Am I the only one who finds Donda a very bleak/sad listening experience? (Not a bad thing.) I think I'm starting to understand why.

A lot of the arrangement are spare - even when they have a lot going on. You can almost hear the silence that exists on the other side of the music. Like in a lot of the songs - dunno if this makes sense - you can hear each element (drums, synths, vocal samples, vocals) individually; they're not melded together in a rich whole, like, eg, in CLB which has more traditional hip-hop arrangements.

Again I could be totally wrong to notice this but I feel like there's something going on here - the arrangements are loud and large but also curiously and movingly empty.

Compilation of renegades and pseudo religious metaphors

Yeah this album def felt like his most sad album after 808s

this tune has a sparse arrangement, i love it

one of his best songs ever imo

Its called Donda so there you have ur answer

I would be more inclined to find that a purposeful effect of the music if the mixing and mastering and engineering of the album didn’t seem so intensely disorganized and compartmentalized by different people in Kanye’s camp

The little hits of mandolin like strings here and there really add to the instrumental it's so bequitiful

was actually reading OP until i saw a CLB comparison

makes me :(

the little thing high pitched thing that happens at the end

and of course kanye’s vocals. just a brilliant song all round

i cant get over how much i love this song

It's so short yet so much happens in it, so many little details, and that vocal performance

Moment of silence, R.I.P to Juice

He didn't say anything bad about CLB, just that CLB is obviously gonna have more traditional hip-hop song structures.

and it doesn't help it much, album is still mid

A good chunk of the album feels like him tryna cope with losing his wife

you sound like an idiot

Classic avy

I think both albums are solid for different reasons

Yeah donda is like 808s mixed w all mine. very minimal w huge bursts of sound that cut in and out instantly.

what’s your deal

One of my favorite moments is when they have that giant build up with the choir on “Father hold me close, don’t let me drown” and then it’s just Abel’s voice by itself on “I know you won’t”

Really emotional moment

Also I do not understand the hate on God Breathed outro, very reminiscent of Say You Will