A Review of Igor by Tyler, the Creator

Album art for Igor

Reinvention is a word thrown around a lot in the music scene. An artist takes their sound and flips it in a completely different direction to attempt something different. Tyler, the Creator is one of those artists. In 2017, he dropped the critically acclaimed Flower Boy. It was a much sweeter sounding record when compared to his previous efforts. Sonically and lyrically, he took a more emotional approach. While it was still utilized, Tyler didn’t rely on his angry, edgy persona; he embraced his softer side, touching on romance, heartbreak, and even his sexuality. For his latest release, Igor, he continues this trend.

While the sound is slightly rougher than Flower Boy, it even more heavily embraces the sweet sounds of soul music, R&B, and funk. Tyler doesn’t hang up his hip hop coat entirely, though. He still raps on this thing, but it’s not his primary focus. He sings a lot on Igor, and although he’s not classically trained, his rough-around-the-edge delivery lends itself nicely to the aesthetic and story the record is trying to tell.

On this album, Tyler writes from the perspective of the titular Igor, a man with a funny blonde haircut sporting a large pair of sunglasses. Igor’s words deal with the frustration, anger, and sadness of heartbreak. Although he is a character, he feels like a tool for Tyler to express his own personal issues with the subject. You can hear Tyler putting his entire heart into each verse he sings, even on cheesier sounding tracks like “Earfquake.”

Tyler in his Igor costume for the Earfquake music video

The album is incredibly consistent and cohesive in its track order, too. Each song is placed in an order that feels like the evolution of heartbreak. Songs like “Running Out of Time” deal with Igor desperately trying to cling to what is obviously lost, while the album’s closer “Are We Still Friends?” shows acceptance that the relationship is over. It’s all very personal, and it leaves you with a feeling of familiarity. Igor is so effective because it’s so accurate; even though I don’t directly relate to the character of Igor himself, I relate to the issues he deals with on the record.

Igor is just as effective in portraying its messages and characters musically as it is lyrically. Tyler’s production is impeccable on this album. It alternates between raw and gritty to serene and beautiful, but it isn’t ever jarring. Each sound flows into the other very well. The heavy bass on “What’s Good” leads into a brief moment of light piano to finish the track off. The song after that, “Gone, Gone / Thank You” is a catchy track with pitched-up vocals and spacey synths. Despite the differences each song has, they all feel like they fit the mood and tone of the record perfectly.

There are some great features on Igor as well. The most prominent is the excellent verse Playboi Carti lends on “Earfquake.” The others are more subtle, like Kanye West’s contribution on “Puppet.” If I hadn’t looked it up after, I wouldn’t have even known it was him. I think this is a good thing; the features never distract from Tyler. He’s the focus, as he should be, since it’s his album. None of the guests distract from the album’s flow, which makes it all the more consistent.

I can fully understand why someone would be bored listening to Igor. Early fans of Tyler’s might be looking for something more bombastic like Goblin or Wolf, his first two records, while fans who came in on Flower Boy might be looking for something more like that. But Tyler is constantly evolving and changing his sound, which, I think, is the mark of a great artist. Igor is a lot more mellow than his previous releases, but it’s also his most consistent.

With two near perfect masterpieces in a row, I’m beginning to think Tyler, the Creator is an unstoppable force. Whether he’s rapping, singing, or producing, his work is unparalleled. Before this, he was known for his controversial lyrics and his angry persona, but now he is loved for what he should be known for: his ability to make incredible, lasting music.

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Dylan has been obsessed with music since he was a wee lad. For the last 25 years, he has built up a terrifying backlog of albums he claims he will get to “eventually.”

His other interests include: thinking up Dungeons & Dragons characters he never ends up playing, watching compilations of sad anime scenes, and trying to be funny.

You can find him occasionally tweeting here: @dylanproy

Bran Castle: Vampires, Royalty, and a Fairy-Tale Setting

When I vacationed with my best friend in her new home in Romania, one of the first things she asked was where would I like to visit. All I knew about Romania is that it contains the region of Transylvania, and it is home to what is commonly (and incorrectly) called “Dracula’s Castle.” Naturally, as I am a bit of a castle aficionado, that was the first place I wanted to see.

American 1st Ed. Cover of Dracula , image credit flashbak.com

Bran Castle is known as “Dracula’s Castle” in part due to its resemblance to the image on the American First Edition cover for Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula (although Stoker’s written description of Dracula’s castle is quite different), as well as because of Vlad “the Impaler,” a supposed resident. While Vlad III Dracula, the historical figure credited as one inspiration for the creation of the fictitious Dracula, hales from the same region in Romania, historians doubt that he set foot in the castle. To help boost tourism to the castle, as well as to Romania in general, the government highlighted the connection to Vlad. Today, Bran Castle includes displays on Vlad III Dracula, vampire folklore, as well as a medieval torture instruments exhibit. For the curious, one can visit the actual birthplace of Vlad in another Romanian destination, the town of Sighișoara.         

View of pond and Bran Castle, image credit S. Mason

Fairy-tale Bran Castle is nestled in picturesque mountains near Brașov. The castle grounds invite one to stroll among the trees surrounding a pretty pond in the garden below the castle’s rocky perch. A walk along the paths affords many great options for capturing Bran Castle’s exterior.  The route to the castle entrance is a bit steep, as the castle resides atop a hill. Unless it is a hectic day, one can freely stop and rest if not in the best of shape.  The actual castle entrance is up several significant steps, so it is not accessible. Persons requiring mobility devices, such as walkers or wheelchairs, should call ahead to check into accommodations. Once inside the front door, quarters are tight as visitors are guided upstairs to the first displays. The tour traverses several very narrow and steep staircases, including the creepy and claustrophobic “Secret Staircase.” The wood planking in areas also shows its age, so visitors should be careful when navigating to watch where they place their feet, especially if wearing heels.

