Flying Lotus – “Big Mama” review

Flying Lotus is a 42 year old producer, DJ, rapper, songwriter & filmmaker from Los Angeles, California who made his debut 2 decades earlier with the positively received 1983. He would later sign to Warp Records, dropping a string of acclaimed follow-ups from Los Angeles & Cosmogramma to Until the Quiet Comes & You’re Dead! throughout the course of my adolescence. Of course I’d be remised to forget the underrated DU∆LITY mixtape he dropped under the Captain Murphy alias. Flamagra in the spring of 2019 was the last time we heard FlyLo secularly, coming off the Yasuke & Ash soundtracks to drop his 7th extended play through his own label Brainfeeder Records in tandem with Ninja Tune.

The title track begins with this 36 second intro that will likely be used during an [adult swim] bumper at some point within the near future whereas “Captain Kernel” goes for a glitchier vibe instrumentally working in some additional synthesizers. “Antelope Onigri” throws it back to the IDM sound that defined Los Angeles & Cosmogramma over a decade earlier leading into “In the Forest: Day” hooking up some psychedelic synth melodies that feel like an acid trip.

“Brobobasher” continues the final leg of Big Mama blending elements of drum & bass as well as glitch and house music for almost a couple minutes while “Horse Nuke” starts off by heading for an ambient direction for the opening minute or so until combining IDM, wonky & techno for the remaining 102 seconds. “Pink Dream” however sends off the EP by cooking up an animated beat that would remind some people of the 3rd generation of video games 4 decades earlier.

Considering that he’s signed a handful of artists I’ve liked in the past such as Kamasi Washington or Hiatus Kaiyote & Thundercat, it makes me happy to hear Flying Lotus making an independent return to his electronic roots over the course of Big Mama’s brief runtime & only a month away from Distracted. His production takes an experimentally maximalist approach to IDM, glitch hop, wonky, glitch, nu jazz, ambient, chiptune, drum & bass & techno almost like a machine malfunctioning right in front of our very eyes.

Score: 4/5

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Ami Taf Ra – “The Prophet & The Madman” review

Moroccan born albeit Los Angeles, California raised singer/songwriter Ami Taf Ra making her full-length studio debut. Her husband Kamari Washington has become the most revered saxophonist of the past decade, dropping the crown jewel of Brainfeeder Records’ entire catalog with The Epic during my senior year of high school. However, she’s signing to Flying Lotus’ independent imprint distributed by Ninja Tune herself & introducing the world to who she is artistically through The Prophet & The Madman.

After the “Speak to Us” intro, the 2nd single “How I Became a Madman” begins with Ami & her husband taking inspiration from “Packard Goose” by Frank Zappa for a spiritual vocal jazz opener whereas the 4th & final single “The Prophet” asks herself how can she go in peace without sorrow. “God” goes for a Parliament-Funkadelic vibe continuing to depict themes of spirituality just before the soulfully jazzy “Love” yearns to be spoken to of affection.

“My Friend” incorporates some jaw-dropping guitar work from Brandon Coleman likening herself to a garment she wears rather than what she sees while “Children” sings over acoustics suggesting to give your children your love instead of your thoughts. “Gnawa” comes through with a passionate love letter to her Moroccan roots & after “Gibran” compositionally enhances the spiritual jazz fusions, final song “Khalil” ahead of the “Speak to Us” outro sends off the LP with a powerful 10 minute vocal jazz closer.

The Epic remains my favorite jazz album of the 21st century, so I was all on board the idea of Kamasi Washington returning to the label he dropped it under to help his wife produce her own debut & I think Ami Taf Ra can reach that point of making something as equally groundbreaking a few years from now. The Prophet & The Madman is basically her take on the spiritual jazz/jazz fusion sound her husband has become known for except she’s putting a vocal soul jazz twist to it confronting topics like duality, healing & ancestral memory.

