Tyler has never been one for traditional song structure, but on IGOR he’s like the Minotaur luring you through a maze that twists and turns around seemingly impossible corners, drawing you into the thrilling unknown.
By closing the door on the philosophies and musical approaches he used to take, Tyler discovers an open window, leading him to new, peaceful strength and mastery of his craft.
The productions are as nuanced and judiciously tricked out as they are on the previous album, adjusted to enhance all the agitation and grief, yet it's all ear candy -- spiraling synthesizers, vaguely psychedelic flourishes, and bumping drums galore. Roll down the windows, crank it, and keep the tissue on the armrest.
Tyler, The Creator’s newest effort, IGOR, demonstrates just how gifted the 28-year-old artist really is.
Within the framing of Tyler, the Creator, IGOR does feel like a triumph, the best of both worlds, a balance between the crazy kid he was and the precariously stable adult he’s still trying to become.
IGOR is easily one of the best breakup albums of the decade.
On IGOR, Tyler is at his most vulnerable and heartfelt, and it suits him perfectly.
On IGOR, Tyler showcases a more polished iteration of the hazy pop he’s been perfecting for years.
Igor is a triumph, another feather in the cap of an artist whose real aim has always been to emote, not provoke, and who has made his vulnerability an expansive palette from which to draw in an exploration of the shades and contours of his own emotional canvas.
With his sixth album ‘Igor’ Tyler again not only pushes himself, but what hip-hop should be in 2019.
In a tight but varied 39 minutes, Tyler is exploring the sonic terrain in Flower Boy with a narrative concept that, like a non-relationship, feels endless and all-encompassing, then hard not to put on repeat.
Tyler, the Creator’s sixth album is impressionistic and emotionally charged, the result of an auteur refining his style and bearing more of his soul than ever before.
Across IGOR, he achieves a happy balance by tempering his wonky song structures bordering on the surreal and dogged pursuit of synthgasms with a clear narrative arc and careful calculated swerves in tone and texture.
For the most part, Tyler has opted out of his rapping heritage, preferring pitch-altered singing vocals which will split some opinion. However, this elevated IGOR beyond the mere confines of genre, to a substantially great work of art, cementing Tyler's case as one of this decade's most essential artists.
‘IGOR’ is an accomplished and evergreen record that’s well worth putting your phone down, turning the TV off and devoting your full attention span to.
It’s an intriguing album with few dips, and it adds up to Tyler, The Creator’s best work to date.
It's the clarity of vision and production quality that called Donuts to my mind, but really IGOR is comparable to every instance good or bad where a rapper has stepped outside the box they made for themselves.
Tyler attempts to up the ante on IGOR and he succeeds to a large extent.
It’s no bad thing that Igor downplays Tyler’s indomitable personality – but the writing and execution do not quite replace what has been lost. What’s left is a fine showcase of ingenuity that too rarely burrows very far into your consciousness.
One of the things that really helped me finally understand Igor is upgrading my equipment, and viewing this album as a more mature listener. Especially upgrading my equipment tho. I have that drip. The sound of this album is rich, and the instrumentals are so pristine to my ears. They float, they sting, they slap. That alone is not what makes this such a good album though. While a couple songs feel underwhelming and kinda harsh on the ears, one thing Igor does better than most other albums like ... read more
It's weird how we disapprove of Stans for artists like Ariana Grande because they flood the reviews, but at the end of the day we are the just the same.
Anyway, we Stan Tyler the Creator and his seemingly endless creativity.
Tyler could have literally done anything with this project. Like anything. Coming straight off of Flower Boy, the album that expanded Tyler's potential from dark, distorted and demented persona to pop star in seemingly hours. So the question with this record, which had no ... read more
‘igor’ combines and parallels tyler's separate personas as tyler finds true voice through reflection. he utilizes his faults as strengths by placing these flaws at the music's forefront. this album truly captures the human condition by combining concept art, ad-libs, wide-ranging feelings, and thoughtfulness into an intelligently crafted narrative.
what sticks out, to me, are the breathing sounds placed throughout the album - which symbolically implement elements of humanism within ... read more
Idk a lot about hip-hop, it’s actually maybe the first album I sat and listened to. I thought I never heard anything from Tyler, but was surprised that I actually recognized at least a quarter of the songs on the album.
It feels to me like Kanye West 00s vibes. Great melodies with unique structures, incredible pleasant voice, every song feels unique but still in the same style. I think the songs on this album are some of my favourite hip-hop songs in recent years.
Faves - IGOR’S ... read more
I remember this album coming out in high-school and I did NOT understand the hype...
Since then, I have listened to this album several times and it just gets better every time.
Fav Track: NEW MAGIC WAND
Least Fav Track: I DON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE
1 | IGOR'S THEME 3:20 | 92 |
2 | EARFQUAKE 3:10 | 94 |
3 | I THINK 3:32 | 93 |
4 | EXACTLY WHAT YOU RUN FROM YOU END UP CHASING 0:14 | 78 |
5 | RUNNING OUT OF TIME 2:57 | 88 |
6 | NEW MAGIC WAND 3:15 | 95 |
7 | A BOY IS A GUN* 3:30 | 93 |
8 | PUPPET 2:59 | 89 |
9 | WHAT'S GOOD 3:25 | 92 |
10 | GONE, GONE / THANK YOU 6:15 | 95 |
11 | I DON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE 2:41 | 85 |
12 | ARE WE STILL FRIENDS? 4:25 | 94 |
#1 | / | Complex |
#1 | / | Les Inrocks |
#1 | / | Obscure Sound |
#1 | / | Passion of the Weiss |
#2 | / | Clash |
#2 | / | NME |
#2 | / | NOW Magazine |
#2 | / | The Needle Drop |
#3 | / | MondoSonoro |
#3 | / | Okayplayer |