I don’t want to spoil the tour for anyone, but I will say that of all the castles I have visited in England, Wales, Italy, and Romania, Bran Castle is one of the best maintained. It’s remarkably livable for a stone structure completed in 1388. Its habitability might be because it was a favourite retreat of Queen Marie, who ordered extensive renovations of the ageing structure between 1920 and 1930 in her desire to use the castle as a summer residence. Members of the Habsburg family currently own the property, having acquired it in May 2006 (as part of the post-Communist restoration of seized buildings to original owners), as descendants of Queen Marie’s daughter Ileana.

An example of the many fine fireplaces within Bran Castle, image credit S. Mason

Like many attractions in Romania, large numbers of souvenir booths line the entrance to the castle, some operated by moderately aggressive merchants. If choosing to purchase tickets at the castle, it is easy to miss the ticket booth amid the colourful stalls and crowds of tourists. I recommend buying tickets in advance online, as depending on when one visits, there could be long lines. I had purchased the use of an audio guide for my visit, but I was unable to locate it. Furthermore, I couldn’t find an English-speaking staff member who could point me in the right direction. While the lack of an audio guide likely caused me to miss out on some of the highlights of the tour, most of the displays had signage in English, and I found Google Translate’s real-time photo translator was quite helpful for the few times an English sign was lacking.

When in Romania, Bran Castle should be on the list of places to visit. It is a magnificent example of a medieval castle and contains some fabulous items and stories. One could drown in the sheer volume of history associated with this structure, but examining some is worth the effort. I visited in May of 2019, right as the castle was put up for sale. Does anyone have a spare $80 million or so? Bran Castle would make a lovely new home, and I promise that the English audio guides will be easy to find.

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Samantha Mason

Samantha has a love for all forms of speculative fiction across all media. Possessed of natural curiosity, Samantha enjoys learning and new experiences. Each new piece of knowledge or endeavour adds to who she is and how she sees the world. She is a firm believer that some of the most amazing experiences and events could even be in your backyard (figuratively, if not literally).

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'Dragonfly' by Leila Meacham

‘Dragonfly’ by Leila Meacham 

Amid war, young Americans are recruited by the U.S. government — each for separate reasons — to create the 'Dragonfly' group.  As a tight-knit group, they are trained at home and then dropped behind enemy lines, each with a separate task to complete. Meacham takes you through the lives of five covert operatives who are undercover and spying for the greater good, all while depicting war-torn France believably and pulling you into the novel.  

She begins the story 20 years after the war ended from the perspective of the OSS officer who brought the group together. Within the first 100 words of the novel, he discovers proof in a history book that a member of the ‘Dragonfly’ group who has been presumed dead for the past 20 years may still be alive.  This causes the officer to go back to the start, back to when he discovered the five young people who would form the group 'Dragonfly.'  Thus, the novel begins, pulling you in from page one, to see if this mysterious member is still alive. 

Meacham follows all their stories separately, showing their means of communication and the trials they face throughout the war.  She keeps you on the edge of your seat as she portrays the lives they are forced to lead and the lines they must cross to keep their identity a secret. The story is rich in historical detail, focusing on small things that help set the stage for the novel.  

 She shows the heart-wrenching beauty and delicateness of discovering friendships in a war-torn country.  Meacham depicts the unrest the Americans have to go through as they befriend Nazis and soon realize that not all are what they seem. She accurately shows her readers the struggles and horrors those who were allied spies in the war had to go through.  She explains the consequences of actions, and how someone's life is sometimes the price you have to pay for your mistakes. 

 The story is evenly paced, with significant events placed throughout the story in such a way that you're never left waiting for something interesting to happen.  Meacham creates razor-sharp tension in a city occupied by a Reich. You can see the daily drama of life under the reign of the Nazis; it may have only lasted a little more than four years but, to the occupants of the city, it felt like 1,000 years.  Meacham brings us into their lives and shows us the everyday horrors they have to endure to survive. She allows us to walk with her characters through every turn in their lives and paints a picture so strongly I felt as if I were there with them.  Through her incredible writing, she allows us to step onto the cobblestone streets of German-occupied France and walk down the blood-stained roads to see the horrors that took place there with our own eyes.  

 She writes with such emotion and clarity that I, as a reader, can see that she did her homework and researched the period she wanted to write in. She creates a world that makes us realize how horrific the war was.  There are few people who are still alive that endured German-occupied France, so when authors like Meacham write novels that bring World War II to life, it shows us how terrible it would be if another world war broke out.  It reminds us of the hatred that happened and how so many innocent people died fighting against the Nazi Regime, fighting for what is right.  She gives her readers a lot to think about when she speaks about the war, bringing us into her characters' lives and taking their happiness away time and time again. She shows how, in a single moment, your life can be changed forever.   

I highly recommend reading 'Dragonfly' by Leila Meacham.  This novel shows the trepidation of war and how normalcy fought to exist in the worst of times.  She brings France in the 1940s to life which genuinely shows her ability to create a world that so many of us in today's day and age did not live to see exist. This novel is impeccable and is a beautiful piece of historical fiction that shows the lives of those who lived in a war that threatened to endure forever. 

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Esther Jager

Esther Jager is a huge bookworm and constantly dreaming up her next place to travel to!