Tyler, The Creator -Goblin

Thu 19th May, 2011 in Music Reviews

It’s been a long time coming. Goblin has dropped – the first physical release from the frontman of buzz LA rap collective OFWGKTA, a tall, skinny 20-year-old named Tyler Okonma, better known as Tyler, The Creator. His is a frustrated yet introspective voice, striking a chord with legions of depressed and angst-ridden teenagers by giving the dark thoughts locked away deep inside their minds a name and a face. His latest LP is the most hyped hip-hop release in recent memory, the culmination of over three years of mixtapes, free album downloads and one-off blog only singles, not to mention a string of infamous, incendiary and headline-grabbing live shows.

Tyler’s first album was the unreleased Stereo-Type, recorded in 2007 while he was just 16 years of age. But his first public exposure came in the form of 2009’s brilliant Bastard, a fierce, gruesome and genuinely shocking concept album where the effect of Tyler’s unrelentingly dark lyrics was amplified exponentially by the album’s slow, heavy, codeine-fuelled beats and syrup-sipping production. Bastard was full of grisly and brutally misanthropic first-person tales of rape, murder and thinly veiled threats where Tyler took on pantomime-style roles of different personas throughout, each character unified by the common thread of their depraved, violent actions, causing the album to take on the seamless flow of a dark, layered noir film.

Tyler’s gravelly, asthmatic delivery provides a unique medium of narration, drawing the listener into his warped, terrifying world. Exhibiting subtle influences ranging from jazz to synthpop, Bastard seemed like the work of someone far more mature and suggested more brilliance was on the horizon. This brings us to Goblin, a long, meandering 80 minute odyssey continuing the concept album nature of Bastard; a journey of self-discovery presented in the form of a series of stark, confessional conversations with Tyler’s fictional therapist Dr. TC.

Goblin announces its presence with a sparse, seven minute intro corresponding with that of Bastard and channeling the same relentless vitriol towards his absent father. Delving deeply into themes of alienation and abandonment in a disarmingly introspective manner, Goblin sees Tyler frankly admitting to experiencing suicidal thoughts and struggling profoundly with the pressures of fame. Break-out viral hit Yonkers comes next; its lurching, sparse beat lays down the foundation for a torrent of virulence from Tyler, who constantly simmers and threatens to explode without ever quite doing so. His performance in the accompanying film clip is also well worth watching – it is a perfect visual distillation of the macabre melodramatic undertones that permeate his music.

While Tyler’s lyrics can sometimes be perceived as empty, immature sloganeering, the sentiments on Goblin are undeniably genuine. One of Goblin’s most pivotal moments comes in the form of Her, a heart-wrenching tale of Tyler’s pursuance of a love interest from afar, his unrelenting infatuation contrasted frustrated inability to take initiative. We see Tyler at his most fragile and vulnerable, wracked with self-doubt – it is here that his emotionally damaged interior shows through most, uncovering real and undeniably human feelings beneath the hard-nosed exterior.

The subversive anthem Sandwitches, featuring another prominent OFWGKTA member, Hodgy Beats, follows, rich with chant-along hooks and provocative imagery. Fish is composed of two distinct parts, the first of which is a slow, chopped-and-screwed tale of date-rape featuring another cameo from Frank Ocean, while the second ( Boppin Bitch ) is a humorous tale of Tyler’s encounters with a prostitute during which he contracts an STD, littered with vulgar anatomical imagery.

The R&B swagger of Analog, another Hodgy Beats collaboration, is one of the record’s highlights. This is the most confident and accomplished OFWGKTA have sounded, and the resultant polished pop sound underlines the collective’s potential to master styles outside the confines of their typical ‘shock-rap’ template. The sincerity and comparative innocence of the track’s storyline, essentially a romantic lakeside escapade involving Tyler and his lover, is disarming given the subject matter of his previous output.

The electro-centric instrumental soundscape AU79 works well as a lead-in for closer Golden, a sombre, funereal journey culminating in the grand finale when Tyler launches into a poignant, expletive-laden rant against Dr. TC – it is this moment when Tyler’s character is finally stretched to breaking point.

The thematic depth, prevalence of literary and pop culture references, unnerving surrealism, self-referential witticisms and clever wordplay present throughout Goblin are testament to Tyler’s intelligence and the minimalist, down tempo production ensures that Goblin is also a resounding success. Goblin is a statement of intent from Tyler, proving that Bastard was no one off, and that his status as the most exciting young talent in the rap world is fully justified.