It's been a while since I've made a new post, but things have been busy for me. Since the last time I posted I've ended my senior year, graduated from college, made the long trek home, tried to unpack my life, had my graduation party, gone on a post-grad trip to Hilton Head Island, celebrated my parents' 25th wedding anniversary, celebrated my anniversary, and in there finding time to apply for jobs, figure out my life and enjoy summertime...so yea, it's been busy. But part of this blog was to talk about music, and I realize I've only had one post about music so far. So what better way to get back into the blogging game...
I've listened to a lot since I've last posted, but my favorite has been "Graduation" by Kanye West. I listened to this album a lot once I got home and is now one of my all-time favorites. It also became a favorite of the aforementioned Hilton Head trip with all of my friends, so it got a lot of play. But there's so much more to it than "Stronger," which I downloaded way back in the fall of 2007. Let us explore...
The first song is my favorite on the album, and one of my favorite Kanye songs. "Good Morning" has an absolutely amazing beat and I can listen to that song endlessly. It also includes one of my favorite lines, "I'm like a fly Malcolm X/Buy any jeans necessary." But this song is my favorite, and there have been many times already that the first thing I do after waking up is listening to this song...it's that good.
Moving on, though, "Champion" and "I Wonder" are fantastic, as is "Good Life", which features T-Pain. The middle of the album has some songs that aren't the best, but still very good, but the end is just a strong finish. "Flashing Lights" is a total party song that never gets old. "Everything I Am" is my second favorite on the album. It's slower but has amazing lyrics and just makes you sing along. "Homecoming" is a faster favorite, and besides all the great Chicago references, it's just a great song. And "Big Brother," is a great homage to Kanye's mentor, the Jigga-man himself, Jay-Z. An eloquent song.
Wow. When I thought about writing this post I didn't think I'd be at a loss for words while describing this album, but I can't find ways to describe it. That's how good I think it is. My only advice is to get it youreslf and listen to it to see what I mean. Aside from the songs being so great, the album cover has great artwork from Takashi Murakami. In true Kanye form, every element of the album has style and was done masterfully. Good job, Kanye. So my advice to you is to pick up this album any way you can, give it some good listens, and wait for him to come to Lollapalooza like I am. Happy listening.
