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Remember when Kanye West threatened to make an album where he would bear his heartbroken soul, align with T-Pain, sing on every song with the then inescapable Auto-Tune effect and, less problematically, lean on the common element -- the Roland TR-808 drum machine -- of classics like "Make It Last Forever," "Posse on Broadway," "808," and "Bossy"? It could have been a wreck, a case of an artist working through paralyzing heartache while loose in a toy store. Except West wasn't joking. Not only did he go through with it, but Roc-A-Fella released the result in time for the 2008 Christmas shopping season.
In various spots across 808s & Heartbreak, the constant flutter of West's processed voice is enlivened by the disarming manner in which despair and dejection are conveyed. When, in "Welcome to Heartbreak," he dispassionately recounts sitting alone on a flight, ahead of a laughing family, he makes first class sound like Siberia; he'd swap lives with the father in an instant. The majority of the lyrics, however, are directed at an ex who evidently did some damage; in "RoboCop" alone, she gets compared to the antagonist in Misery and is called a "spoiled little L.A. girl." Earlier in the album, the number she did on him is called "the coldest story ever told," yet he admits he still fantasizes about her. All the blocky drums, dragging strings, droning synths, and joyless pianos lead to a bleak set of productions -- even the synthetic calliope in "Heartless" is unnerved, and the relative pep of "Paranoid" provides no respite, its bitter lyrics subverting a boisterous beat. Several tracks have almost as much in common with irrefutably bleak post-punk albums, such as New Order's Movement and the Cure's Pornography, as contemporary rap and R&B. ("Coldest Winter," where West longs for his departed mother, samples the most desolate song from the first Tears for Fears album.) For anyone sifting through a broken relationship and self-letdown, this could all be therapeutic. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
In various spots across 808s & Heartbreak, the constant flutter of West's processed voice is enlivened by the disarming manner in which despair and dejection are conveyed. When, in "Welcome to Heartbreak," he dispassionately recounts sitting alone on a flight, ahead of a laughing family, he makes first class sound like Siberia; he'd swap lives with the father in an instant. The majority of the lyrics, however, are directed at an ex who evidently did some damage; in "RoboCop" alone, she gets compared to the antagonist in Misery and is called a "spoiled little L.A. girl." Earlier in the album, the number she did on him is called "the coldest story ever told," yet he admits he still fantasizes about her. All the blocky drums, dragging strings, droning synths, and joyless pianos lead to a bleak set of productions -- even the synthetic calliope in "Heartless" is unnerved, and the relative pep of "Paranoid" provides no respite, its bitter lyrics subverting a boisterous beat. Several tracks have almost as much in common with irrefutably bleak post-punk albums, such as New Order's Movement and the Cure's Pornography, as contemporary rap and R&B. ("Coldest Winter," where West longs for his departed mother, samples the most desolate song from the first Tears for Fears album.) For anyone sifting through a broken relationship and self-letdown, this could all be therapeutic. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
more albums by this artist
See all-
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- Graduation (Parental Advisory)
- Released 2007
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- Late Registration (Parental Advisory)
- Released 2005
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- The College Dropout (Parental Advisory)
- Released 2004
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- Graduation (Edited Version)
- Released 2007
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listener reviews
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amazing!!!
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- By FashionFancy
- 9/12/2009 17:50:50
- this album is the SHIZNITSZ!!! i love ittttt.... kanye always knows wat to deliver
- 2 out of 2 people
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greetedcanisha
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- By GreetedCanisha
- 9/3/2009 23:31:59
- i luv the new version of kanye lyrics the love lock down now is a tight joint.the idea of him exposing his feelings and misharp in hip-hop is one of the wises thing any real artiste could do.he shows dat hip-hpo is not only just about ganstar rap but also of lettin people get to know the true livihood or the artiste behind the music world.people need to reallly listen to the words of the song before they start judging .great work kanye & keep doin ur thing.
- 2 out of 2 people
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another nice album from kanye
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- By SneakerLuva
- 7/30/2009 20:51:22
- kanye been through alot and for him to make an album about his feelings and heartbreak and changing hip-hop at the same time is just genius. i have to say this is one of the best albums he has made and graduation. i have all of his albums and they are all just pure greatness. keep doing your thing kanye
- 2 out of 2 people
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best yet
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- By redx113
- 6/9/2009 17:05:44
- I don't care what anybody say this is one of his best albums. Sure it's different but it's still good, and i love it. My favorite song is Street Lights
- 2 out of 2 people
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Good album, but it's been done
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- By quixcilver
- 6/8/2009 01:53:41
- Great album because its so rare to see or hear a rapper change his content with the exception of lil wayne, but this album is the clone child of an album written 14 years before 808's release. The album, "The downward spiral", by Nine inch nails, released in 1994. Everything about this album is identical from the lyrics to the synth, distortion and industrial-techo beats.
The biggest giveaway in found in, "robocop". same lyrical content and exact same beat and distortion found in, "reptile"(the downward spiral). - 1 out of 2 people
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waz up!!!!!
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- By KalizJams
- 6/4/2009 19:19:06
- i love u !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- 1 out of 2 people
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diop
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- By RosyRox855
- 4/22/2009 19:26:10
- dis album is dee dopest yett
- 1 out of 4 people
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Very Good
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- By DAVIDZ 15
- 4/4/2009 23:21:16
- Although it is something different from Kanye, this is very good, every song is quite catchy. If you are feelin' heartbroken, sad, or down, this album is a great one to listen too. Buy it if you liked all of Kanye's other albums.
- 3 out of 3 people
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Love the new album
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- By UniqueBoo06
- 3/17/2009 02:51:49
- It's very different and it's so tight. I love the love lockdown techno version with LMFAO as well. (no it's not on the album in case your wondering.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujcHVyEokwc
- 4 out of 5 people
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New Kanye but same hits
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- By ezk1993
- 3/5/2009 19:23:47
- This album is debatably his best album even though to Kanye lovers it is very different from his old albums (notice no parental warning) This album offers a great mix of rap with great beats and flowing jazz. The two hits, Heartless and Love Lockdown are just the beginning of this great album and I expect many more hits to come from this album
- 4 out of 6 people
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- 1 - 10 / 74
