i could spend ages explaining to you why this album is important and how long it took to bring this thing to light, but that wouldn't be my style. i think everyone's speculated and gossiped enough about this thing, so let me come to you as real as i know how.
what we get on this album is kanye west. introspective, soul samples, punchlines, sex, industrial moods, danceable beats, uplifting passages, brooding lows, real talk, boastful talk, family talk. all of it is unadulterated kanye west. but as a listener, you are most definitely not kanye west. so how do you parse all of this? so far, i honestly am not sure. i'm sure this conclusion isn't what you expected.
i've listened to this album in its various states about 5 times now, and every time i feel something new with the progression of the story of pablo's life, so to speak. sometimes i feel like this album is immensely chaotic and doesn't even know where it's going. other times i look at the tracklist and see the focus; i can understand the ebbs and flows. it's a very spiritual journey that i believe "ends" after wolves, but the 4 tracks after the intermission are very important side quests.
i don't really get it yet, but i like it a lot.
best tracks: ultralight beam, highlights, 30 hours, fade, feedback, no more parties in la, i love kanye
update: with this 1.2 patched version of the album, i've gotta say, he improved on so much. i'm in agreement with every change except for the ad-lib outro on 30 hours. i have no idea why it now falls off the beat. i'm not going to change the score or anything, but man is this album enriching. it's hilarious how i totally didn't care about father stretch my hands on my first few listens/in my first review. my credibility is trash.
i get it now and i still like it a lot.
also best tracks: father stretch my hands pt. 1, pt. 2, famous
