Review: Flying Lotus – “You’re Dead!”

 
 
 

Flying Lotus
You’re Dead!

Warp Records – October 7th 2014
By Joshua Khan (@blaremag)
Find it at: iTunes | Insound | Amazon

 

8.5




Spare the world your adjectives: Steven Ellison is a reincarnation of Bob Ross. On his fifth album as Flying Lotus, the L.A.-based producer retreats to his comfort zone, which in the case of You’re Dead!, happens to be an explicit look into the impending nature of death and the fear and confusion that follows. There’s no Grim Reaper or Crypt Keeper, but in the corners of the LP’s play-on-sound, Herbie Hancock assists a disorientating tumble into the dark (“Tesla”); Thundercat greens out on high-speed bursts of lush effects and drum foreplay (“Fkn Dead”, “Turkey Dog Coma”); and if Brendan Small isn’t noodling something delirious, Kendrick Lamar is analyzing the life beyond his own life (“Never Catch Me”) while Snoop Dogg rides shotgun, faded on the idea of death being inevitable (“Dead Man’s Tetris”). The playground FlyLo has built is full of charismatic POVs but in the vein of Ross, there’s a deeper meaning to it all as You’re Dead! is splattered with short cutaways that pull you into the afterlife with cold, dead jazz hands.

Listen: “Coronus, The Terminator”, “Moment Of Hesitation”, “Siren Song” || Watch: “Never Catch Me”

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