This isn’t just special pleading Cherry Bomb really does take close attention to really enjoy. Logistically, promotionally, and artistically, batch releasing has clear benefits. Recommended: The Vietnam War, as Seen by the Victors LISTEN TO IT FOR A WHILE.” Elsewhere in his Twitter feed, he says that though physical copies of the album won't be available for weeks, fans should buy it on iTunes ("fuck streaming"). Later, after a semi-surprise release on iTunes and streaming sites and with no advanced listens made available to press, he chided the Internet rapid-response machine that developed precisely in response to releases like his: “ALBUM BEEN OUT FOR 30 HOURS HOW THE FUCK CAN YOU REVIEW IT.
TYLER THE CREATOR WOLF ALBUM ART PARODY HOW TO
IN YOUR ROOM OR CAR RIDE.” That’s Tyler on Twitter, telling fans how to consume Cherry Bomb. On Monday, he released his fourth album, Cherry Bomb, the ultimate old-school listening experience from the ultimate Internet brat. In the years since they emerged on the scene, the critical excitement has died down but Tyler's young fan base has grown and become more fervent. Tyler, the Creator’s debut one, Bastard-15 songs held together by an ongoing dialogue between the rapper and his therapist (played by Tyler)-turned out to be a landmark of rap in the new millennium. But they also released, and still do release, full-fledged albums. Many of Odd Future's songs came out in mixtape-like compilations, posted to blogs. In their lyrics and in their fame, they felt like a digital-era first: comments-section trolls come to life, made popular at the speed of tweets. On Tumblr and YouTube, the mostly teenage clan of Southern Californians posted raucous yet intoxicating songs whose lyrics often featured fantasies about rape and murder-and were rewarded with The New York Timeswriteups, a Comedy Central series, and endorsements from Eminem and Kanye West. But perhaps the most surprising sign of the album's health came this week from Tyler, the Creator, a 24-year-old provocateur who theoretically should have no fealty to old ways of doing things.Īnyone terrified of the Internet’s effect on music, or on the minds of young people, got their perfect bogeyman back in 2010 with the arrival of the Tyler's hip-hop collective Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, or Odd Future for short. There was Taylor Swift, who wrote a love letter to the album in The Wall Street Journal and then pulled 1989 from streaming sites that made it available for free. There was Beyoncé's hugely successful self-titled record in late 2013, released at once without warning, with a music video for every track. And despite careering from one alter ego to the next and touching on everything from his absent father on “Answer” to the art of making campfire s’mores on the seven-minute “Partyisntover /Campfire /Bimmer,” there’s a broad vision and deft execution that holds things together much better than on “Goblin.The Golden Age of Streaming Music Is Already OverĪnd yet: Albums, really album-y albums-with careful sequencing, integral cover art, and recurring themes-keep getting made. That doesn’t mean Tyler has lost the ability to surprise: Consider the decision to sandwich the incendiary “Trashwang” in between dabbling in rap-less electronic jazz fantasy on “Treehome95” and “Rusty,” where he addresses critics, fans, and himself in one showstopping two-minute verse (“Look at the article that says my subject matter is wrong, saying I hate gays even though Frank is on 10 of my songs,” he volleys back). The gleefully violent and homophobic imagery from his 2011 album, “Goblin,” stole most of the headlines and launched him to infamy, and they occasionally turn up on his new LP, “Wolf,” but if you’ve made your peace with his artistry, the rewards are considerable. Tyler, the Creator is starting to lose his shock value, and not a moment too soon.