While the album is a revolutionary object in that such fantastic filth was born and flourished outside the corporate - and even indie - music industry, production is about the only thing to be objective about, as everything else is polarizing and preaching to the converted. Just like on his debut mixtape, Bastard, the rapper’s fictional therapist helps tie the tracks together for a decent overall flow, and Tyler’s production is as attractive as ever, contrasting his disgusting rhymes and gruff voice with subdued, sometimes serene beats that echo and creep. He also issued a crude response to Tegan and Sara's critique on Twitter, writing. It’s just as ugly as it sounds, and when Tyler tells listeners “this ain’t horrorcore,” it’s followed by an even more ridiculous claim that you can “dig deeper” for proof, but then comes a brilliant line like “She’s the one I’m thinking of when I am beating Richard up” (“Her”), or an incredibly infectious zombie anthem (“Sandwitches”), and suddenly, this Grand Guignol called Goblin lives up to the hype. One example: Tyler, the Creator uttered one particular anti-gay epithet 213 times on 'Goblin,' according to Out.
Parents and defenders of good taste should be just as horrified because “God damn I love bitches/Especially when they just suck dick and do dishes” (“Transylvania”) is the way Tyler, the Creator rolls, coming incorrectly in a ski mask, irresponsibly rapping about rape, and with suicidal tendencies: the mindset, not the band. With social networking, video sharing, and mixtapes as their tools, Odd Future's wild mix of skateboarding culture and scatological rhymes struck a chord with the right-click-and-save crowd, who will be relieved to know that the crew’s leader delivered his aboveground debut without any sign of outside influence. 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.Released by the XL label in a one-album deal, Goblin is the first widely accessible release from the Odd Future crew, an outlandish alternative hip-hop consortium that was the epitome of underground hip in 2011. 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.