Score: 4/5

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長谷川白紙 – 「魔法学校」レビュー

Hakushi Hasegawa is a 25 year old singer/songwriter from Tokyo, Japan who made their full-length studio debut in 2019 with Air Ni Ni following their first couple of extended plays: iPhone 6+ & Sōmoku Hōdō. The sophomore effort I’m Dead! would come out in 2023 & impressed the Los Angeles, California producer Flying Lotus so much to the point where he signed them to Brainfeeder Records distributed by Ninja Tune. Coming off a handful of teasers, they’re ready to make their official debut as part of the Brainfeeder roster with their 3rd album.

“Departed” begins fusing glitch pop, nu jazz, art pop, speedcore, breakcore, jazzstep & breakbeat singing about wanting to think that she’s gone whereas “Gone” featuring Kid Fresino goes full Japanese hip hop taking inspiration from experimental hip hop, experimental rock, glitch pop, math rock, industrial hip hop, abstract hip hop, flashcore, brutal prog, speedcore, avant-garde jazz & breakcore so they can compare themselves to ninjas in broad daylight.

Glitch pop, nu jazz, art pop, batucada & hard drum all collide on the lead single “Mouth Flash (Kuchinohanabi)” wanting a tricky person to confess their ways to them while “The Blossom & The Thunder” after the “Repeal (Tekkai)” interlude remixes KAF’s most popular single “Thunder in Bud”, which Hakushi was featured on. The 5th & final single “Kyōfunohoshi” ends the 1st half combining glitch pop, avant-garde jazz, nu jazz, art pop, deconstructed club, jazz fusion, breakcore & jazzstep singing about showing this person the light if they do the same.

After the “NENNEKOKOROMI” interlude, “Forbidden Thing (Kimmotsu)” gives off a neo-psychedelic chamber folktronica vibe explaining that the best season of sleep has come because it’s dark while “Boy’s Texture” after the “MAHO-Interview” skit explores folktronica, neo-psychedelia, freak folk, sound collage, indietronica & trip hop heavily relying on the usage of adlibs. The final song “Outside (Soto)” succeeding the “Enbami” interlude finishes the LP taking elements of deconstructed club, glitch & sound collage expressing a desire to explore the spacious outsides because they love the way the colors change during seasons.

Air Ni Ni still remains Hakushi Hasegawa’s most acclaimed body of work to date, but Mahōgakkō lands right behind it without a shadow of a doubt & I’m confident of their future under Brainfeeder Records will help give them wider exposure to the American independent music audience in the long run. Their production predominantly has a glitchy art pop vibe to it secondarily taking inspiration from nu jazz, deconstructed club, folktronica, neo-psychedelia, hardcore EDM, experimental music & progressive pop.

Score: 4/5

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Hiatus Kaiyote – “Love Heart Cheat Code” review

Hiatus Kaiyote is a neo-soul band from Melbourne, Australia consisting of lead singer/guitarist Nai Palm, bassist Paul Bender, keyboardist Simon Mavin & drummer Clever Austin. Their sophomore effort Choose Your Weapon the month I graduated high school in 2015 was my introduction to them & I loved how they fused it with soul jazz, acid jazz, funk music, nu jazz, progressive pop & neo-psychedelia. They finally returned 7 years later making their Brainfeeder Records debut on Mood Valiant maintaining the neo-soul & nu jazz elements from previously except putting a bigger emphasis on psychedelia. 3 summers later, Nai & company are returning for their 4th album.

“Dreamboat” majestically begins singing for the titular object to sail away & take her home whereas “Telescope” fuses psychedelic soul, neo-soul, contemporary R&B, neo-psychedelia, Afropiano & jazz-funk transporting listeners to an intimate crux in the universe to find solace in their shared musicality. “Make Friends” crosses over neo-soul, contemporary R&B, jazz-funk, psychedelic soul & jazz fusion exploring the concept of recognition principally in regards to gender identity leading into “Everything’s Beautiful” following the “BMO is Beautiful” interlude featuring Niki Yang working in elements of neo-soul, jazz-funk, jazz fusion & psychedelic soul finding beauty in literally everything.

