Zach Schonfeld is a freelance writer, journalist, and critic based in New York. He contributes regularly to Pitchfork, Vulture, Paste Magazine, and other publications. Previously, he was a senior writer for Newsweek, where he covered culture and entertainment for the print magazine. He held a variety of positions with PopMatters and wrote for the site regularly between 2007 and 2015. He can be reached at zschonfeld(at)gmail(dot)com or on Twitter @zzzzaaaacccchhh.
A Scattering Time plays like an emblem of a different era because it is an emblem of no era, a haunting and formless musical work full of pitch-dark textural turns, proggy rhythmic tremors, and a wailing vocal thrust.
“Rape Me” was intended as a razor-sharp anti-rape anthem, an emblem of the feminist messages Kurt began channeling during the last two years of his life. That's not how it was taken.
Given the anticipation level and lack of pre-release availability, Yeezus offered a perfect test case for the nagging question: How has the model of digital media changed the amount of time music critics spend with the records they’re assessing?