Though Tyler has not given any particular reason for the album’s name, it is most likely to make reference to the conventional character Igor, a hunchbacked assistant endemic in various Gothic horror stories. The album was voted the Genius community’s Best Album of 2019, surpassing Ariana Grande’s thank u, next and Billie Eilish’s WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? Every song on here has a place even songs like RUNNING OUT OF TIME which I don't even really like that much (reason for score). Haydn’s Sinfonia concertante follows with its quartet of first-class soloists that include the astringent but exciting violinist Georges Alès. Interlude/Boyfriend: I have this album on cd, so when i hear this song I bop like crazy, but I haven't listened enough times to dissect.

Tyler, The Creator – Igor (2019, CD) - Discogs

I've finished a mini-review of it to include in the next super duper ultra magnificent review explosion, whenever that is. Debts to Bach abound, starting at the very beginning with the “white-note” C major Prelude, alongside both oblique and explicit references to Shostakovich’s own works, including the 10th Symphony, which he was working on at the same time. Igor debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 165,000 album-equivalent units, of which 74,000 were pure album sales. While also perfectly illustrating the turning point where igors dark side starts to show itself, and overcome his care for his love interest. All I ask is that you listen to the album completely through multiple times (ideally at least five to ten times if you can) before writing your review.

This theme continues, with the instrumental samples and vocals crowded in static and fuzz, while more modern sounding synths and pitched vocals wind their way across the track. Tyler, who proudly produced, wrote, and arranged the album, is singing more but he’s not worrying whether his tracks have a traditional pop arc. Combined with the Kanye West–assisted “Puppet,” these tracks in their varied tone and tempo reflect the volatility of Tyler’s emotions across Igor.

Tyler, The Creator – Igor (2019, Blue Cover, CD) - Discogs

Levit’s recording of the Passacaglia, just as magnificent as it was live, is paired with Shostakovich’s equally epic set of 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op 87. I think this track also shows the awesome bass throughout the album, especially in the latter half of the album. It reminds me of Solange’s When I Get Home or King Krule’s The Ooz, albums that succeed in communicating mood as their own sense of logic. In May 2019, Levit’s performance of Stevenson’s Passacaglia on DSCH in London’s Wigmore Hall prompted the Guardian to opine that it was unlikely that the work “has ever been played better”.I do think that Tyler has evolved as an artist and a person, with following Kanye's producer-rapper motif. Despite winning Best Rap Album at the 2020 Grammy Awards, Tyler has affirmed that Igor should be considered a pop album, and criticized the Grammys' choice to place him in the Rap and Urban categories as being racially motivated and a "backhanded compliment". The section where the drums drop out and the vocals harmonise over the piano chords hits so hard, the voices almost meld into each other and they’re such a perfect intro to the soul elements, along with the closing fuzzy synth section, which in turn introduces the albums more distorted elements. The song cuts off seemingly out of nowhere, at a depressing lull in mood, where Igor ceases to speak at all.

Tyler, The Creator - IGOR Lyrics and Tracklist | Genius

The arrival of Igor serves as a reset for the strong romantic emotions Tyler was entangled in during the album's first half.Well, they may be, but at least on "Igor" Tyler shows more of his rapping chops than on "Flower Boy" - which to me was a disparaging left turn for one of hip-hop's most poignant voices today. BEFORE WE GET FURTHER INTO THIS, I'D LIKE YOU GUYS TO KNOW THAT ME WRITING IN ALL CAPS DOESN'T MEAN I'M PISSED OFF.

Igor Album Review | Pitchfork Tyler, the Creator: Igor Album Review | Pitchfork

When Levit performed Shostakovich’s Twenty-Four Preludes and Fugues for the first time at the 2017 Salzburg Festival, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung described the occasion as a “major event in the musical world”. In the physical track list, “BOYFRIEND” takes the place of the 14-second spoken interlude “EXACTLY WHAT YOU RUN FROM YOU END UP CHASING. As Tyler grapples with uncertainty and unfulfillment, he delivers an album that feels like it is suspended in midair.

BOYFRIEND” essentially serves (sort of) as a clarification tool in IGOR’s narrative, yet now that it’s there, the story loses some of its mystique. Igor Levit’s new double album Fantasia features a wide range of works spanning a period of almost two centuries from 1720 to 1910 and showcases key compositions by Franz Liszt, Ferruccio Busoni, Johann Sebastian Bach and Alban Berg.