Monday, January 19, 2009
Depart from This
808s and Heartbreak is the fourth and latest studio album from Kanye West. His first 3 albums, The College Dropout, Late Registration and Graduation, received both critical acclaim and constant play on radio and television. 808s and Heartbreak is quite a departure from the style and formula West used in making his previous albums, it uses a Roland TR-808 drum machine and focuses mainly on the subjects of heartache and loss while singing through an Auto-Tone.
Experimentation or a departure from the norm is nothing new. Musical artists have been making similar statements since the first notes were played. Its how music and artistic expression advance, but at times fans can’t help but feel betrayed by artists changing direction.
Who can’t remember Metallica members cutting their hair in 1996 with the release of Load. How dare they get haircuts and release such a shitty album all at once. In my youth such moves just about ended my faith in humanity or at least my disdain for it. I was hardly the only one disappointed by this move. The band lost many “hardcore” fans with this album, many claimed the band had gone soft or turned their backs on their metal roots.
In April of 2002 Wilco released its fourth studio album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. The album was to expand upon Wilco’s previous efforts by covering new musical ground producing more of a sequential effort. Such bold moves by an up and coming band upset many at their label, eventually leading to the band being let go. The album was eventually released and received glowing reviews and worldwide success.
Artists depart from styles for many reasons with varying degrees of success. There are many more albums where this has happened. Which stand out in your mind? Why was the change made? Was this an acceptable reason? Is this always a gradual process or can it be decided all at once? Where does the “concept” album fit into this discussion?
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I can respect bands (esp big ones) for doing something different, whether or not it is a hit. Metallica got a lot of shit for making Load cause it wasn't metal, but lets face it, if any other band made that album, it would have been great! I'll admit, I really like Load; its not metal, but take it for what it is and I don't think you can say the songs suck.
ReplyDeleteThat said, lots of bands lose respect and following by trying something new and failing horribly, but I respect them for trying to keep it interesting. AC/DC makes the same album over and over; its not bad, but its almost as if they are on autopilot. Musicians that care are the ones who actually try, and that usually means breaking the mold (that they themselves may have formed) and making something new and fresh.
The Beatles are the perfect example of a band successfully doing this.
I would say Wilco is a great example of a band that reinvents itself. I cannot wait to hear the new album and hope it is a departure from Sky Blue Sky, not that I don't like that one, but there is nothing better than a band reinventing themselves. Except of course for My Morning Jacket.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Paul, the Beatles might be the best example of a band successfully reinventing itself. To see where they started and where they ended up, and with all that great music throughout their career -- it's pretty amazing.
ReplyDeleteThe Flaming Lips have made some pretty big departures from their early albums. Radiohead is another obvious example.
What about bands changing their style simply for the goal of sounding like whatever is hot at the time?
ReplyDeleteCan you respect this, even if its done right?
The Rolling Stones did this; they have a few songs that are very disco-ish and the truth is they don't suck.
are you going to follow this up with a post on chris cornell teaming up with timbaland? i mean, if you have time to write in between all your gym workouts...
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