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 both 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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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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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