Fans of alternative hip-hop rejoice. Cherry Bomb has arrived. With very little notice, the young leader of Odd Future released his fourth studio album titled Cherry Bomb on April 13th, 2015. Heavily influenced by RnB and jazz, this album pushes the boundaries of what defines music and halfway through may make you reconsider why you even put it on in the first place.At first, Cherry Bomb is an obscure, harsh listen. Unconventional production choices. Overkill bass, and sharp highs. Heavily multilayered songs with instruments that sonically clash. In some songs, the beats overtake the lyrics. As a fan of and hardcore music, this usually isn't a problem for me. I could feel inside myself that I didn't want the whole album to sound like this. I had a hard time getting over this feeling until I found some relief in the song "Find Your Wings". It was complete 180 from the first three tracks and genuinely sounded like a smooth jazz song from the 70s. It was a beautiful contrast, that made me feel warm comfortable after coming in from a harsh, cold soundscape. But alas, the next the title track "Cherry Bomb" flipped the script all over again. But, it was one of the most interesting songs I've ever heard. I compare it to a performance by the band Tool. The singer stands in the back of the group and doesn't face the audience. The entire song sounds like the track was mixed way to loud. Every instrument is clipping and the beats take all the attention away from the lyrics. I've never heard anything like this before and it was quite remarkable. I absolutely love the randomness of the radio intro "Call one-nine-one" at the end.For old Tyler fans, "The Brown Stains of Darkeese Latifah Part 6-12 Remix" is the closest you are going to get to the Goblin or Bastard sound.Moving on, I thought the album ended stronger than it began. "Fucking Young/Perfect", is a nice mix of the new and old style of his music. "Smuckers" is another cool track. Pay attention to how Wanye's verse weaves in and out from Tyler and Kanye's.I thought Cherry Bomb's beautifully contrasting musical themes made for an interesting listen. It is encompassed with intensely creative lyrics and I truly appreciate Tyler's artistry and ability to make music according to his taste and nobody else's. Sometimes you just don't know why things sound appealing, yet they just do. This was the how I felt about Cherry Bomb. As individual songs, they sound disorienting and off putting, but as a whole it felt better.
