By We’re all going to die; the latest album by Flying Lotus ‘You’re Dead!’ shoves that fact in your face.
Steven Ellis, better known as Flying Lotus, released his fifth album on Tuesday through Warp Records. “You’re Dead!” is composed of 19 songs, which all form a cohesive unit and allow listeners prepare for the afterlife.
His music can best be described as electronic music with jazz, trip-hop, and hip-hop all rolled up into one, possibility under the influence of psilocybin mushrooms.
Collaborators on the album include: jazz legend, Herbie Hancock; his ex-girlfriend, Niki Randa; Thundercat; FlyLo’s rap alter ego, Captain Murphy; and Long Beach’s very own Snoop Dogg.
The first four tracks build into the momentous climax and highlight of the album: “Never Catch Me,” featuring rapper Kendrick Lamar, engages listeners with an exhilarating verse bringing the album’s concept into focus.
Lamar’s lyrics, “Analyze my demise, I say I’m super anxious / Recognize I deprive this fear and then embrace it,” signify that the acceptance of our impending doom can help us fully enjoy our lives for the time being.
“Never Catch Me” is perhaps the most accessible track; it will probably be on frequent rotation. Thundercat’s vocals and virtuoso bass solo in the song shines bright in the context of the dark album.
The album is a bit frenetic at first, but it evens out quickly with the sudden juxtaposition of tone after “Never Catch Me” abruptly transitions into “Dead Man’s Tetris.”
“Dead Man’s Tetris” features a distorted, macabre hook by Captain Murphy serving as a medium for the incredulous central character of the album and also includes a verse by Snoop Dogg with his trademark gangster cadence.
The theme of death has been prominent in his other works. The sounds of the machines that kept his unconscious mother alive while she was hospitalized were sampled in his second album, “Los Angeles.”
In this release the death of his close friend, 22-year-old jazz piano prodigy Austin Peralta, inspired “The Boys Who Died in Their Sleep” with alter ego Captain Murphy hauntingly chanting, “Take another pill, take another pill”.
The track listing blends seamlessly with every song vitally binding the album’s concept despite most of the songs running less than two minutes. However, death is not nearly as morbid as it seems. ”You’re Dead!” ends with the soothing, haunting “Your Potential/The Beyond,” followed by “The Protest,” which ends with 10 seconds of silence, a jarring contrast from the frenzied introduction of “Theme.”
In order to fully experience the album as intended, you must set everything aside, and let your auditory system enjoy the ride.
