He's online constantly, forging a unique bond with his listeners, and is probably right now shouting down this and other Goblin reviews. To his core fans, Tyler is accessible and approachable, and not just on record. It's the work of someone trying to figure out the world around him and his place within it, someone who often doesn't like the conclusions he's drawing. Goblin is at its best when Tyler sounds isolated, frightened, and confused. His takes on slash-and-burn, knucklehead rap- especially the 'kill people, burn shit, fuck school' refrain of 'Radicals'- is particularly cringe-worthy stock phrases shouted with no larger purpose. Yet while each of those artists gave a multi-layered voice to specific disenfranchised groups, Tyler sounds underdeveloped when he attempts to articulate for anyone other than himself. From the Stooges to Sex Pistols to NWA to Eminem, telling the world to fuck itself can be a compelling, even meaningful or necessary expression. Instead, his primary mode of thought is negation. Of course, Tyler isn't interested in the political questions that drove many of his indie-rap forbearers. (Fittingly, it comes via XL Records, the imprint that last decade signed Dizzee Rascal, another culturally omnivorous, incredibly hyped teen rapper and producer who added a new wrinkle to independent hip-hop.) In another world, before the Internet was the music industry's central delivery system, that might have been the limit of Goblin's reach- it could have been a well-received indie hip-hop record to place alongside releases on Def Jux or Anticon. With hindsight, then, it makes sense that the rise of Odd Future started in the avant UK music mag The Wire, which a decade ago was putting leftfield rap groups like cLOUDDEAD and Anti-Pop Consortium on its cover. It's a purist's record, leaning on inventive production and Tyler's flow and meter. It features almost nothing that counts as a chorus, making few gestures to the mainstream. Musically, Goblin is essentially a turn-of-the-millennium indie rap record- abstract, difficult for outsiders to locate a way in to, and bled completely of anything that resembles pop. It's also uncomfortable and brave- a brutal but honest look at Tyler's image of himself. Where Bastard was more accessible and inviting, this album is bleak, long, monolithic, and can be a slog to get through. Instead, it's a natural sequel to Bastard- a dark, insular indie-rap album. Goblin does not sound like a record made by the goofy, smiling kid with the pulled-up tube socks riding Jimmy Fallon's back. But while that might have been the hope for a lot of those industry co-signers, or even a lot of listeners, it's clearly not Tyler's intention. There are a lot of expectations placed on Goblin, namely, that it will serve as a potential crossover.

Odd Future have earned so much attention so quickly that Tyler, the Creator kicks off his second solo release, Goblin, venting to his therapist about fame, message boards, critics, hype, expectations, media scrutiny, and being a role model- before selling a single album. While critics have attempted to square Tyler's talent with the frequent mentions of rape and murder in his rhymes (Sean Fennessey wrote a piece for Pitchfork early on, and this blog post by Pitchfork contributor Nitsuh Abebe is also essential), fans have pushed his number of Twitter followers well into six figures. And between he and Hodgy Beats' performance on 'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon' and his excellent 'Yonkers' single and video, the industry noticed, too: Billboard put OFWGKTA on their cover, a major label secured them to a record deal, and Diddy, Kanye, and Jay-Z all showed interest.

It was one of Odd Future's early catalysts, and along with 16-year-old Earl Sweatshirt's Earl and the OFWGKTA mixtape Radical, it's one of three underground classics in their pocket. Lots of people have been noticing OFWGKTA lately, though, and no wonder: They're new and exciting and divisive and youthful, a magnet for controversy and commentary, and near-perfect think-piece-generating machines- due in part to the brutality and stomach-turning sexual violence of their raps. At the fore of OFWGKTA's 10-member army is Tyler, the Creator, whose feral stage presence, distinctive growl, and misanthropic lyrics have won the group a legion of obstinate followers. His 2009 debut, Bastard, with its lush, Neptunes-inspired productions and starkly confessional subject matter, is a transgressive, creative burst of anxiety and absurdity.

Tyler the creator goblin tracklist