Meanwhile on “Dimitri”, we have Nai over more funky production singing about everyone being “amputees of our divination” leading into what could possibly be my least favorite track on the entire album “Longcat” futuristically talking about the longest cat in the world for 105 seconds. “How to Meet Yourself” fortunately picks things back up working in pianos with the title much like “Everything’s Beautiful” speaking for itself conceptually just before the title track brings psychedelic soul, neo-soul, art pop, trip hop & neo-psychedelia encouraging to keep it handsome. “Cinnamon Temple” releases the pressure mixing psychedelic soul, experimental rock, math rock, noise rock, neo-psychedelia & progressive rock prior to the closer “White Rabbit” covering Jefferson Airplane.

In addition to providing the world a snapshot of 4 musicians dancing together on the edge, Nai & company also give us a cohesively wide-eyed yet relaxed body of work that reflects a deeper understanding of themselves & the music they wish to share with the world around them. And on the contrary of the band’s appraisal mostly stemming from their complexity, Love Heart Cheat Code has a simpler approach generally. I’d be further remissed if I didn’t mention Hiatus Kaiyote venturing out of their prominently psychedelic neo-soul sound in favor of contemporary R&B, Afropiano, jazz-funk, jazz fusion, art pop, trip hop, experimental rock, math rock, noise rock, neo-psychedelia & progressive rock.

Score: 4.5/5

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Genevieve Artadi – “Forever Forever” review

Los Angeles, California musician, singer/songwriter & video producer Genevieve Artadi following up her Brainfeeder Records debut with her 3rd studio album. Known for being the vocalist of the duo KNOWER with producer Louis Cole, she would go on to make her solo debut with Genevieve Lalala in the spring of 2015 a couple months prior to my high school graduation. Flying Lotus would eventually sign her to Brainfeeder distributed by Ninja Tune & the sophomore effort Dizzy Strange Summer would become more positively received, following it up a few years later with Forever Forever.

After the “A Romantic Interlude Will Soon Come Your Way” intro, the first song “Visionary” begins by crossing over elements of art pop, psychedelic pop, progressive pop, jazz pop & jazz fusion for a celebration of love whereas the title track embraces a Stereolab vibe singing about how her mind stays chasing. “I Know”brings in a mini-moog & a guitar telling this person she went so far & changed herself for them leading into “Message to Self” takes inspiration from Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson making an audio voice memo for herself.

“Nice” ends the 1st half of Forever Forever singing about self-assurance over throwing it back to the days of 80s pop music just before “Black Shirts” by KNOWER addresses a person who’s absence is her malfunction blending house & jazz music. “To Tell How I Adore” has it’s moments reminiscent of Gentle Giant promising this person to express the way she cherishes them while “Plate” brings some incredible drumming to the picture singing about making some meaning out of her night.

The song ‘From Avalanche’ uses metaphors to depict the struggles & challenges that come with a relationship to wind down the album’s final moments while “Change Stays” sings about embracing the inevitable. “Watch for the View” however spends the final 3 minutes finding the inner strength to overcome all the challenges of her life, instrumentally feeling like a cross between Stereolab as well as Joni Mitchell & the late Frank Zappa.

Listening to jazz’s great from the late Duke Ellington to the late Gil Evans & the late Miles Davis in pursuit of a creative spark, Genevieve Artadi returns after expressing who she is outside of her side projects during the COVID-19 lockdowns minimizing the progressive pop influences of her previous full-length to expand her art pop style successfully exploring jazz fusion, nu jazz, jazz pop & psychedelic pop to express the love she has for all the people who’re in her life.

