It's hard not to link
Tyler, The Creator's effort
Cherry Bomb to
Earl Sweatshirt's 2015 LP
I Don't Like Shit, since these
Odd Future-related albums were released less than a month apart; plus, they were both digitally leaked ahead of their official street date.
Earl's leak got the wealth of attention, and being the more lean and purposeful machine, it was deserved, but
Tyler's long-playing drop is still a joyful noise, kicking with plenty of kinetic energy and coming on strong with an unforgiving OCD attitude that just won't quit. The most beautiful, and meaningless, manifestation of this attitude is the way the smooth and jazzy "Find Your Wings" segues into the drill 'n' bass title track, as muted trumpets, xylophones, crunching guitars, and
Atari Teenage Riot-styled compression all fly by like the creepy albums
Bastard (2009) and
Goblin (2011) never happened. Sillier still, "The Brown Stains of Darkeese Latifah Pts. 6-12 (Remix)" pops and locks with some added
Ying Yang Twins flavor; then there's the wild experience of
Kanye West ("Richer than white people with black kids") and
Lil Wayne ("Son you need Jesus/But I hear he left Sunset, to go on tour with Yeezus") mixing with
Tyler acting as unforgiving as ever ("Like a HIV victim, nobody F'n with me"). Lyrically, shock tactics and the rapper's returning paranoia mix with some positive vibes and '60s-flavored pop songs (check "Okaga, CA" for proof), and yet, this one could be seen as fractured to a fault. Returning customers who like
Tyler the ringleader, or
Tyler the producer, will find this to be too much of a good thing, and can embrace the free-form
Cherry Bomb as another freaky trip worth taking. ~ David Jeffries
