Goblin (Album)

## Covers

The regular Goblin coverThe Deluxe Edition of Goblin
## Background

After the release of *Bastard*, Tyler signed to British independent label XL Recordings and announced *Goblin* after the release of "Yonkers". Close friend and fellow Odd Future member Earl Sweatshirt was notably not featured on the album due to attending Coral Reef Academy in Samoa at the time.

## Critical Reception

*Goblin* was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 72, based on 37 reviews. Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.3 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.

Jon Dolan from *Rolling Stone* complimenting the album's "lush, left-field R&B-tinged tracks" along with its "early-Eminem evil" lyrics. David Jeffries of AllMusic commenting that "Tyler's production is as attractive as ever, contrasting his disgusting rhymes and gruff voice with subdued, sometimes serene beats that echo and creep". Brad Wete of *Entertainment Weekly* said, "Too bad Kanye—who's also a fan—already used the title last fall, because *Goblin* is one *Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy*". *Slant Magazine* critic Huw Jones praising its production and stating that "*Goblin* could well be one of the decade's most significant releases...a masterpiece for those capable of stomaching it". The reviewer Jen Long from the BBC enjoyed Tyler's lyrical "run of shock tactics reminiscent of Eminem", many strongly criticized the similarity. Joshua Errett of *Now* said that someone should have informed Tyler that "Eminem already did this 15 years ago". Louis Pattison of *NME* said, "It's an album that leaves you in no doubt that Odd Future's leader is a rare talent".

Evan Rytlewski of *The A.V. Club* said, "Brash and unwieldy as it seems on the surface, *Goblin* is a deliberately created work of art, one of the densest and most provocative statements that independent rap has produced in years". Scott Plagenhoef of *Pitchfork* said, "His fantasies and lack of filter are still huge roadblocks for many if not most listeners. They're depraved and despicable, tied in part to a long and unfortunate legacy of gangster and street rap. They're also one aspect of a larger, character-driven story—a license that we grant to visual arts, film, and literature but rarely to pop music". Max Feldman of *PopMatters* said, "It's that sort of shameful thing that would prevent us from seeing *Goblin* for what it really is: a massive spoonful of marvelous hip-hop medicine, of the most unnerving, hyperreal humour you may well ever hear". Chris Martins of *Spin* said, "Is the entire thing about 20 minutes too long? Probably. But the obvious lack of outside meddling proves that Tyler's auteur status remains intact. He is, in the parlance of our times, still swaggin'. Now maybe he can get to work on winning that Grammy". Randal Roberts from the *Los Angeles Times* commented that the album just "presses the same button that Elvis, Johnny Rotten, Chuck D and Eminem did" and after "about 50 minutes you just want Tyler, the Creator to shut the hell up".

In a 2018 interview with *GQ*, Tyler called *Goblin* "horrible". He stated that, in hindsight, he'd only keep seven tracks from the album: "Yonkers", "She", "Nightmare", "Tron Cat", "Fish", "Analog" and "AU79".