Score: 4/5

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Louis Cole – “Quality Over Opinion” review

This is the 4th studio LP from Los Angeles, California singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist & video producer Louis Cole. Known for being 1/2 of KNOWER with Genevieve Artadi, he would eventually make his eponymous solo debut in 2010 & followed it up with the sophomore effort Album 2 preceding Flying Lotus signing him to Brainfeeder Records distributed by Ninja Tune. His debut for the label Time has become the most celebrated entry of his individual discography & Quality Over Opinion looks to raise the stakes.

After the spoken word title track, the 4th & final single “Dead Inside Shuffle”combines funktronica & synth-funk with sophisti-pop singing about feeling content hearing nothing calling his name whereas the 3rd single “Not Needed Anymore” goes for a more indie folk vibe describing the feeling of alienation. “Shallow Laughter” works in some strings singing about hearing the echoes of this person who’s no longer in his life while “Bitches” comes through with this jazz-rock intermission.

“Message” feels like a cross between Earth, Wind & Fire alongside 1234-era Clown Core continuing to pen more depressive lyricism that’ll cut you up leading into the minimalistic “Failing in a Cool Way” singing about taking Ls yet making himself look good doing it somehow someway. “Disappear” turns the folkier elements back up acknowledging that many don’t value what they have until it’s lost just before “I’m Tight” blends synth-funk, funktronica & neo-soul to sing about the result of doing something different with his music.

To end the 1st half, “True Love” goes for a mellower approach explaining what genuine affection is from his perspective while “Planet X” gets the other leg going with a poppy yet funky ballad he wrote to coincide with Grand Theft Auto V’s Cayo Perico Heist DLC asking to name the uninhabited world after him. After the “Let Me Snack” interlude, “Forgetting” throws it back to his earlier material for a couple minutes losing track of where he’s been while “Park Your Car on My Face” brings back the funk getting sexual topically.

“Don’t Care” by KNOWER embraces the funkiness even more singing that nothing’s meant to stay while “Laughing in Her Sleep” tenderly describes what Louis considers to be his favorite mystery. After the “Outer Moat Behavior” interlude, “When” combines some synths & guitars singing about thinking of an ex-girlfriend of his while “Let It Happen” ahead of the “Little Piano Thing” outro ends with an art pop, dream pop, ambient pop, progressive pop, alternative R&B & neo-soul lead single.

Desiring to make the most powerful representation of who he is as an artist, Quality Over Opinion surpasses Time to become Louis Cole’s magnum opus & one of the greatest releases under the Brainfeeder catalog this decade. His production eclectically draws inspiration from synth-funk, art pop, funktronica, synthpop, jazz-funk, jazz pop, neo-soul, chamber pop, jazzstep, dream pop, ambient, alternative R&B, neo-soul, indie folk & sophisti-pop for over an hour of witty songwriting.

Score: 4/5

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Ross from Friends – “Tread” review

Colchester, Essex, England, United Kingdom producer & DJ Felix Weatherall a.k.a. Ross from Friends back for his sophomore effort. Someone who started off in 2013 with his debut extended play David Crane’s Amazing Tennis followed by Alex Brown, You’ll Understand, Don’t Sleep, There Are Snakes, The Outsiders & Aphelion prior to Flying Lotus signing him to Brainfeeder Records distributed by Ninja Tune. His full-length debut Family Portrait made some big improvements over his earlier material & it seems like he’s outdone himself again with Tread.

“The Daisy” begins with a future garage lead single containing additional elements of IDM as well as 2-step & ambient house whereas “Love Divide” blends UK garage, outsider house, ambient trance, Euro house & UK funky for a mellower & more atmospheric single. “Revellers” spends the next 7 minutes showing an Aphex Twin influence although he interestingly puts his own spin on it leading into “A Brand New Start” feeling like a cross between Burial & one of my top 10 producers of all-time Madlib.

We have Felix taking inspiration from Boards of Canada on “XXX Olympaid” & it makes me feel a bit nostalgic considering that they haven’t done anything in almost a decade at this point just before “Grub” takes it back to the future garage sound, further carrying Burial’s torch. “Splatter/Splatter” comes across as a fusion between Aphex Twin & someone you’d hear off of Burial’s eponymous debut while “Morning Sun in a Dusty Room” takes a more ambient approach instrumentally.

