Tyler has Creator-ed his own style. Although his sophomore album “Wolf” and previous work “Goblin” were both released under a major record label, Tyler has mastered the modern day technique of independent publicity. Only expanding upon the social networking and public image practices that made 2009 mixtape “Bastard” a recognized hip-hop recording, he has risen to an individual pinnacle of respect and infamy in the music community.

As leader of hip-hop collective Odd Future, Tyler, The Creator has taken notable influences from his peers. “Wolf” continues the conceptual accounts previously narrated in “Bastard,” “Goblin” and other Odd Future recordings – it is a chronicle of violence, misogyny and obscenity featuring the practically schizophrenic alter-egos he has established as characters. This time around, though, “Wolf” takes the illustrative creativity in a very different direction, one that could be described as “matured,” whether accurate or not.

Tyler’s focus has swayed significantly from lyrical flow and structure to production technique, while still retaining an accomplished grasp on both. Showing off the lessons he’s learned from releases by colleagues such as Frank Ocean and MellowHype, “Wolf” is an elegantly composed work. The complexities put to witty storytelling on introduction track “Wolf” set a celebratory tone for Tyler’s return. The cadence variation present in upbeat tracks “Domo23” and “Trashwang” lead the album in stirring new directions.

As empirically concerned as he may sound, though, Tyler creates ghosts in his own machine through his ambitious production. The use of guest appearances is erratically reliable, giving many artists, from Earl Sweatshirt to Pharrell, time to shine brightly in the limelight, and leaving others, such as Nas and Casey Veggies, with a needed query as to why they were there. Various cuts, notably later tracks “Treehome95” and “Tamale,” are remarkably constructed, yet structurally feel out of place, if not unnecessary to the album overall.

“Wolf” is unlikely to give Tyler many new fans. The rapidly expanding fan base from Tyler’s previous era, featuring “Goblin,” will leave with a familiar reverence. But since the commotion has settled, others have enough comparison material to see if Tyler truly has evolved as an artist. The answer is unclear.

“Maturity” is a term generally handed out to those who learn to lose their youthful tendencies. The teen angst on “Pigs” retains the hostility and bleakness from previous work. “Slater,” an odd bicycle-themed rambling of Tyler’s inner consciousness, is an earlier example of valuing tracks for their general quality over their purposeful placement in the album. Both retain a depressive pessimism now a trademark of Tyler’s performance, but with a notable growth. Part his expansion on production, part his progressed placement of energy, “Wolf” works, however dysfunctional it may be.

At points, Tyler sounds more lyrically passionate and controlled than ever before, ironically rooted in therapeutic layers of mental anguish. Various tracks respond to the struggle and misunderstandings of his relationship with his family, whether as openly vulnerable as “Answer” or as controlling as concluding track “Lone.” “Rusty,” though profane and ridden with dark stories, highlights the intense strain on Tyler’s life and fame with meaningful tenacity.

Tyler, as troublingly distressed as he may seem, relies on his position among his peers. Maniacal criticism “Colossus” channels the pressure of fame and popularity in a form eerily reminiscent of Eminem, suggesting Tyler’s developing grasp on his status. Among the insecurities and rants, Tyler is transitioning. His focus on lyrical honesty is not lost, but, coupled with the understanding of how his music works, it makes for a remarkable story.

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