I agree, Kanye is a shitbrick on feet, but while I was sitting down and trying to remember what I was listening to last year (which was a lot harder than I thought it would be), Graduation kept coming up. I realized that I had listened to it on a pretty consistent basis toward the end of 2007, which was more than most other albums I had gathered through the year. For some reason, this one was big for me at the office. I would have put it below In Rainbows, but I have to admit that I probably gave Kanye's CD more play during the year, if for no other reason than it came out first. As far as connecting with the music, the Okkervil River album blew all others away for me last year. That disc was the first OR album I had gotten my hands on and I immediately had to download the rest of their catalog. Definitely great stuff!

And it may make me sound like an ass, but has U2 made anything with genuine guts and fire since Joshua Tree? I remember listening to Under a Blood Red Sky and Joshua Tree with an older buddy of mine named Chris Moak, who was probably the only kid I knew that didn't require Motley Crue's Theatre of Pain be his life soundtrack in 1987. We would sit around with my totally awesome Sony AM/FM cassette radio blaring its two speaker-ed guts out, marveling at what we were hearing. I was being indoctrinated as a metal head then (at 10, you listen to what's put in front of you), but U2 was one mainstream band that I had nothing but love for. Rattle and Hum wasn't bad, but I was too young to see its merits then. Then came Achtung Baby, which really turned me off. When they followed that up with Zooropa as a nausea inducing chaser, I checked out and really haven't looked back. Maybe things have improved since, but it doesn't sound like it. Once Bono started wearing novelty-sized sunglasses and The Edge officially changed his name, I figured it was time to pull the plug on any hopes of them returning to form.

Most singers are douchepumps - he's certainly not the first. And while I wouldn't go so far as to say Graduation was one of the best of 07, it's still a pretty good record in spite of Kanye being a dickbag.

The problem with U2 is that their music simply isn't good anymore. Bono has blown on a personal level for two decades.

sucking as a human being kinda ruins music sometimes. unless you're really really really good. Kanye is not at that level. Also, being a douche also ruins music - see Bono.

I can't hate on the Kanye West selection. Graduation is a damn good album. The biggest problem to be had with Kanye is that he appears to suck as a human being.

Very nice. -1 star for Kanye West.