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Kanye’s trick here is partly that he’s made an album as performative and context-based as any Gaga stunt but he’s also made a herculean effort to have it code as Art - something he is the Genius in Control Of not something he’s surrendering to other people or the audience - and the fact of the effort makes it seem more ambitious and hence more artful.
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10 Things About The Kanye West Album
If you were wondering, I very much align with Tom Ewing regarding this record, though I may actually enjoy it more than he does. I’ve read a few things where people say this is a record that is “swinging for the fences,” and I just think — what about all these other people who are making great albums and are also super ambitious? LCD Soundsystem, Lady Gaga, Joanna Newsom, Janelle Monae, etc? I wonder if Kanye gets more credit for “swinging for the fences” because he happens to work in a genre that hasn’t been so great in recent years, and most everyone in the game is either striking out or getting walked to the bases.
