Sir's Turntable Sessions Vol. 2 - Cosmogramma by Flying Lotus [2010]
Los Angeles producer Flying Lotus is quite the interesting artist for me. Head of Brainfeeder records which has published artists like Thundercat and Austin Peralta (who we touched on last time) among countless others, Flying Lotus' sonic pallete and knack for creating a tasteful curation is what initially drew me in after first experiencing him through two avenues: his work as a producer with Thundercat, and secondly, him playing himself as a radio host for 'FlyLo FM' in GTA V. Whether it was just the vibes or the excellent song curation, he certainly had me hooked and so I jumped headfirst into quite the ecclectic hip-hop record that drew influence from a variety of other places,
Cosmogramma.
Cosmogramma is like an interstellar sonic journey that you need to fully strap in for and let it take you on its wild ride - poor
@Copy Panda didn't get that memo and both him and his cat packed themselvs in the opening seconds of the first track,
Clock Catcher. Starting off with what I'd best describe as an intergalactic warp getting into its motion, your attention is immediately wrangled by the arpeggiated synths and pulsing bass. This is an album with an intent to push boundaries however it can, and you are on a journey through its many sonic spaces as Flying Lotus himself went on an introspective journey sonically with this album. If you're a fan of hip-hop and beats, or just up for some time with something abstract and some great musicianship then this is for you. Frequently appearing on this record is Thundercat who you'll hear on bass guitar and occassionally vocals too; his features make for some of my favourite parts of the album.
For me,
Cosmogramma is a sonic journey that while able to be boxed into genres like hip-hop, is best served as being approached as more free form. Early on it can be an awkward listen, but as each track bleeds into the next you can gain an understanding of the scope and artistic vision that Flying Lotus held for this record. It is an album that I really enjoy going through occassionally because it is so different from the mainstream and I also appreciate the technical challenge and the stories behind it. One song in particular,
Dance of the Pseudo Nymph, is a standout for me because both Flying Lotus and Thundercat had a different sense of where beat 1 was (stemming from lack of communication), and yet the song worked out very well. If you give this album a go, which I hop you do, then you might just find something you love!
Sam's Score: 9/10
Favourite Songs:
Dance of thee Pseudo Nymph,
...And The World Laughs With You, Zodiac Shit, MmmHmm, Pickled!, Clock Catcher, Do The Astral Plane