Flying Lotus - Flamagra - Album Review

For my 1133rd review, Flying Lotus returns with a scattered, occasionally brilliant but overlong and frustrating hour-plus album.

Best Songs: 'Black Balloons Reprise' ft. Denzel Curry, 'Fire Is Coming' ft. David Lynch, 'Land Of Honey' ft. Solange, 'Remind U', 'More' ft. Anderson .Paak
Worst Song: '9 Carrots' ft. Toro y Moi

7/10

To skip my preamble, go to 2:04

Thanks for watching!

iTunes bio: In the middle of writing his sixth album Flamagra, Steven Ellison—the experimental electronic producer known as Flying Lotus—took up piano lessons. “It’s never too late!” the 35-year-old tells Apple Music. “It's always nice to have someone checking your technique and calling you on your bulls**t.” For the past decade, Ellison’s primary tool has been his laptop, but for this album, he committed to learning each instrument. “It actually made me faster,” says the artist, who is a product of LA’s beat scene and the grandnephew of John and Alice Coltrane. “Suddenly, I could hear every part.” Inspired by the destructive wildfires that swept California's coastline and the deadly 2016 Ghost Ship fire, which broke out at a warehouse in Oakland, Flamagra—a jazzy, psychedelic concept album that spans 27 tracks—imagines a world in which Los Angeles was lit by an eternal flame.

Flying Lotus - Flamagra - Electronic / Jazz Fusion / Hip-hop - Album Review

#SpectrumPulse #FlyingLotus #Thundercat

[TheAceguy]

Next time Iglooghost comes out with an album you gotta review it. He's like FlyLo's prodigy and one of the most exciting artists around.

Also just wanna correct Kuso wasn't an anthology album, it was a movie he made.

Flamagra is just too long for me and a bit tame for FlyLo standards. My favorite album of his is LA

[loppydop]

The album is definitely one of my favourites of the year however I highly agree with you with this album being scattered and things really coming alive in the mid to second half. His intros and outros are explosive and it's reaffirmed in the middle. I think if he cut down the album by at least 6 ish tracks and find almost a cinematic approach that he looked like he was trying to do, this would be God tier. Again, still love this album and it felt like his take of Dante's Inferno but reexaminating fire as a tool of creativity, life after death, and anger and so forth. 8/10 and it'll grow with time.

[brendanang]

Thank You Mark, for giving this album a favourable review, through understanding of what Flying Lotus is doing on this album. I have to recover myself after watching Anthony Fantano's atrocious review

[mhaze]

Flying Lotus set the bar so high on his albums, that this album was only a letdown because it didn't flow as naturally as the others. 27 Tracks did excite me, since I own all his albums and they are short (but tight). I like every track... some I LOVE, some feel like they could have been cut and put on an E.P.


"Fire is Coming" gets me pumped more than any song has in years. "Capillaries" reminds me of a Carnival in a good way. "POST REQUISITE" i've been listening to for years since he released it, STILL good. "Heroes" I imagine in a superhero movie for obvious reasons, but the beat is playful. "Heroes in a Half Shell" I love TMNT, and the beat is good and short (and you hear Thundercat in the background). The second half of "Hot Oct." reminds me of Elder Scrolls, or Dark Souls.


I would give the album a 7/10. Which feels weird to say, because every album from Los Angeles to You're Dead! I would consider a 9/10 or higher. (1983 I would give an 8/10)...and he signed my copy, he is a cool guy.

[Madvillainy]

It's not his greatest work but I still vibe with it

[alexddragame]

Can't wait to see your Denzel Curry review, cause I have a wierd feeling that you have...let's say "something" to say about Zuu.

[alexddragame]

Pretty good album, but it's not You're Dead. 8/10 for me.

[AleksVideoHole]

It surprises me that herbie hancock was on this as well, he was very underused.

[jvbistan]

Scores so far (excluding Resonators):

10/10: 0
9/10: 6 (SUNDAYS, Saor, Epic Beard Men....)
8/10: 15
7/10: 22
6/10: 17
5/10: 6
4/10: 5
3/10: 1 (Logic)
2/10: 2 (Juice WRLD, AJR)
1/10: 0

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

[aaronmiller]

could you review she is coming by miley cyrus?

[drxwsy]

This is pretty good and I never would’ve found it without this review!
Also, are you going to be reviewing 2WAYMIRROR by Gabbie Hanna? It’s actually not as terrible as someone would think from what I’ve heard

[meankrandel]

I better see a zuu review in the next few days or I'm running on the court during game 3 & breaking kawhi's ankle

[aobasuzukaze]

The most disappointed thing is that they didn't add the songs from Carole & Tuesday?