The last thing they remember as they fill out their ballots is the triumph of Mr. In this regard music critics are no better than Oscar voters. West also spent months doing things critics like: using the Internet to reveal his inner self, which, it turned out, was pretty much the same as his outer self giving away music and providing a peek into his methods in the process.įinally, and most boringly, year-end lists often favor late-year releases, when the sense of anticipation fulfilled is still fresh. And maybe in some way fear plays a role, with institutions worried that history will not smile on dissenters. West implicitly allows for it by creating the language for that acclaim. By asking to be judged at a higher level Mr. West has boldly asserted his primacy, demanding that others critics, award shows, other artists fall in line. “Twisted Fantasy” is a hip-hop album accessible to both insiders and outsiders, arriving in a moment in which other genres are as open-armed as ever. West is merely a case of exceptionalism masking as democracy.
There’s the recent egalitarian streak in pop criticism the death of nongeneralists even if this specific embrace of Mr.
West received these simultaneous accolades for several reasons. But advocating for it is a macro decision, carrying the weight of many and by extension, all, not one. Enjoying an album is a private, micro affair certainly not everyone on the staffs of those publications felt that Mr. These ratings and rankings make a statement about not only the presumed quality of the album, but also about institutional decisions regarding an artist’s worthiness, and about those institutions’ desire to be seen acknowledging an artist’s worthiness. But that reflected a lack of other widely agreed upon ambitious albums maybe Mr. 2: the Black Keys, Rick Ross, Deerhunter, LCD Soundsystem and Arcade Fire each got a nod. And when the year-end lists of several prominent outlets with different demographics and agendas the magazines Rolling Stone, Vibe and Spin the Web sites Pitchfork and Stereogum share the same winner, it almost certainly indicates intangibles at play. Lack of superpowers aside, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam) remains, six weeks after its release, a phenomenal album, third on my own year-end list, textured enough to still be revealing new crannies upon repeated listens, and alluring enough still to warrant those repeated listens.īut consensus is less a measure of greatness than of social climate. (Actually, not even this album was powerful maybe his “Late Registration” could have done it.) (That was Lady Gaga actually.) It secured passage of the Dream Act. It got “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy repealed. In the waning weeks of last year it was hard to read about music without being assured that this album, Mr. West’s maniacal and loud sense of self-importance than because of the unimaginative group-think the album has spawned. Its reign has been tyrannical surprisingly, less because of Mr. Welcome to 2011, a year that once the last of the snow is scraped away will bring new hope, the promise of renewal, a chance to wake up in a world in which Kanye West’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” is not the consensus pick for album of the year.
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