Album Review: Flying Lotus - Flamagra
It would be hard to find many artists in the modern music industry more universally respected than Steve Ellison, whose work under the name of Flying Lotus has played an important role in reshaping the development of jazz, soul, and funk throughout the past decade. His signature blend of these influences with the stylings of IDM and glitch hop, itself influenced by the work of legends like J Dilla and Madlib, has gone on to lay the groundwork for a new generation of underground talent, and a resurgence of such sounds in hip-hop. The heavy delays between Flying Lotus albums maintain his aura of grandeur almost as well as the actual music; still, despite Flamagra marking the end of a substantial hiatus, its scope clearly pales in comparison to the eerie electronics of 2010's Cosmogramma or the elegant splendor of 2014's You're Dead!. That it still feels so complete, despite its instances of letdown, is a testament to the man's creativity, still so sharp after a five-year drought.
Following in the footsteps of You're Dead! and its star-studded cast of guests, Flamagra employs a variety of the industry's most talented artists, interspersed between shorter digressions and longer, heavily layered solo odysseys. Established collaborators such as George Clinton and Thundercat lend their similarly jazz-influenced talents alongside R&B singer Solange, acclaimed hip-hop duo Shabazz Palaces, neo-soul connoisseur Anderson .Paak, and many more. Among the more surprising collaborators is rap up-and-comer Denzel Curry, who bemoans his bitter, tragic past on Black Balloons Reprise, a sequel to a song off of his 2018 masterpiece TA13OO: "Inside my battered mind, I have visions of bein' broke/A broken man writin' words of wisdom inside these notes". Oddest of all, though, is the appearance of director David Lynch, who uses the first half of Fire Is Coming to tell a haunting story of an engulfing, inevitable storm of flame devouring a suburban neighborhood. The effect is disarming, to say the least, and an effective distraction from the album's otherwise pleasant mood.
The most intimidating facet of Flamagra, however is its length; running over an hour and comprised of a staggering twenty-seven tracks. With such a breadth of material, the repeated missteps throughout were almost inevitable; though the occasional shorter, interlude-like track would be acceptable, that so many of the cuts here are nearly as pointless as the inane Pilgrim Side Eye or the lethargic Capillaries is disappointing. Surprisingly, not even Flying Lotus' guests are immune, with Tierra Whack constantly walking the line between quirky and irritating on Yellow Belly and Little Dragon feeling at odds with the intense groove of Spontaneous. Burning Down The House with George Clinton attempts to recreate the off-kilter funk of a classic Talking Heads song, yet succeeds only in reminding the listener of how essential David Byrne's presence was to that band's success. Even when the instrumentals supporting these features are capable, there is only so much they can do to alleviate the disjointed crooning faltering in the foreground.
As a consequence of amassing so many quick, succinct tracks, the record's best moments are often over just as soon as they arrive, with Flying Lotus proving reluctant to develop any idea or melody for more than a minute or two. The shorter bursts of brilliance are still appealing, but compared to his previous work, which felt atmospheric and cohesive yet had more than its share of standout tracks, even amusing cuts like Andromeda or All Spies are hardly worth revisiting on their own merits. One of the few notable examples of a well-executed idea is Takashi, easily the longest track here that nevertheless maintains its whimsical, funk-heavy energy for all six minutes of its runtime. Building from an initially delicate funk melody, the amalgamation of moody synths, a blaring organ, carefully plucked bass, and countless other layers is perpetually hypnotic, all while the percussion alternates its speed and rhythms in tune with the rest of the composition. With so few songs displaying this level of ambition, those that do take any daring risks come off that much better for it.
As effectively as Flying Lotus has blurred the lines between genres on his past work, Flamagra seems to take this approach for granted, indebted to its influences where its predecessors were courageous enough to establish a distinct sound of their own. Shorter digressions and blatant imitations comprise much of the album's offerings; still, when Flying Lotus manages to break free of this formula, the results are as inspired and innovative as his past work, and as whole there is little reason to feel truly skeptical of any future projects. That Flamagra will likely not be remembered and revered in the same fashion as a Cosmogramma or a Los Angeles is unfortunate, but as an experience by itself, its charm is still readily apparent.
6.5/10
Favourite Tracks: More, Takashi, Actually Virtual
https://open.spotify.com/album/2oDoWhkGhElQJm6jD8uMOB