“Run” gets the last leg of Tread going taking some characteristics out of the early 2000s trance playbook & hints of deadmau5 with the 2nd half of it hitting harder than the 1st while “Life in a Mind” fuses future garage & UK garage for a composition that starts energizing & ends bittersweetly. The 33 second outro “Thresho_1.1” however should’ve been merged with the final song “Thresho_1.1”, which is a 4 minute IDM closer with an Aphex Twin & Boards of Canada twist to it.

Dialing up the intricate & emotive qualities of his production style, Ross from Friends pushes himself further by composing an LP that I can say is the riskiest yet most adventurous thing he’s ever made almost a decade since his career began. His production’s more future garage flavored than outsider house although Tread carries that sound over to a lesser extent along with ambient, downtempo, IDM, 2-step, ambient house, UK garage, ambient trance, Euro house & UK funky.

Score: 4/5

Thundercat – “It Is What It Is” review

This is the 4th full-length album from Los Angeles, California musician, singer/songwriter & producer Thundercat. Emerging in the 2000s as the bassist for Suicidal Tendencies, he would subsequently sign to Brainfeeder Records & make his full-length debut The Golden Age of Apocalypse nearly a week before I started high school. He would follow it up with the sophomore effort Apocalypsea couple summers later & his debut extended play The Beyond / Where the Giants Grow a month succeeding my graduation became popular due to the inclusion of his most lauded single “Them Changes”. It would eventually be included on his previous LP Drunk, which is his most cohesive musical statement & an essential within the Brainfeeder discography. 3 years later, he’s accepting that It Is What It Is.

The 5th & final single “Interstellar Love” co-produced by Flying Lotus after the “Lost in Space / Great Scott / 22-26” intro embraces a heavy nu jazz fusion sound with elements of psychedelic neo-soul singing about us decaying over time whereas “I Love Louis Cole” featuring the real Louis Cole himself finds the 2 describing their friendship. The 2nd single “Black Qualls” featuring Childish Gambino & Steve Arrington goes for a funky psychedelic soul vibe singing about the state of no longer living in fear leading into “Miguel’s Happy Dance” going synth-funk offering a tune to dance your pain away too.

After the “How Sway?” interlude, “Funny Thing” takes it back to the Drunk era conceptually describing himself at a part that’s on the verge of reaching it’s peak just before the funky “Overseas” reaches the halfway point singing about a chick who blows his mind. The 3rd single “Dragonball Durag” ranks amongst his greatest blending neo-soul, psychedelic soul, nu jazz, funk, alternative R&B & acid jazz looking to be accepted by a woman no matter what it takes while the lead single “King of the Hill” after the “How I Feel” interlude samples “Girl Dinner.” by THABANG! thanks to BADBADNOTGOOD wondering how different things would be if they focused on the more important things.

“Unrequited Love” details the actual experience of romance from what some would call “the one that got away” to different shades of what people would think love is while the 4th single “Fair Chance” lets Lil B & Ty$ handle the verses over a funky alternative R&B/psychedelic neo-soul instrumental Sounwave helped cooked up remembering the late Mac Miller. After the 51 second “Existential Dread” interlude, the title track written after learning of Mac’s passing spans the last 5 minutes saying goodbye to their late friend while “Bye for Now” featuring Michael McDonald technically ends with the pair singing about the struggles of moving on.

Mac Miller was a very close friend & collaborator of Thundercat’s, so it was a guarantee that It Is What It Is was going to be dedicated to his memory & I wouldn’t say it’s better than Drunkalthough it lands close to The Beyond / Where the Giants Grow amongst his top 3 projects. The production between him & Flying Lotus feels like a continuation of sorts to the neo-soul & psychedelic soul sounds that made Drunk additionally taking inspiration from jazz fusion, nu jazz, alternative R&B & synth-funk to lesser extents & he retains his signature sense of humor in the midst of grieving Mac’s death.

