Igor Song List

[Orestes Hardy]

Musicjournalists have noted that Igor continues to build on the hip hop and neo soul sound established in Flower Boy, while also incorporating R&B and funk influences. Critics have noted the album's use of synthesizers and lo-fi vocals. Thematically, Igor follows a narrative of a love triangle between the titular character and his male love interest. The album employs the "Igor" literary archetype to explore themes associated with love, such as heartbreak, loss, and jealousy.

To help market the album, Tyler, the Creator released the single "Earfquake", which reached number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming his highest-charting single. In its first week of release, Igor debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, moving 165,000 album-equivalent units and becoming Tyler, the Creator's first US number-one album. It was a widespread critical success, being named among the best albums of 2019 in many publications' year-end lists, and it won Best Rap Album at the 2020 Grammy Awards, becoming Tyler's first Grammy win.

Work on the album began in 2017, with Tyler initially writing the song "Earfquake" for Canadian singer Justin Bieber and Barbadian singer Rihanna, who both turned down the song.[4] The song "I Think" was recorded in Lake Como, Italy with the help of American singer Solange. Tyler wrote "Running Out of Time" while taking a break from a recording session with American rapper ASAP Ferg, feeling reassured after Kendrick Lamar told Tyler he appreciated his singing.[4][5] Tyler produced the beat for "Gone, Gone / Thank You" in 2013 while on tour for his second studio album Wolf, choosing to scrap the song from both Cherry Bomb and Flower Boy since he felt it didn't fit either of those albums.[4]

In an interview with Fantastic Man for their Autumn and Winter 2018 issue, Tyler was asked if he had ever been in love, to which he replied: "I don't want to talk about that. Um, that's the next record."[6] In October 2018, Tyler previewed the song "Running Out of Time" for an interview with Fast Company.[7]

On April 26, 2019, a supplemental financial report from Sony revealed that a new album from Tyler was expected by the end of June.[8] In early May 2019, Tyler released snippets for the tracks "Igor's Theme" and "What's Good".[9] The album was first announced by Tyler through his social media accounts on May 6, 2019.[10]

The album follows a narrative of a love triangle where Tyler is in love with a man who is also dating a woman who is pulling him away from Tyler.[11] American comedian Jerrod Carmichael serves as the album's narrator as it progresses, speaking short lines to make sense of Tyler's and the title character Igor's state of mind. Carmichael first appears on the album's fourth track "Exactly What You Run from You End Up Chasing".[11]

The character Igor is mentioned by name on the tracks "Igor's Theme" and "What's Good". Igor follows the Gothic "Igor" archetype as a villain's assistant and represents a darker, apathetic side of Tyler that is revealed. Igor arrives after Tyler pours out all of his heart for his love interest, though his love interest remains focused on his ex-girlfriend. The arrival of Igor serves as a reset for the strong romantic emotions Tyler was entangled in during the album's first half.[11][12]

A music video for the song, "Earfquake", was released alongside the album's release on May 17, 2019.[13] It was sent to rhythmic contemporary radio on June 4, 2019, as the album's lead single in the United States.[14] On June 3, 2019, Tyler announced his forthcoming tour for the album, which was supported by Jaden Smith, Blood Orange, and GoldLink.[15]

A short clip of the album's seventh track, entitled "A Boy is a Gun*" was released on May 13, 2019.[16] The full music video for the song was released on September 16, 2019.[17] On October 24, 2019, a music video was released for the album's third track, "I Think".[18]

Igor was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 81, based on 18 reviews.[21] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.9 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[20]

Roisin O'Connor of The Independent gave a positive review, stating "The production here is superb. 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. ... This is Tyler's best work to date".[26] Andy Kellman of AllMusic said, "Tyler and a motorcade's worth of supporting vocalists fulfill the promise and threat with what plays out, a creatively vital and emotionally heartsick set with as much pain, vulnerability, and compulsion as a classic soul LP".[22] Danial Spielberger of HipHopDX saying "On IGOR, Tyler showcases a more polished iteration of the hazy pop he's been perfecting for years. Though some might be disappointed that he's becoming more of a singer than a rapper, this is the kind of project that should encourage more artists to disavow labels and relish in taking risks".[25] Rolling Stone critic Danny Schwartz said, "Igor is a heartfelt album that finds Tyler lowering his guard and revealing himself to be a shape-shifting artist who is still growing, and who has fully shed his skin as a vulgar internet cowboy".[2] Sam Moore of NME stated: "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."[28] Clash's Nick Roseblade wrote, "The trademark visceral beats, scathing lyrics and the general feeling of anger and aggression that peppered his previous albums have been replaced with slower beats and irresistible soul hooks. At first this change in tone, and pace, is jarring and you are waiting for it to kick off, but as the album progresses you get into it and dig this new Tyler".[1]

