Why “Don’t Tap The Glass” Is Tyler’s Best Work

9 times out of 10, I value a concept album (an album with a theme, story, etc.) more than a basic album. But, there is something about Tyler, The Creator’s new record that makes me love it even more than I should. This album is pretty much filler in terms of the cohesive story of Tyler albums circa 2017 – It really is just a collection of songs made during Tyler’s Chromokopia Tour that reflect his love for dance. But, I love it a lot more than that and I really don’t know why. So, for this entry, I want to express my love for Tyler, The Creator’s Don’t Tap The Glass and why it is more than just a normal album. 

The production on here is absolutely stellar. All songs have this inviting groove to dance, courtesy of great basslines and a variety of electronic instruments. I love the beat from “Big Poe”, with the arabic simple turning into an explosion of electronic instruments that reminds me of the Neptunes (to be honest, the whole album reminds me of Pharrell and Chad). But also, the lead synth reminds me of “SexyBack”, which wasn’t produced by The Neptunes, but instead Pharell’s cousin, Timbaland. “Ill Take Care of You” is another standout, as Tyler tries his hand at house (or at least a variation of it) with a bubbling synth line, and a Crime Mob sample used as a leadup for the beat drop, which has drums that sound like the “Amen Break”. 

Tyler has also noted the similarities between lead single “Stop Playing With Me” and another song from the record, “Don’t You Worry Baby”, as he called the ladder “‘Stop Playing With Me’ but with chords”. But, I have to say –  “Don’t You Worry Baby” is better than the lead single. Madddison McFerrin (yes, Bobby McFerrin’s daughter) does an excellent job (I love the hook and her verses), with Tyler’s production and background vocals making the song feel like a summer banger. 

Even though this album is a lot more Pop and R&B-based, there is still a pure rap song in here with the title track. And I really love it. The track is just so fun; I love Tyler’s delivery, as the way he says “bing-pow” gets me to crack up. And, the way he says “we can smell the Ozempiccccc” is just so funny. And I love the use of Too $hort’s favorite word (“Beiach”). Those pop culture references in the track kinda reminds me of Phife Dawg. Also, even though it isn’t in the song – the Homer Simpson meme dance that Tyler does to promote “Tweakin” is absolutely f**king beautiful. 

The other rap song on here is “Sucka Free” – which sounds like a reprise of his Kendrick Lamar remix “That Guy”, and it is one of my favorite songs of the year. The hook is great, and the bridge is even better. I can tell that Tyler had so much fun recording this track. And, like in the intro, I really wanna play this song with the top down and the sun beaming screaming “I’m that guy”.

But, even with all these great parts, the true highlights of this album are the R&B tracks: “Tell Me What It Is”, “Sugar On My Tongue” and “Ring Ring Ring”. “Tell Me What It Is”, which is the album closer, is a much more mellow R&B, the drums sound like they’re from Tyler’s first studio album, Goblin, but the rest of the instrumental is fleshed out with piano keys. Tyler talks about how he can never find love and that there must be traffic to his soul. “Sugar On My Tongue”, on the other hand, is a straight up banger that gives a Cameo type of vibe. I love the harmonies right before the outro, and that chorus, especially after the first verse, is beautiful. I have grooved to this song the most out of the album, but I still don;t think it is the best track on it. That honor goes to “Ring Ring Ring”, which uses the Rod Temperton bassline (If you don’t know, Rod Temperton loved a specific bassline so much that he put it into a lot of songs that he wrote. His most famous use being Micheal Jackson’s “Off The Wall”) and disco-esc drums. Many people call it a roller-skating jam, and I wholeheartedly agree – it feels like I’ve been transported to 1977; which was the exact feeling that I had when I heard “I THINK” for the first time.

A lot of people like to compare this album to GNX (a fun album made after a therapeutic one before it), but people tend to forget that Tyler can execute fun a hell of a lot better than Kendrick. I have been waiting for a fun Tyler album for years, as his personality just suits an album like Don’t Tap The Glass compared to Kendrick, who I always see as this serious guy who talks about revolutionary topics and shows the state of the world through his music. With GNX it feels odd, like this Pulitzer Prize winning rapper is saying “bee bop boom boom boom bop bam”. It just sounds wrong. Meanwhile, Don’t Tap The Glass seems like the album Tyler was destined to make: a fun dancy (is that a word?) album that expresses Tyler’s versatility and creativity.