Big Risks and Big Rewards: Yeezus Rises

Yeezus album art...or lack thereof

Ever since I was in middle school, the sounds of Kanye West have been a big part of my life. For better and worse, he's constantly been a prominent part of American culture since 2004. His major albums over that time - The College Dropout (2004), Late Registration (2005), Graduation (2007), 808s & Heartbreak (2008), My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010), and Watch the Throne (with Jay-Z) (2011) - have all been wild successes, each carrying a different brand of hip-hop, emotion, attitude, and style. However, his newest (and blasphemously named) album - Yeezus (2013) - may be his most radical artistic endeavor yet.
When Yeezus became available this past Good Friday via internet leak, I couldn't resist taking an early listen. At first, I wasn't sure if I had downloaded the right file, or this was even a Kanye album. It's jarringly different than his previous work - an almost-visceral, anger-filled in-your-face affair to be exact. And at only 10 songs long (most of Kanye's are in the 13-15 range), its over in a hurry (40ish min). It's hard to process and unpack every song the first time through, but after a few dozen  listens (the car at high volume is the best place), I've found that Yeezus, despite being one of the larger musical risks Kanye has taken, is really an excellent album. It might even be one of my favorites from him yet.
I could bore you with every detail of each track, but it's really better if you just give it a listen yourself. I will, however, provide some quick notes and highlights in the form of a two tier-ranking system:
Must-listens: "Black Skinhead" will probably be the most commercially popular song of this not-commercially friendly album simply because, well, its the catchiest - a driving, pumped-up beat that (if edited) could probably be played in stadiums or arenas. "New Slaves" is maybe the most important song - released early on buildings around the world, it's filled with anti-everything rants and defines the dark anger brewing throughout Yeezus. My personal favorite is "Blood On the Leaves", not only for an awesomely-powerful song sample of Nina Simone's take on "Strange Fruit" (it's a pretty sad song, so be warned), but when the heavy horns and drums come in a little after a minute, they truly blow you away. Easily the most quotable (to a comic level) is the over-the-top "I am a God"....all I can say is that next time I'm "in a French-ass restaurant", I'll be sure to shout "HURRY UP WITH MY DAMN CROISSANTS!" As a side note: stuff like this is why I love Kanye. Nobody is better at being intentionally unintentionally hilarious. A master of self-awareness, he's always in on the joke we don't think he's in on because we're the one making it about him in disbelief. I mean, come on, who else would name their album Yeezus?! 
Also-rans: "On Sight", "Bound 2", "Send it Up", "Guilt Trip", "Hold my Liquor", "I'm in it"... in that order. None of them are particularly bad, but they don't reach the level the aforementioned 4 others do. I'm not going to spend more time on these, but be sure to check them out and let me know what you think.
Overall, Yeezus is a huge-yet-successful risk. It certainly holds up well with his other albums, even though nothing will every touch My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Like I said before, Kanye always picks new directions with each album, and so far he hasn't missed. There are rumors or a Yeezus tour, so if you're really into it hit up the concert. I went to the Watch the Throne tour and I think Kanye is the best live-act there is. In other news, Kanye just became a father...and I can't wait to see how that factors into his next album.

Nonsensical Power Rankings: Chain Restaurants

I've decided to arbitrarily rank stuff I like. Could become a recurring series if it goes well. Doubt it.
Chain restaurants evoke a range of emotions from various people. Some enjoy them for reasons such as familiarity or reliability, while others don't like them at all - feeling as though they "settled" on their dinner location choice or aren't patronizing the local cuisine scene. I've been a member of both groups from time to time, but there are a few chain restaurants stand out to me as top-notch dining experiences. Without further ado, here are my Power Rankings for chain restaurants:

5. P.F. Chang's 
A very solid dinner option and one that I may have ranked higher if there were more in my local area. For appetizers, I'm partial to Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps and Crispy Green Beans, though there are a lot of other good options as well. However, as we enter the entrees, P.F. Chang's, ultimately, is more-expensive Chinese food - which can usually be found at decent quality locally for a reasonable amount of money. It's great, don't get me wrong - I absolutely love going there. Unfortunately, I'm probably going to be hungry sooner than I would like after my meal is over. For that, P.F. Chang's is 5th.

4. Outback Steakhouse 
One of my most visited chains, as there is one right by my house. The bread alone is reason enough to go - ask for Honey Butter to accompany it and you may not even make it to your meal. The Bloomin' Onion is always a solid start, while really any steak is always a tasty meal. Even the Kookabura Wings are decent. Outside of a steak though, you might be a little disappointed. It's not the flashiest restaurant chain, but Outback is filling and delicious. 4th on this list seems fair.


3. Chili's
"You can't have a bad time at Chili's" is something I've said on many occasions and will continue to say until I do, in fact, have a bad time there. 2 things I highly recommend to start: Chips with Queso Dip (bottomless!) and the Buffalo Wings (not a bad lunch by itself). After that, go nuts. Most of the food is awesome. I like the Baby Back Ribs, but there are plenty of other reasonable options to sink your teeth into. Good prices, food, drinks, and atmosphere for the 3rd place on this list.
 