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".[44]

for me it was very accessible upon the first listen. but as I delved deeper I found all of its intricacies to be fascinating. for some people, it might take time to grow on them, but I think the small details are what really makes "IGOR" great (I also think you should listen to "Flower Boy," "Yeezus," and "The Life Of Pablo" as well; the former for a bit more context about this part of Tyler's career, and the latter two to understand how the same narrative tools have previously been used in music). I'm sure "IGOR" will eventually click for you. If there are a few highlight songs to focus on, they'd be "GONE, GONE / THANK YOU," "A BOY IS A GUN," and "ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?".

still haven't listened to the Jack Oblivion album myself - it's on my "to do" list. right now I have to focus on reviewing BROCKHAMPTON, Lana Del Rey, Tool, Olivia Jean, and a few other things (meaning, like, 10 albums). so yeah, stay tuned for reviews of at least some of those.

bro for real? You commented about the amazon rainforest to an article about a bonus track that is in one of the best albums I have ever heard! Not only is this a music website but this is an article about the fact that something has changed since the last article has come out. Time for you to put things into perspective, Mr. L.

Not a fan.

SOME PEOPLE IN HERE ARE QUESTIONING WHY I HAD TO WRITE A THIRD PIECE ABOUT "IGOR," THINKING THAT I'M JUST PUSHING IT ON READERS AS HARD AS I CAN AND THAT I JUST CAN'T SEEM TO SHUT UP ABOUT HOW GREAT THIS ALBUM IS..

SO YES, I DO REALLY LOVE THIS ALBUM. IN FACT, I THINK IT'S AMONG THE GREATEST ALBUMS OF ALL TIME. FOR CONTEXT, HERE ARE MY TOP 4 ALBUMS OF ALL TIME (FROM 4 TO 1; TOP 2-3 CAN BE INTERCHANGEABLE AT TIMES):

SINCE "IGOR" IS A NARRATIVE PIECE, A CHANGE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT MEANS A LOT. IMAGINE IF THIS WAS A MOVIE AND THERE WAS A VITAL SCENE SUDDENLY ADDED IN THE MIDDLE AFTER YOU ALREADY SAW IT IN THEATRES SEVERAL TIMES. THIS IS THE SAME THING.

AND NO, I'M NOT DONE WRITING ABOUT "IGOR" YET. BUT MY NEXT TASK IS REVIEWING NEW ALBUMS FROM BROCKHAMPTON, LANA DEL REY, TOOL, OLIVIA JEAN, AND OTHERS, SO YOU'LL GET A BREAK FROM ALL THIS "IGOR" DISCUSSION FOR A SOLID MONTH.

When I first saw blackstar I thought you meant the Talib keeling/Mos def album Black Star. Have you spent some time with 90s hip hop? Tribe, Pharcyde, Jungle Brothers, Digable planets, etc etc? I got into jazz through albums like Low End Theory and lots of others.

Unrelated to IGOR, but I'm very glad to hear that you'll be reviewing the new Tool album. Of course, it's also not available on vinyl yet (and hasn't received a vinyl release announcement at all as of this moment). I've only listened to it twice through so far and already feel it's one of my top 10 albums of all time (their earlier album Lateralus is #1 for me). 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. Looking forward to it!

I've finished a mini-review of it to include in the next super duper ultra magnificent review explosion, whenever that is. thought the album was ok, not as impressive as Tool's earlier work, kinda boring at times, but overall decent (tho looooooooooooooong af). so it's getting a decent review but not a glowing one.

If you listened to Tyler, the Creator's Igor album, leave your review by ranking all the songs from best to worst. The fifth studio album from the alternative hip hop artist features singles, like "Earfquake" and "Puppet," and collaborations with Kanye West, ASAP Rocky, Playboi Carti, Frank Ocean, and Pharrell Williams. This votable tracklist includes song names, featured artists, and music videos. What are the best songs on Igor?

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