Steven AndraisWhen Kanye West premiered “All Day” at the Brit Awards last February, I believed he was teasing the sound of his upcoming album. The high-fueled performance of the profanity-laced track, complete with flamethrowers in the background, mimicked a civil uprising and recalled the recent events of Ferguson, Missouri. Yet the vibe projected by “All Day” was far from a hostile one. The song came across more as a fist-pumping celebration than anything, as Taylor Swift danced in the front row during the performance.
Back in 2013, West did an interview with Power 105.1, he went on to explain that having just released a dark album with Yeezus he had no choice but to drop a commercial knockout that got everybody on board. Fans could expect his follow up to Yeezus to be akin to Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A..
Springsteen created Born in the U.S.A. as a protest in response to the Vietnam War, but unknowingly he had sabotaged his own intentions with irresistibly catchy tunes that caused the public to overlook the album’s political themes. “All Day” is West channeling that same gift of songwriting, layering whistles from Paul McCartney on top of beats from Travis Scott in order to create bangers so jovial that the lyrics are irrelevant. Naturally, given West’s propensity to change his mind about his projects, none of his 2016 releases leading up to Waves bear any resemblance whatsoever to “All Day.” In fact, of the three songs from the track-list West shared on Sunday, “All Day” is not even included.
The first familiar track “No More Parties in L.A.” is an entertaining, but forgettable number for West, whose three minute long verse lacks the poignancy of “New God Flow” (the sampled track) and feels like a forced attempt to best featured artist Kendrick Lamar. On “Real Friends,” West explores the pervasiveness of selfishness in personal relationships. Its ambient beat lends well to introspection and makes it a solid addition to a night-driving playlist, but its reliance on popular sounds make it nothing special from a production perspective. Waves’ closing number “Wolves” remains the standout among the released tracks. If Yeezus embodied the view from the mountaintop, then the less aggressive production of “Wolves” evokes the sauna session upon the descent of Everest; a healing process and an opportunity for contemplation.
“Wolves” was also used for the launch of the Yeezy 750 Boost sneaker last year, and although straddling the line between artistry and commercialism isn’t exactly new territory for West, his recent endeavours have upped the ante. Nowhere is the link between West’s music and his product forged as directly as in “God Level,” an absentee from the Waves track-list that was used in an Adidas advertisement last year but was never officially released. It has been speculated that the third edition of the Yeezy Season clothing line will premiere on February 11th in tandem with Waves.
Of course, structuring the release of Waves to coincidentally act as a genius marketing campaign for his corporate interests in the fashion industry would not necessarily imply that the quality of this album must be compromised. Truthfully, it is difficult to imagine Waves being a commerical flop; it has been in the works for over two years and numerous high-profile producers will have touched it before we hear the finished product. Most importantly, West realizes that in the long run his relevance in other fields will ultimately be impacted by the quality of his music. While the snippets suggest that it won’t be ”The best album of all-time,” the standout tracks on his LPs tend to be withheld until the official release. Waves undoubtedly has some hidden gems in store, even if Kanye’s focus has shifted away from “Runaway” and toward the runway.
