Tyler, The Creator Igor

Description

The Analog Vault // Essential Listening

From the grotesquery of his horrorcore beginnings to his jazz-fused alternative hip-hop evolution – Tyler, the Creator was raps poster boy for the 2010s, heralding an odd future for the genre. But it was not until his sixth album in 2019 that Tyler reached his zenith.

Spurred by a breakup (as most great music often is) and produced entirely by himself, IGORs dramatic soundscapes – leaning on neo-soul, R&B and funk influences – provide a widescreen backdrop for Tylers heartsick content. Exploring themes of jealousy, vulnerability, and compulsion, Tyler abandoned his MC roots in favour of pitch-altered singing to express this records love triangle narrative. Featuring appearances from Playboi Carti, Lil Uzi Vert, and Solange (among others), IGOR is a rewarding and revealing work by one of the 21st centurys most fascinating hip hop artists. The Analog Vault

The moods of Tyler, the Creators albums have largely been defined by absenceof his father, of critical acclaim, of love. He responded to what was missing with antagonism, album after album, until 2017 when he looked back at his life with a sunny lens and twinge of nostalgia to deliver his best work,Flower Boy. That Grammy-nominated album is eminently pleasing, the sound of an iconoclast succumbing to his better judgment. IGOR, the 28-year-olds sixth full-length, is Tyler finally content in the face of all that agony.

IGOR sounds like the work of a perfectionist giving shape to his more radical ideas. Tyler, who proudly produced, wrote, and arranged the album, is singing more but hes not worrying whether his tracks have a traditional pop arc. Songs dont build to a crescendo, they often begin there. The opening Igor’s Theme serves less as a guiding force and more like a recurring motif of doom that hides in the shadows and pops its head in at select moments, like on New Magic Wand where spooky synths erupt below Tylers thought process: I saw a photo, you looked joyous, goes one of the more poignant lines. Atop this budding dread, Tyler layers candied keys and harmonizing vocals. The brightness is defiant, as Tyler processes the loss of someone he loves. (via Pitchfork)

Tyler gives his creative exuberance free rein on an album that incorporates everything from twinkling R&B to soulful balladry.

Excuse my voice; I cant sing but I dont care because it feels good. So said Tyler, the Creator before he launched into an impassioned if tuneless rendition of See You Again on his 2017 NPR Tiny Desk concert. That song was taken from his then-newly released fourth album, Flower Boy, a bright, optimistic departure from his usual dark, introspective rap. It marked a newfound confidence in the 28-year-olds music; no longer relying on the shock tactics of earlier records like Goblin, he was refreshingly comfortable in his own skin and endearingly enthusiastic about his own work.

On the follow-up, Igor, there is a lot more singing and even more joy. Performing concerts in support of the album while dressed in a Warhol wig, shades and dazzling neon suits, Tyler cavorted all over the stage celebrating an even greater breadth to his music. His singing has improved somewhat, while his lyrics are expository and personal: in the closing lines of twinkling R&B track Earfquake, he pleads with a partner, Dont leave, its my fault, before moving on to the self-discovery of a settled breakup on Running Out of Time with the lines: You never lived in your truth / But I finally found peace, so peace.

This internal peace is crucial to the functioning of Igors genre mix. While songs rarely top the three-minute mark, jumping around from the thudding, percussive opener Igors Theme to the hook-laden I Think and A Boy Is a Guns soulful balladry, Tylers self-assuredness holds the 12 tracks together, his delivery measured and unhurried, whether left unadorned or passed through a pitch filter. Tracks either abruptly snap off like an unfinished thought or dissolve into silence. While Tyler has always been chameleonic, on Igor his restlessness feels like a conscious choice for the first time, not merely the jittering impatience of a young star looking to explore new sounds.

This confidence, and fluidity, allows him to resist being pinned down to any one identity. There was speculation over his sexuality following lyrical references on Flower Boy, which he resurrects on Igor with the line youre my favourite garon on A Boy Is a Gun, but never clarifies; his Igor tour stage costume similarly resists a simple reading. Track titles like I Dont Love You Anymore; Gone, Gone / Thank You; and Are We Still Friends? suggest this is a breakup album, but in the end the object of his lyrical references doesnt matter. It is not important to know whether Tyler is gay or straight, happy or heartbroken his appeal as a songwriter and performer is his ever-evolving exuberance.

Ultimately, Tyler sings because he wants to, regardless of how he is heard, and that self-confidence is a joy to behold on this fifth album. The angsty leader of the Odd Future collective no more, Tyler has stepped into his own identity even if you cant always make out what is going on behind the blond wig. (via The Guardian, 50 best albums of the year)

Label: Columbia
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Gatefold
Released: 2019
Genre: Hip Hop, Funk / Soul
Style: Rap, Contemporary R&B, Neo Soul

File under: TAV Essential Listening
File under: Hip Hop