Kanye West "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" (ADVANCE)

It's amazing how regardless of the shit storm Kanye has been in throughout this past year it always comes back to the music. And order is restored. And all is forgiven.

First and foremost -- lest this be forgotten -- Kanye is an artist. He's creative, quirky, crazy. But these are the tools he uses to create his art. And what's nice about it is that it's not just still life; it's performance art. He doesn't just rap his verses, he lives them. And he is exactly who we want him to be. Which is to say that the bravado, the cockiness, is justified because of the end result. It's unfair not to take the good with the bad as they both make him who he is.

Let's talk about Taylor Swift. Fully knowing it's only the MTV VMA's, how can she win the Best Female Video category and Beyonce win the overall Best Video category? C'est impossible. Kanye was drunk, yes. Kanye is bff's w/ Jay & B, yes. Taylor Swift is "an innocent", yes. BUT THIS IS KANYE. Nothing he does should surprise us because he's been up front about it the whole time. Check out this line from "Stronger":
"You should be honored by my lateness / That I would even show up to this fake shit / So go ahead go nuts, go ape shit."

He's saying that to paying customers at his concert! He doesn't give a fuck about us as a consumer, only as fans. He's all about the music and he just wants us to focus on his music and let him do whatever he needs to that keeps letting that creativity come out.

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But let's get to the task at hand. "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" is very G.O.O.D. (See what I did there?) Even though only the clean/edited version has leaked it really doesn't feel lacking except for a few key spots where some adult language is missing.

I went in expecting it to be overkill hearing songs that he already released as G.O.O.D. Friday tracks. They weren't singles played on the radio but they had heavy rotation on my iPod. The big surprise is that most of them are different mixes and have either little tweaks ("Monster") or an extra verse ("Devil in a New Dress") or a 3 minute outro ("Runaway"). They really freshen up the songs and keep you wanting to come back and study them even more sonically and lyrically.

Must hear: Runaway (f. Pusha T)

(Release Date: 11/22)

Boys Like Girls "Love Drunk"

The much anticipated follow up to their breakthrough debut album, Boys Like Girls do not disappoint. They bring back all your favorites -- uptempo pop punk and fun lyrical wordplay -- and take the next step in their musical progression. I am impressed with this album; the boys didn't wilt under all the success (and pressure) that their last album brought them. Oh, and if you are searching for this album's "Thunder", look no further than their collaboration with Taylor Swift.

Must hear: Love Drunk

(Release Date:9/8/09)