Score: 4/5

Thundercat – “Drunk” review

Thundercat is a 32 year old musician, singer/songwriter & producer from Los Angeles, California who emerged in the 2000s as the bassist for Suicidal Tendencies. He would subsequently sign to Brainfeeder Records & make his full-length debut The Golden Age of Apocalypse nearly a week before I started high school. He would follow it up with the sophomore effort Apocalypse a couple summers later & his debut extended play The Beyond / Where the Giants Grow a month succeeding my graduation due to the inclusion of his most lauded single “Them Changes”. His 3rd album however has been shaping up to be the most special entry in his entire catalog & some of the names involved further proved my point.

“Rabbit Ho” properly kicks things off singing about being bored & wanting to getting drunk out of boredom over a gloomy bassline as well as some somber keys whereas “Captain Stupido” co-produced by Flying Lotus describes monotony. “Uh Uh” comes through with a compositionally high-tempo jazz-funk interlude that seems taken from a Mario Kart game soundtrack while the lead single “Bus in These Streets” sings about technology in a very intriguing way fusing neo-soul, psychedelic soul & hypnagogic pop.

A sequel to “Tron Song” off Apocalypse called “A Fan’s Mail (Tron Song II)” & although the songwriting is just as repetitive as it was on the predecessor, I’d say the instrumental on this one’s a lot more funky. The next couple tracks “Lava Lamp” & “Jethro” both explore the concept death, except the latter has more lively beat in contrast to “Lava Lamp”‘ having a dreamier instrumental courtesy of Sounwave, but then “Show You the Way” featuring Kenny Loggins & Michael McDonald after the “Day & Night” interlude combines neo-soul, smooth soul funktronica & yacht rock to sing about making the most out of life.

“Walk on By” featuring Kendrick Lamar finds the 2 individually addressing the topic of loneliness & trying to right one’s wrongs while “Blackkk” tropically sings about walking into the light & the instrumental on here sounds pretty tropical. “Tokyo” reaches the halfway point with a fast-paced ode to the capital of Japan while “Jameel’s Space Ride” talks about being free over an uplifting beat gets the 2nd leg going by comparing his younger brother to 大江錦太郎 from the comedic ゴールデンボーイanime series.

“Friend Zone” depicts himself as a gamer who doesn’t get laid making numerous reference blending neo-soul, syth-funk & funktronica for the 3rd & final single while “Them Changes” reappears with no complaints since it’s easily the best song he’s ever made. “Where I’m Going” embraces the funktronica influences a bit heavier singing about doing fine even if he’s getting weak while “Drink Dat” lets Wiz Khalifa handle the verses, spaciously rapping about this party girl.

As for “Inferno”, we have Thundercat over a funky psychedelic soul beat singing about going insane while “3AM” after the 26 second “I’m Crazy” intermission ends the trilogy split into it’s own individual portions by singing about the streets calling him. The title track intoxicatingly describes getting wasted while “The Turn Down” featuring Pharrell takes a more conscious approach lyrically. “DUI” reprises the same melody “Rabbit Ho” used starting his drinking anew while “Hi” by Mac Miller talks about several events possibly occurring in our lifetime.

The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam was said to be a prelude to Drunk & considering how much he artistically stepped up throughout that EP, it had me hoping he’d surpass both The Golden Age of Apocalypse & Apocalypse as much as I enjoyed those LPs during my adolescence. Lo & behold: He gives us the most cohesive offering in his career & an essential within the Brainfeeder catalog. FlyLo helps him expand the neo-soul direction it’s predecessor went for sprinkling elements of psychedelic soul, progressive soul, funk, funktronica, acid jazz, jazz fusion, neo-psychedelia, alternative R&B & yacht rock along the way for a trip inside of the former Suicidal Tendencies bassist’s humorous yet dark mind.

Score: 4.5/5