend into the background and keep out of view. In contrast, the opener for Brutalism kicks off with a vocal sample of a woman screaming, and relentless pounding drums before Talbot’s rough growl takes center stage. It’s a stark contrast for sure, and while it may work for some, it lacks the edge that I had come to love from the band, not only in the volume but in the general content; while Talbot previously would scream about injustices in a pointed manner, he seems more content to keep to the shadows and whisper about the world in general, taking no names and kicking no asses. 

While Nigel Godrich may have worked wonders with Radiohead, producing each of their albums since 1997’s OK Computer, the magic isn’t working here. Streamlined and polished, TANGK comes through overproduced and sounding flat. While not without its highlights, the album doesn’t strike in the way that previous IDLES albums have. Through improvements in Talbot’s vocal performance throughout the years and a smoothening of his voice on record, the anger he was so good at evoking has yet to come through as viscerally as it has in the past. A return to Brutalism is looking further like a possibility with each release.

40 Years of Morrissey

For better or worse, Morrissey has been a notable figure in the public eye for 40 years now, with today marking the anniversary of the debut self-titled album by legendary band The Smiths. Released to critical acclaim on the label Rough Trade on this day in 1984, it helped catapult the band into the upper echelons of British music royalty. There is a lot to say about how this rise to fame may have impacted Morrissey’s less-than-questionable political views and stances, but that’s not to detract from the outstanding prowess shown by the whole band here.

While this album is often overshadowed in people’s eyes by the band’s third album, The Queen is Dead, it’s always been a toss-up for me in terms of which I prefer. Where their self-titled album is remarkably consistent, with peaks and valleys that lay pretty close to each other, The Queen is Dead is a trek through the Swiss Alps, bound to fall flat just after soaring like Icarus. The consistency of their debut is unparalleled in their discography to me, even if the band may hit higher peaks in the future; I would be hard pressed to find many albums by any rock band that can retain such a quality throughout.

With all this being said, how does any of this impact Morrissey as a public figure? He was at the forefront of animal rights advocacy in the ‘80s, as well as being an early notable figure for the LGBTQ+ movement at a time where it was much more frowned upon. Since then though, his politics have become much more problematic, to say the least. There have been accusations of racism and xenophobia levied against him, culminating in public outbursts from the controversial figure, as well as in one case, a lawsuit against NME for libel in 2007. 

It’s hard to find a middle ground for someone like Morrissey. While on one hand he was the figurehead of one of the most influential and acclaimed bands of the 1980s, along with guitarist Johnny Marr, he is also one of the most criticized and lambasted public figures since then, gaining headlines with almost anything he says. Should his politics take away from his music, and vice versa? I don’t think so. While it is hard to completely separate the two from each other, they should be viewed from different angles, almost as if it were coming from two separate people. We are seeing this play out in real time with more artists lately, most notably Kanye West after his anti-semitic comments. To condemn these people does not mean to disregard the art they have provided us with, particularly when that art came from a different time before the controversy took place.

Welcome!

Hello! Welcome to The Room Is On Fire, my personal blog for anything music, movies, or whatever else I see fit. I have long had a passion for entertainment, and writing is something I pride myself on, so it only seemed like a logical conclusion to combine the two into something productive. I will look to post on here as frequently as I can, between college and work, so stay tuned for many more posts! Hopefully I can help people find their next favourite band or film.