Review Summary: An experimental music gem
To say that Steven Ellison was born to be a musician might be an understatement. The 31-year-old grandson of songwriter Marilyn McLeod, who once wrote for Diana Ross, is also the nephew of legendary jazz saxophonist John Coltrane. Ellison released his first album under the alias of Flying Lotus in 2006. Since then he has released a new album every two years. He’s also produced songs and taken up DJ duties for artists such as Mac Miller, Chance The Rapper, and Earl Sweatshirt.
Since it is an even-numbered year and FlyLo is perpetually working on new music, it only made sense that the world would be receiving “You’re Dead!” about now.
The album begins with the humming and buzzing of an orchestra. As the percussion
comes to a crescendo, a lightning-fast bass line strikes, and the 40-minute sonic journey is on its way. Before the listener is able to completely register what just hit them, the first track (aptly-named “Theme”) is over, and the second track (“Tesla”) is under way. “Tesla” is one of two tracks on the album constructed with help from influential jazz pianist Herbie Hancock. Just ask your dorky dad who was into jazz in college, Hancock knows his way around a piano, a keyboard, or any other instrument with keys.
The two songs after “Tesla” were written by Flying Lotus together with his right-hand man Thundercat. Thundercat, the pseudonym of Los Angeles bassist extraordinaire Stephen Bruner, has worked with Flying Lotus for years, adding his own jazz-fusion flair (think Stanley Clarke, Victor Wooten) to numerous tracks.
After this comes the portion of “You’re Dead!” that many people have likely heard by now. “Never Catch Me,” the track featuring Kendrick Lamar, was released early in September to the delight of hip-hop fans everywhere. The song features a minute-long verse with some of Lamar’s most powerful and introspective lyrics he’s dropped in his career to this point. What really makes this track so dynamic is how well it fits into the album. The theme of the album centers around death and wondering what happens at that moment and after, and Flying Lotus carved out the perfect spot for Lamar’s verse.
Another track that got a few people excited was “Dead Man’s Tetris”, a song featuring a guest spot from Snoop Dogg. With no disrespect to the Doggfather himself, it’s hard to make one of his guest appearances sound intriguing in 2014. Ellison tries his best and manages to come out with a win by illustrating and accenting some of Snoop’s lines in the song (lazer sounds as Snoop says “bang bang” and syncopated bass riff throughout).
Many also anticipated an appearance from Ellison’s rapper alter-ego Captain Murphy. Those who picked up this album hoping to hear Captain Murphy verses like those on his “Duality” mixtape were most likely disappointed. On the two songs he uses the Captain Murphy moniker, Ellison merely rides the beats and tries to compliment the songs vocally. While they’re not bad lyrics, he could have called up almost any of his numerous rapper friends and gotten the same lines. They’re nothing like some of the clever and triumphant lines he’s delivered before.
While the album maintains a serious, contemplative theme, the exact mood of individual tracks varies greatly over the album’s course. Songs like “Stirring” and “Obligatory Cadence” capture a feeling of anxiety and curiosity. “Descent Into Madness” paints a menacing painting of death displayed by Thundercat’s falsetto chanting, downbeat piano melody, and dramatic use of percussion. “Ready Err Not” and “Your Potential/The Beyond” serve as interludes between the two feelings and the wide range of others displayed.
As a whole, the album flows as if it were one long piece of music, an opera perhaps. As long as the listener starts with the first song, the album works almost perfectly in any order. That is one thing that makes it so incredible. Another is how many vivid and vibrant sounds FlyLo is able to dish out in such a short amount of time. Some of the wilder moments on the album are comparable to playing Mario Kart on Rainbow Road or eating a boxful of candy all at once, or maybe a combination of the two. It’s also nice when an album matches up with its artwork so well.
With “You’re Dead!” Flying Lotus has composed one of this year’s most unique and versatile albums and blended hip-hop, electronic, and jazz music more skillfully than any man before him.
