Tyler, The Creator - Wolf Review
rating:3.5
Im going to start this review with a confession; I planned on doing it last weekend. Unfortunately, last weekend was Easter weekend and well, Im not a Christian but, I honourably celebrated it as best as I could; right through from Good Friday to Easter Monday its what Jesus wouldve wanted. At the time it was being streamed on the Odd Future website for free as a response to the album leaking ahead of release; a kind of damage control. Anyhow, once Id sobered up the album was out, the stream was taken down and after a few play-throughs on Spotify my listening limit ran out. So here I am reviewing the album thanks to a full-album-containingYouTube video because Im that kind of music journalist. I wouldve bought it honest but overdrafts have a limit, you know? Anyway, this has no relation to the album itself so moving swiftly on; here we are with Tyler, the Creators third solo album coming through the speakers going by the name of Wolf. Even though Odd Future continue to rise and rise it seems, in spite of patchy output on the whole, Tyler is in somewhat of a position in which he needs to prove that hes not just a whole lot of hype after Goblin which was a little underwhelming. Hes not really, any output will be lapped up by fans and piss at least someone off. BuzzBuzz.
I am a fan of Tyler and Odd Future though, so Im not just being a dick there when I say that. The album though is definitely a step in the right direction from Goblin but it still falters with some of the issues that bogged down Goblin. Packaged as a concept album of sorts, its another instalment of his therapy sessions but this time there are more alter-egos involved and a loose story throughout that sees them meet, make enemies of each other immediately, an exchange of girlfriend, summer camp and finally a murderous altercation. The story isnt really important and isnt particularly pursued through the albums individual tracks. One thing this album comes into its own with first and foremost is the production. Whereas previously Tyler had a tendency to lean on cheap sounding slightly off key synths and beats that began to become formulaic, with this album hes started to experiment in a wider pallet of sound and the beats and the tracks benefit greatly from it. IFHY for example works in dream like soft synths and strings over a steady repetitive percussion which creates an uncomfortably pleasing eeriness that adds to the tenseness of the lyrics trying to make sense of confused feelings of love combined with hate. http://youtu.be/PqQtqEMqQ4E Jamba rides on a buzz synth that has a hint of G Funk about it but twisted and a great spot by Hodgy Beats on the track. Cowboy creeps along with piano and string interludes in between film noir stylized guitar lines and Awkward carries on a similar theme of minimalism with the synth lines staying soft and surrounded with space. The album as a whole tends to dabble in a sparse, almost bare bones sound leaving the vocals take the centre stage but within that there are clear signs of development in Tylers songwriting ability, especially with structuring, and as said production technique. Whether those techniques are the brass and old school sequenced bleeps of Domo 23, the strings of Slater, the conversation skit that opens 48 or the sirens of Pigs there are signs of development and for the most part theyre improvements too. Lyrically theres a fair amount of more of the same thing. However, there are number of tracks where as far as theme goes Tyler is really coming on. Answer for example is his most honest track based around the father he never knew, who hes mentioned before but this time around he really lets out all the anger he can at him in typical obscenity laden style but expresses with sincerity the conflicting desperation of wanting to call, and hoping if he ever could that hed answer. Theres also tracks that struggle with relationships, like Awkward where Tyler sees more in a relationship and becomes obsessed, or his relationship with fan like Colossus that takes on his fans in a way that is reminiscent of Eminems Stan as he meets a fan-cum-stalker. Though at points it rings a little too familiar it is a deviation from standard shock value, crass humour and obscenities, even if it still comes across as homophobic... http://youtu.be/7FDeL7Imi7o Rusty is a key track for its tense aggression and venom spitting from Domo Genesis, Earl Sweatshirt and of course Tyler as he sounds his angriest as he rallies against all the complaints and labels sent his way by his detractors based on his lyricism, antics and the things his fans might do. Then as a gang style hype track Trashwang is all aggro and posturing but a step beyond with its messed up and changing backing track. Lone closes the album with subdued lounge jazz as Tyler expresses his loneliness, his unhappiness and his issues with himself, friends and family. Though there are some great tracks on here, the album as a whole is still patchy but there is a clear progression in the elements that make up Tyler, the Creator and the way his music sounds that show if he pushes himself he will churn out great material, whether lyrically or instrumentally/production wise. However, its whether he will push himself or if hell let himself stagnate and churn anything out because he knows he can thats the real question. Regardless some of the songs on here stand with the best hes done. Its an evolution. Lets hope theres more. P.S. I'm aware this review is ****.