808s & Heartbreak

Kanye's new album 808s & Heartbreak (great name by the way) is out now and my initial reaction is that I like it. It is really different from his previous efforts. I really like the haunting Auto-Tune sound of his voice coupled with the shoegaze styled beats. I actually heard one person compare the sound to that of M83. Essentially what this album does is make it even harder for me to reconcile the complete and utter douchiness of his media persona with my enjoyment of his music. One thing that has helped is that I have it on good authority from one of my friends that has spent extensive time with Kanye that his media bravado and annoyance is all an act. He is actually kind of shy and reserved and treats people around him very well. Oh yeah, and I like that be Kanye ad for Absolut that they used to show in theaters before movies started.

So yeah, I like the new album and I think I like Kanye. You can stream the whole album here.