Tag: West

Shorter than most EPs and yet filled with the capable tones and structure of forgiveness, Kanye West finds a rush of regret and interest in Ye. A muddled album, a brief shot of intrigue in a career which was to go off the rails shortly after this release. Did it start here? Possibly. An airing of long-held hangups and moments of interest in the life of his late mother were the starting point of Ye, and ultimately it proved a task too tough for those on the outside of West’s sphere of influence. What becomes of the project is a blisteringly short and unassuming piece of work, one which undoes the lengthy goodwill and innovative sensibilities West had on the likes of 808s & Heartbreaks or Graduation. Undoing those solid offerings in twenty-three minutes is impressive in its own right, but Ye is an underwhelming self-exploration snooze.   

Stripped away from its usual collaborators and stacking the struggles high, the chances of Ye leaving another, blistering mark was expected. It may be that West wants to distance himself from the image of an innovator, which was what made 808s & Heartbreaks such a fascinating listen. But the erratic and often messy sound to Ye is charmless. Do more with less. An ambitious choice for the seven songs which make up Ye, but it falls well short. There is the continuation of heartfelt and ambiguous ideals, the set of hate and death and how it can be countered with love is far deeper than expected. But the minimalist tone, the lacklustre opener I Thought About Killing You, depend on the wordplay almost entirely. This is the gamble West takes and it is fair game from there. A bold choice to make but we should expect more from him after a decade and a half of material proves he can write stronger than this, better than this.   

Ye lays it all out in the open and it is not the brutal honesty which harms this but the stifled style. In defining this as a personable track without relevance to those listening, West ironically opens his songs up to the very projection he wants to avoid. West sees himself as a self-hating superhero and it adds a bit of flair to Yikes but the flatlining and tedious All Mine is a sign of trouble for West. His lyrical experiences are failing him and it would be a collapse which presents itself across his work after this. A few bright sparks but nothing magnificent. Such is the problem for Ye on the whole, though, an album which feels like it should have more going for it. And yet it does not. Most of it is down to the production values which feel as though they are trying to tie classic West workings with a new, minimalist-like experience. One or the other is ideal, but never together. It undermines the point of the other.  

Underwhelming songs soon follow and for much of Ye, it is a matter of sifting through the wreckage to find a few poignant moments. Wouldn’t Leave and its promise of infinity when paired with the right person feels soppy more than anything, those profound earlier moments are reduced to a very primitive and plain tone of romance. From the tests of romance where pushing the wrong buttons leads to the best and worst times to the attempted warmth and freewheeling style of No Mistakes, Ye just does not click. It is an album of self-revisionism and reflection, where West warns the gloves are off. And yet that snug feeling overlaps the desire for contemplation. At least Ghost Town stands out, an art-pop powerhouse which precedes a return to lacklustre expectations on closer Violent Crimes. Ye remains a glorified EP with one strong song to it, irrespective of the honest and often understandable artistic attempts made throughout by West and a collaborating, well-placed PARTYNEXTDOOR.