Nobody can say West didn't warn us. His new album, Yeezus — which leaked four days ahead of Tuesday's scheduled release — is as dark and abrasive as the first two songs he put out, New Slaves and Black Skinhead, promised. It's also as daring and infectious as anything he's done, and demands to be heard with speakers on blast.

Stark electronic beats, driving dancehall riddims and menacing bass lines underpin his rants on race, sex, commercialism and celebrity. He almost dares you to let your attention wander, throwing in random, tempo-shifting samples and guttural screams just when you might think you know where he's heading.
On the Daft Punk-produced On Sight, an aggressive West raves that 'Yeezy season is coming' and that 'a monster is about to come alive again' over ominous synthesizers. The French duo also did Black Skinhead, which finds West boasting about breaking the rules.

On I Am a God, he sure didn't check his ego at the studio door. He's explained in interviews that the title refers to his 'God name,' and on this track it's clear that a man of his celebrity operates on a much higher plane than most people. 'I just talked to Jesus/ He said, 'What up, Yeezus?'/ I said, '(Expletive) I'm chillin'/Tryin' to stack these millions.' '

'Chillin' ' isn't the best way to describe the intensity.