2. California Pizza Kitchen
No knock on Chili's, but CPK is incredible. I need to go there more often. What really makes them jump up this list is the high quality options beyond awesome (and quite creative) pizza. For appetizers, it's hard to pick between Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Tortilla Spring Rolls, and Sesame Ginger Chicken Dumplings. Even as a budding soup aficionado, I'm usually torn between Tortilla and Pea & Barley. My lovely girlfriend, Katie, swears the Thai Crunch Salad is to die for. Note that I haven't even gotten to entrees yet, where you really can't go wrong no matter what you pick. Order anything here and you won't be disappointed (especially if its pizza!). Definitely the most versatile and high-quality chain I've been to. On most other lists, it might be first....but it isn't here, as you will see in a moment.

1. Buffalo Wild Wings
Never have I felt that a chain restaurant was so painstakingly created for my own enjoyment. As someone who sadly proudly order piles of buffalo wings to enjoy at home on a regular basis, this place is a no-brainer. There are dozens of different flavors and combinations to mix and match (6 wings/flavor). That alone is enough for me. However, Buffalo Wild Wings also is home to awesome soft pretzels with cheese and mustard dip, all the sports you can watch (seriously, if its on somewhere, its on at Buffalo Wild Wings), and (now that I'm 21), a quality selection of fine beers (a surprising amount of them on tap as well as in bottles). Their motto is "Wings. Beer. Sports". Those are all great, but really, Buffalo Wild Wings, you had me at "Wings". There's one about 20 min from my house and its worth the drive every day and twice on Sunday (especially if the Eagles are playing). It's easily #1 for me.

So there you have it, my Chain Restaurant Power Rankings. Agree, disagree, take heed, or shrug...I don't really care. Write your own rankings in the comments if you wish (especially if you have a recommendation). Eitherway, next time you're looking for a meal - seek one of these places out. I might even see you there.

The Binge-Watch and the Future of TV

The cast of Arrested Development, out on the promotion trial for Season 4.

Recently, Netflix released the much-anticipated fourth season of Arrested Development, the de-funct (de-funke-d?) and critically acclaimed ex-cable sitcom. 
Like other Netflix series, the entire season debuted all-at-once rather than the traditional, week-to-week format, leaving viewers like me free to choose exactly how to watch a show that interests me. My method of choice, of course, was the binge-watch. Soon, I was shamefully finished devouring all 15 new episodes in only a few days.
Binge-watching - watching a ton of TV series episodes in short period of time - has become a more and more common way to consume television, especially for those who spend a lot of time on the internet (no shame if you're reading high quality stuff like this blog!). Sites like Netflix, HBO Go, Hulu, and Xfinity Streampix (and countless, not-as-legal others I'm sure you can think of) offer a great method to "catch-up" on shows of recent interest after a few missed weeks, "re-watch" seasons and seasons of an old favorite (like The Office, for me), or "discover" critically-acclaimed or overlooked programs of old (like The Wire - do this if you haven't!). And, of course, the best part about binge-watching is that it is on your own schedule - whatever time of day or night, you can binge-watch whatever you want to, rather than wait for TV marathons to air on a particular channel on a particular day. More freedom for more TV? I can't think of anything more American.
Interestingly enough, with this new all-at-once release strategy that Netflix has started, binge-watching may soon usurp waiting week-to-week as the main way in which we watch television. In fact, after watching 15 episodes of Arrested Development over the course of 3 days, I would argue that some shows are actually even better when watched on a binge. Season 4 of Arrested Development is essentially a running joke that continues to build on itself - and that joke is much funnier (and maybe makes more sense) when binge-watched, truly making the series a no-brainer for Netflix to pick up and promote through their binge-friendly medium. In fact, I've even found that certain programs airing weekly, such as HBO's expansive and complicated Game of Thrones, tend to be more enjoyable when enjoyed in 3 or 4 episode binges, rather than rationed out at once-a-week pace. The binge-watch allows the casual viewer to stay invested in deeper stories being portrayed on television (or computer): they are immersed for hours in fictional worlds and, as a result, privy to subtleties that would otherwise be overlooked on a week-to-week basis.
Binge-watching is also a self-sustaining cycle - once one binge takes place and gets a viewer a few episodes deep into a series, they are much likely to come back for more soon after and finish the story rather than lose interest over weeks of waiting for more. Netflix seems to recognize this advantage and has since capitalized on it with shows like House of Cards and Arrested Development designed to incorporate the benefits of binge-watch. But who will join them and, more importantly, how? Only time will tell, but my guess is that we will be seeing a few more exciting series releases with the binge-watch in mind from both Netflix and other outlets as we move towards the future - and I can't wait to grab a snack and few empty hours to enjoy them all.