Tyler, The Creator has a brand new album y’all !
To the best of my ability I want to be able to present an unbiased, untouched, and unique review. I really would love to do background research on the album and share that here in the review but I’m too scared I’ll stumble upon spoilers.
In trying out new methods I will do my best to sum up each song in one sentence if possible. I’ve noticed that in my writing process once I get started I have a hard time stopping and being concise. So as a challenge I’ll stick with the singular sentence format.
A little more prefacing this review! My favorite ways to enjoy fresh albums are A) listening parties B) reviewing the music as I experience it for the first time.
So this is more of a joy to do than work for me. I hope y’all enjoy this anywhere close to how much I will.
Review:
Day 1
IGOR’S THEME
Track 1 Review:
Dark, dark is the first descriptor I would use to describe this track and now fun.
Sidenote: Oooo I can’t wait too hear the next track, it definitely has me on my toes with a mix of fear and excitement!
EARFQUAKE
Track 2: Wow the first note that hit was funky, so much yes so quickly and these synths are giving me the perfume of summer love.
Sidenote: This one sentence review is really tough lol! I want to give more thoughts, definitely more than just one haha.
I THINK
Track 3: Building on that theme of new age funk like The Internet the album seems to be morphing into the perfect companion for evening summer festival shows.
Sidenote: I have had this song on repeat about five times and I think I found that one track. Every album I try to review sends me a song that I get “stuck” on. I expect this song to be one that I always come back to after listening to this album once through.
EXACTLY WHAT YOU RUN FROM YOU END UP CHASING
Track 4: I listened to a small slice of Flower Boy earlier today in preparation for this review and heard one of his skits, these Tyler skits are a surprising joy.
Sidenote: Someone do some psychological research on the concept behind this track! I’ve heard this idea before. Maybe there’s a psychological reason for that phenomenon.
RUNNING OUT OF TIME
Track 5: This is the first track I didn’t enjoy overall, the break down at 1:30 on is when I like the song though, I guess I find it annoying in its pitch, no album is perfect!
Sidenote: I can’t recall an album that I’ve loved every song end to end. That’s a musical Liger to me, as in it only exists in fantasy or rather theory for that matter. But, it’s an unfair expectation because wouldn’t that be perfection? Perfection isn’t really a concept I cosign on for humans so, it is what it is.
NEW MAGIC WAND
Track 6: Old Tyler, The Creator potentially, hmm, but also a great raging anthem so far!
Sidenote: This is definitely another highly repeatable tracks. Good job to Tyler’s team on this joint.
A BOY IS A GUN*
Track 7: Yes, with an exclamation point, oh damn the sample in this one is a good look, number 7 honestly sounds, in one word tasty!
Sidenote: This got me me knocking my head real hard and grinning.
PUPPET
Track 8: Well, these lyrics are so sweet; much need and much want.
WHAT’S GOOD
Track 9: The mosaic of sounds is nice but overall this song is pale to some other tracks on the album, fair enough.
GONE, GONE/THANK YOU
Track 10: If this is a song dedicated to Jaden then I need two tickets aboard wherever this train is going.
Sidenote: I found a loophole and I get an extra sentence since there’s technically two songs on this track š
/THANK YOU
Just when I thought this track couldn’t get any sicker, I kept listening to these bass lines and hits.
I DON’T LOVE YOU ANYMORE
Track 11: Perfect music to play as you formulate the conclusion to this album review, take it as you want.
ARE WE STILL FRIENDS
Track 12: It took me a while to get the string leading through the middle of this album, there’s a linear progression of relationships in the song’s titles and tracks and for that I love it Tyler and crew, thank you.
In Conclusion,
I’m debating if how I want to quantify the overall album review.
Should I sum it up in one sentence, again?
Or should I put the conclusion in twelve sentences to match the tracks?
Since this piece is best summed up as a mosaic that would be a con of the singular sentence approach.
However, on the flip side a pro would be the challenge of trying to once again stuff one sentence with the emotional connection of a thousand suns into a handful of words.
This is a pro because it challenges the reviewing and writing content to level up.
Good art should challenge its consumers, although consumer doesn’t really capture how art is enjoyed.
After all the connotation of a consumer doesn’t account for what fans contribute in the form of support and feedback.
I try not to worry about what critics say too much or about album streams/sales especially since a lot of the albums I enjoy don’t reach the upper echelon of that criteria.
If one of my albums does fit that mold, wink Astroworld wink, I’m usually shocked and then rapidly disappointed which songs gets popular in the radio.
But what can you do in an industry as complex and involved as the modern music industry?
I say all of that in order to say that I think this album is a master piece and I hope I feel the same as time passes.
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