His boasts make me squirm in embarrassment for him, as does his Bound 2 video. Now… there is some troublesome content here, mostly having to do with his lyrics in regards to women. Weird then, that what is considered to be his coldest, most abrasive record yet is the one that I find most accessible. I swear I’m not trying to be contrarian, but this is my favorite Kanye release thus far in fact, it is the only one that I really like at all. I don’t really have a tangible reason why I love this album so much, but the fact that it meshed perfectly with these two totally different locales without missing a beat has to say something… Here, the record again worked to provide context and soundtrack to what was essentially a coked-up Miami Vice mansion in the middle of a tropical paradise. Muchacho was also a big part of a trip to Costa Rica with some friends later in the summer.

It added this epic feel to the most pedestrian of scenes. I found myself zoning out to this album while staring at a neck pillow kiosk these weird yelps from “Ride On/Right On” synching with various passer-bys trying on these neck pillows. I first listened to it at Logan Airport on my way back from a conference in New Hampshire. Muchacho, for me, is a record that is tied to the summer of 2013 and worked as soundtrack music to my mundane adventures.

I know “Song for Zula” is the marquee song on this one, but I don’t really think of this record in terms of individual songs. Three favorite Releases of 2013 (in descending order) Still cleaning the confetti and party poppers of all the 2013 pop culture… here are my thoughts about the music.

Iron man 2 soundtrack daft punk