Many parts of this record are genuinely moving in a wide variety of ways and even find Tyler at his most playful. Igor is a phenomenally nuanced character, though, and does not solely represent the worst of Tyler’s personality. Igor has taken over and is acting on Tyler’s behalf in a way that nobody wants to identify with, but everyone inevitably does. Tyler’s direct lyrics here-“ You so motherfuckin’ dangerous/ You got me by my neck,” or, “ Oh, you passive-aggressive? Oh, you fakin’ you’re mad?/ Oh, you wanna go home? Cool, you better call you a cab”-are emotionally vivid and upsetting. That track’s sample-driven production is relatively straightforward, leaving Tyler with nothing flashy to hide behind. But because this is a breakup album, and his private life is somewhat relevant, songs like “ A BOY IS A GUN*” permit Tyler to sincerely convey the truths of his identity without making a show of it. It’s a bold minimization of a topic that his rabid fan base has debated for years now, speaking volumes about how invasive such discussions can be for an artist’s personal life. He unabashedly uses masculine pronouns on this record, but beyond that does not really touch on his orientation. Much has been made of Tyler’s sexuality since Flower Boy, but here he more or less takes for granted that his audience doesn’t need much information. Tyler’s songwriting skills are so advanced that he can make two entirely different vibes coexist in the same song without even changing much of the track’s DNA. The most distinct characteristics of IGOR are perhaps its abrupt yet brilliantly paced shifts between heavy hitting trap-inflected beats and smooth-sailing funk segues, often without even adding in new instruments. The record is less genre-less than many have made it out to be-it exists solidly within the traditions of funk, r&b, and hip hop music-but it finds Tyler distilling the sounds that comprised his most recent records into a holistic and unique product. Tyler actually raps very little on IGOR, and when he does take up the mic for rhymes, his voice is often pitched up so high that he sounds like a child innocent but complicit nonetheless in his endeavors. One of the best examples of this is “ NEW MAGIC WAND,” a loud and freewheeling track that showcases Tyler’s scream-rapping at times and his dynamic vocal range at others. The sound of the record is what cements everything together, intertwining California synth-funk with explosive industrial rap beats. The execution of this concept on IGOR is perfect, and every sound is calculated, carefully curated, and purposeful even the visual aesthetic Tyler has adopted for this era makes perfect sense-the album cover and Tyler’s unique wig, pantsuit, and sunglasses outfit allow him to create a little bit of breathing room between himself and the character of Igor, a crucial decision that pushes Tyler much deeper inside of his creation. Yes, this is Tyler’s breakup record, but he pulls it off in such a way that it will sidestep practically any comparisons to Frank Ocean’s Blond(e), another breakup-themed album that Tyler had a hand in creating. Without the help of many guest appearances (though miraculously Solange helps out with backing vocals on a number of songs), Tyler is able to assume the identity of Igor, a monstrous, selfish, and undesirable iteration of his own persona that is at once devastated, confused, and angry over a relationship gone wrong. Tyler, The Creator – IGORĮven for a musician whose most striking compositions often encompass experimental aesthetics, IGOR comes remarkably far out of left-field. Tyler’s next record, Flower Boy, was much tenderer than anything he had released before, and its accessible jazz/soul rap sound and occasionally ambiguous lyrical content spawned a massive interest in his personal life and increasingly fluid sexual orientation. And yet, the California artist has undergone a dramatic transformation of sorts in the past few years, starting with 2015’s abrasive and ambitious Cherry Bomb. This has long been a hallmark of the former Odd Future rapper’s style-abstract and minimal songs full of violent and radical sentiments. There are moments on Tyler, the Creator’s latest release, IGOR, that play out like roadkill: they’re so ugly and disfigured that you can’t help but stare. Tyler, The Creator’s beautiful, dark twisted fantasy takes the center stage on IGOR, a surprising record that challenges expectations sonically and thematically that, despite its expansiveness, still demands much less of the listener than Igor demands of him.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |