There’s almost no artist quite as polarizing as Kanye West. From his Reality TV wife to his maelstrom of a Twitter feed, Mr. West is a pretty big pill for some people to swallow. But early in his career, his music was one thing that people mostly agreed on. His first few records were excellent and clever, but not too adventurous. He had his sights set on mainstream hip-hop, and he delivered.

Then came 2008… 

A few months after his model fiancé broke up with him, his beloved mother passed away. While Ye had never shied away from vulnerability in his previous records, these personal tragedies found him even more introspective. 

The subject matter was paired with a very specific aesthetic: all of the songs are sung, not rapped, drenched in autotune, accompanied by a retro Roland 808 drum machine. The resulting record is basically a concept album—and one that a lot of Kanye’s previous fans hated.

The autotune in particular was a sticking point for people. Why sing an entire album if you can’t sing? But naysayers missed that the effect’s use was entirely aesthetic. Such heartwrenching tunes sung in a robotic vibrato creates a powerful aural irony that makes these songs more affecting, not less. Anyone who wrote the album off also missed Kanye’s incredible sense of melody. The tunes he writes here are engaging and catchy. 
By all accounts, this album should not have worked. But its limited sonic palette and narrow subject matter ended up creating a laser focused album that succeeds because of its singular vision. 
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And if this album set the stage for a Kanye that was completely unconcerned with satisfying cultural expectations for his output, all the better.

This is a milestone—as of this post, I am undeniably halfway through my collection. I guess you could say I’m…
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Past the point of no return?

Bad puns aside, I suppose the point Kansas is referring to is their transition from exploratory prog rock to more streamlined pop tunes…

Only two songs on this album stretch past five minutes (compared to half of the tunes on Leftovertures).
There’s no shortage of instrumental jam sections, but even those moments have a radio-friendly sheen on them. It may have done in an attempt to make The possible exception is the title track, with a flurry of orchestral riffs between lines in the chorus.

On the longer songs, “Closet Chronicles” and “Hopelessly Human,” the group gives themselves permission to get proggy. Through their long runtimes, the group changes tempo, mood, and style on a dime.  

The natural standout is the heartbreaking ballad “Dust in the Wind.” However, it doesn’t have the potential it could have on a truly great album. This sort of track would do great as a penultimate track on a concept album: a deep breath before the storm of the finale. Here, it’s just a pretty detour. 
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All of this isn’t to say that prog bands should stay away from pop. Genesis, The Alan Parsons Project, and Yes all turned their progressive leanings into pop masterpieces with stunning success. Kansas falls a little short—even if this is, apparently, most people’s favorite Kansas album?

Prog rock has gotten a bad rap.
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Prog is often criticized for being bloated, self-important, and pretentious. At its worst, prog is obsessed with self-gratifying instrumental sections, musical references to classical compositions, and obtuse narratives of their own writers’ inventions…

And while all of that is certainly true of this record, it doesn’t mean it isn’t fun. And this album’s popularity certainly shows it—this record has been through almost every record collection on earth.

The lead opener, the famed “Carry On the Wayward Son” is the most immediate track. But it doesn’t go easy on the prog tendencies—half of its five minutes are spent ripping through solos.

It’s a good look at what to expect, but don’t expect the rest of the songs to rock this hard. Hooks (and vocals in general) are far and few between on this album, saddled between lengthy instrumental passages that are, if nothing else, deftly played, traveling everything from baroque to metal. There are even a couple spots that feel a bit hoedowny.

While most of the tracks sound like they could have been radio hits in the 70s, the closer, “Magnum Opus” goes full prog. It’s a six movement suite that breaks eight minutes—most of that time spent without vocals. Is it bloated and self-important? Sure. But’s it’s hella fun too.
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And that’s the story of this record. It indulges in all of prog rock’s cardinal sins, and still manages to be an enjoyable listen. Nowhere near as painful as certain other prog records.

For my love of Beck, his section of my shelf is admittedly filled with his least Beckish releases…

While Mr. Hansen is a musical chameleon of the highest caliber, he is, first and foremost, a master of irony. Despite being one of the most heartbreaking singer-songwriters in the last twenty years (seriously, spin Sea Change again), that was never an office he sought out. 
He cut his teeth melding underground indie rock with tongue-in-cheek white-boy hip hop, spitting word salad whilst famously accompanied by Two Turntables and a Microphone. But, visionary that he was, he got bored with that formula and sprawled out.
But after the detours of the psychedelic Mutations, the R&B future disco Midnight Vultures, and the tender masterpiece Sea Change, he was ready to reclaim his birthright. 
Geuro (aptly named after the Mexican slang term for “white boy”) is a return to form of the highest caliber (though admittedly, my introduction to Beck was The Information so Geuro was lost on me for a while). “E-Pro” rips right out of the gate with a “Devil’s Haircut” style guitar riff and some word salad rap. “Que Onda Guero” double’s down, upping the hip hop and turning the “make sense” knob all the way down. “Hell Yes” even reintroduces those famous turntables.
But don’t for a second think that Beck’s return to fun means he’s done being a Serious Artist™. On the contrary, this record is enhanced by a number of songs that wouldn’t have felt out of place on the rapless, atmospheric Sea Change. 
“Broken Drum” is a moseying low tempo ballad augmented with acoustic guitars and rich ambient textures. “Earthquake Weather” is a slowed down funk tune that’s as tender as it is sexy. “Girl” is one of the finest pop tunes he’s ever done.
And while I might have been tempted early on to think of this album as The Information in larval form, there’s no denying that Guero stands tall on its own two legs as a shining gem of Beck’s already pretty shiny discography.