Kanye West reemerges from his 'Coldest Winter' [UPDATED]
Last month, Kanye West made a tentative return to caps-locked, stream-of-consciousness blogging, but new work seemed far off for the embattled rapper/producer/awards-show-saboteur. Today, however, Kanye's own remix of his "808s & Heartbreak" track "Coldest Winter" gets an appropriately chilly video from Ye's frequent director Nabil Elderkin.
The Nordic-gothic vibe and levitating-woman-chased-through-the-woods plot has echoes of Royksopp's fantastic "What Else Is There?" clip, apropos for a song about the breakup of West's engagement and the loss of his mother. Though Kanye doesn't make an appearance in it, the song's edit is both epic and intimate, equal parts brutal taiko drums and ambient banshee shrieks and radio static. It's a perfectly spooky tiptoe back into public creative life for Kanye.
-August Brown
UPDATED: The headline of this post originally spelled Kanye as Kayne.
Another brilliant artistic triumph for Mr. West.
As usual Kanye delivers a creative, original, and downright awesome video!
Honestly this guy makes some of the best, if not the best music videos in the whole industry.
This video is on iTunes right now, but it says it's not available!!!!!
I NEED THIS THING NOW!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Sam.i.am | February 23, 2010 at 03:18 PM
Kanye west he did his best his name said in jest forget the rest - you got caught in the mire your last desire go home and rest Jr. west
Posted by: franck | February 23, 2010 at 03:27 PM
I've heard of kanye west not of kayne!!! great editting!
Posted by: Angela | February 23, 2010 at 03:43 PM
kanye west your name said in jest you asprired to be the best but you need a rest. go home - smell the loam - stop the roam you done know what you do fame is your thing but you gave a hollow ring please give it a rest that would be best
Posted by: franck | February 23, 2010 at 03:46 PM
Wow! This is amazing! I love this video, but it is unavailable on iTunes right now! It is definitely an icy-cold song, with deep meaning. Way to go, 'Ye!
Posted by: John Riley | February 23, 2010 at 05:41 PM
Why does everyone keep saying he's not in it...clearly he is on one of the hoods
Posted by: wow | February 24, 2010 at 12:37 AM
YOU KNO,,WHEN THIS SONG CAME OUT IT IS ONE OF HIS BEST YET TO COME....COLDEST WINTER DID NOT NEED A VIDEO...YOU CAN IMAGINE THE HEARTACHE YOURSELF....VIDEO WAS REALLY STUPID JEST LIKE STREET LIGHTS......DID NOT NEED A VIDEO.
Posted by: lawrence | February 24, 2010 at 10:26 AM
Honestly, great come back. The video was very fitting, the trees reminded me of something Tim Burton would do.
Posted by: Seattle DUI attorney | February 24, 2010 at 11:45 AM
Y'all are crazy. The only thing less interesting than this song is the video. Yes the visuals are cool (for the first 10 seconds) and yes there are a lot of great slow-motion-running-boob shots (too easy) but what else is there? Does it do anything? Does it tell a story? Is it about anything?
If it was meant to be abstract and creative that's one thing, but Kanye West isn't that creative. The only part of this video that really impressed me is that it wasn't a 4 minute tribute to how awesome Kanye West thinks he is. That's something worth taking notice of.
Posted by: PaulKeepsItReal | February 24, 2010 at 09:59 PM
He actually does make an appearance in this video as a smoke filmed spirit in the beginning after the girls face show out of the smoke.
Posted by: DMarco Randle | February 26, 2010 at 07:31 AM
Absolutely BRILLIANT. That is all there is to say.
Posted by: Scorpio | February 26, 2010 at 09:32 AM
Kanye Rocks.
Posted by: Priti Black | February 27, 2010 at 11:45 PM
Haha they spelt kanye wrong tehe. (:
Posted by: Heather Smyuther | March 01, 2010 at 12:48 PM
Also, I don't like kanye i like taylor swift.
Posted by: Heather Smyuther | March 01, 2010 at 12:49 PM