YEEZUS- The Review

'Soon as I pull up and park the Benz, We get this bitch shaking like Parkinsons' says KANYE WEST on the first track of his wildly anticipated album YEEZUS. This upset members of Parkinsons UK and almost every human being with a soul. Was this wrong?

Is also having a song called 'I am a God' with a special feature from the lord almighty?

Is also rapping 'I just talked to Jesus, we said what up Yeezus'?

Also are you allowed to say 'I'm a rap-lic priest, getting head by the nuns'?

Also are you allowed to sample Nora Jones singing the chilling STRANGE FRUIT?

Lastly are you allowed to beat a man musically to the cold gravel and kick his teeth in till he is just a bloodied mess?

Because KANYE WEST'S new album YEEZUS does all those things. And it seems he has got away with it, mostly.

Out with the old and in with the new they say. And KANYE did that by ditching the ethereal choirs and and strings, and producing an album that sounds like a violent electric fart. Songs like ON SIGHT (produced in part by the most musical robots in history DAFT PUNK) and BLACK SKINHEAD leave you in a dancing mess and wanting to punch people. Themes are revisited in the emotional NEW SLAVES, the story how black people are buying too much and are 'slaves' to the designer label. And BLOOD ON THE LEAVES harks back to the GOLDIGGER days, but with a much darker feel.

However for all the new, there is still too much old. KANYE is still just as arrogant, and still loves himself. Awful songs like IM IN IT and I AM A GOD are laughable mockeries. Perhaps satirical and ironic due to all the negative press Ye gets. But they are poor excuses on an album that had so much potential to be as good as THE COLLEGE DROPOUT.

As usual the production is on top form, the end of NEW SLAVES, BLACK SKINHEADS and BOUND 2 standout to me. And during the album, there is a nice mix of social commentary and brutal truth. BOUND 2 speaks about his relationship with KIM KARDASHIAN, finishing the album of  on a lighter note- stopping me from being super depressed.


FAVOURITE SONG:BOUND 2
FAVOURITE LINEL: IN A FRENCH ASS RESTAURANT, HURRY UP WITH MY DAMM CROISSANTS' perfect Kanye arrogance
RATING: 6/10
BEST PLACE TO LISTEN: Somewhere claustrophobic and dark preferably wearing black.

Kanye Being Kanye/ Awesome/ Idiot/ Douche

New Artists

For those of you who enjoy a bit of Netherlands Psych Baroque playing, listen to JACCO GARDNER. I'm pretty sure that he is the music they play on things like 'Dispatches- The Girl with Seven Legs'

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LIVE- Toro Y Moi and Sunless97

Chaz Oozes Chill and Sunless97 Shine

TORO Y MOI oozed swagger and chill as he performed last Thursday night at the THEKLA in Bristol. At a gig I had been expectant and excited for ages.

The THEKLA isn't really any venue, sure it has a slightly too militarised security on the door, and sure it has those plastic cups for your beer (or coke as I'm underage). But it's a boat. Yes, it's a boat. Full with a deck and all the other things boats have. And it's intimate, smallest venue I have been to. Also It's brilliant. Because every couple of minutes you remember that you're on a boat. And that's cool.

The crowd for TORO Y MOI (CHAZ BUNDWICK) was young, seventeen-ish cool kids. I felt that if you didn't have a tumblr you might of been thrown out. The other half were late twenty-ish cool people. And this one fella, with the greatest ginger afro in history. Who liked to dance, a lot. Actually he liked to dance constantly, even when there wasn't music going on. But he was having a good time/ trip so I let him off.

The support act SUNLESS 97, yeah I've never heard of them either, were great. Three piece sing/DJ  were decked with drum machines and keyboards to the rafters. Despite their obscurity they held their own for the few who arrived early. SUNLESS 97 are like a summer XX, very relaxed and seemed to have a great time performing. Like wine or cheese they'll  mature and should get some well deserved recognition. Seeing as they are only racking up 18,000 views on YouTube.

Then CHAZ came on stage, to enigmatic cheers from the crowd. In summer clobber to match the attitude of tonight he began his performance. Expertly wielding about 5000 pedals and playing the keyboard and singing was a mean feat. And unfortunately his performance skills were maybe a bit lacking, but no one were complaining. Because me and Mr Ginger Afro were dancing away to the chill wave-esque sounds TORO Y MOI was making. The biggest downfall was that he had a sore throat so had to cut SO MANY DETAILS (the lead single from ANYTHING IN RETURN) from his set.

I asked my dad what he thought of it, and he said he enjoyed sitting by the bar one his own. So smiles all round