As widely announced, Flying Lotus is set to issue his third album. Set for release via Warp on May 4 (after being pushed back from its original April 20 “4-20” date), Cosmogramma features guest spots from Laura Darlington from the Long Lost, Thom Yorke from Radiohead and others.
Just for old times’ sake:
Looking back, his full-length Warp debut, Los Angeles appears to be much more of a mission statement than a simple introduction – laying the foundation for a field on which an entire generation of artists would soon be playing. While that album was an introspective, moody travelogue through the Californian metropolis, it certainly hinted at Flying Lotus inclination to expand his sound beyond terrestrial means.
As you may deduce from the title of his latest opus, he s done just that. Not only has an entirely new range of sounds been unlocked by our intrepid astral traveler, but every genre touchstone associated with his name has been merged into a self-described space opera . Seamless in execution and too wide in scope to properly describe, it is the authentic embodiment of his unique musical heritage. The spirit of his famed aunt, Alice Coltrane permeates the record, notably in the powerful collaborations with relative Ravi Coltrane, bass virtuoso Thundercat and the brilliant harp prodigy, Rebekah Raff.
Certainly these are further reaches into a musical space that Flying Lotus had hitherto been exploring, however other collaborators such as Erykah Badu and Outkast string arranger Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and guest vocalists Thom Yorke and a returning Laura Darlington (featured on Los Angeles epic closing track Inifinitum ) help deliver Cosmogramma to dizzying new heights. All this name-dropping, however, is not to detract from the genius of the wizard-like figure behind it all. The most powerful aspect of FlyLo s output has always been it s ability to communicate his boundless love and enthusiasm for music in all it s forms and that is what is boldly on display here.
Here’s the track listing:
- 1. “Clock Catcher”
- 2. “Pickled!”
- 3. “Nose Art”
- 4. “Intro//A Cosmic Drama”
- 5. “Zodiac Shit”
- 6. “Computer Face//Pure Being”
- 7. “..And The World Laughs With You” (feat. Thom Yorke)
- 8. “Arkestry”
- 9. “Mmmhmm (feat. Thundercat)
- 10. “Do The Astral Plane”
- 11. “Satelllliiiiiteee”
- 12. “German Haircut”
- 13. “Recoiled”
- 14. “Dance Of The Pseudo Nymph”
- 15. “Drips//Auntie’s Harp”
- 16. “Table Tennis (feat. Laura Darlington)
- 17. “Galaxy In Janaki”
