Head-to-Head Round 3 Flying Lotus: Cosmogramma

Head-to-Head Round 3

Flying Lotus: Cosmogramma

David Pickart vs.Ian Mercer

David Pickart

As an ethereal voice floats over the sound of ricocheting ping pong balls, a throbbing kick drum intermingles with the sound of a backmasked guitar and a noise that can best be described as a robot gasping for air. No, it’s not a bad acid trip- it’s just “Table Tennis”, one track off of Flying Lotus’s third album effort, Cosmogramma. The hypnotic, controlled sloppiness of this track typifies the production aesthetic of Flying Lotus, who uses Cosmogrammato deliver a series of tracks as nuanced and interesting as they are downright weird.

The music of Flying Lotus isn’t about structure or melody, but rather about memorable textures and grooves that develop and intertwine in unpredictable ways. In terms of sheer musical activity, Flying Lotus truly delivers; there’s enough going on in each track that repeated listens are sure to reveal new details. Throughout the album, FlyLo achieves a careful balance of live instruments and samples that can get overwhelming, but only when it's intended to do so. Although some of the more synth sounds are rather unpleasant, and off-kitter rhythms further stretch the limits of accessibility, the resulting spaced-out vibe is truly unique.

Although there’s undoubtedly some filler on the album (I’m looking at you, “German Haircut”), most of these tracks comprise a dynamic and cohesive whole. Individual songs are ever-changing and filled with fleeting moments that counteract the stereotype of the cut-and-paste laptop musician. By avoiding the pitfall of static repetition present in so much electronic music, Flying Lotus guarantees an engaging listening experience with Cosmogramma, no matter how grating or strange each individual section may be. My Verdict: I’m not sure exactly what genre this album is, but it certainly lies on the outer limits of my music taste. Nonetheless, Cosmogramma’s intricateproduction and surprisingly varied sound make it fascinating, if not entirely pleasant, listen.

Ian Mercer

I’ll cut to the chase: Cosmogramma is already a classic album. The word “essential” comes to mind. If you’ve already heard the album, feel free to read this column in order to remind yourself of its greatness before you promptly revisit it. If you’ve never heard it before, it goes without saying: you know what to do.

The album is dense: dozens of instruments pile upon one another in oceans of sound (check out “Galaxy in Janaki. It’s probably the densest piece ofmusic ever written that refrains from descending into outright madness).

The album is diverse: it features 8-Bit EDM, Middle Eastern strings, Thom Yorke’s wails, and Ravi Coltrane’s free saxophone. The album is an album’s album: it may be divided into separate tracks, but the borders are seamless and often unnoticeable. It is an effectively through-composed piece of art.

Of course the album is not without fault: the density and diversity could be a little bit excessive at times, amounting to pieces of music that are almost nonsensical. Additionally, and in my opinion most importantly, the sound quality isn’t exactly flawless (and I swear I bought a high quality copy). Grain and fuzz permeate through several key moments that would be far more effective if delivered via clean tone.

Finally, the aforementioned strength of cohesion may not work well for all audience members. Those who are inclined to only listen to the “singles” will find that the tracks do not work especially well when consumed separately.

My Verdict: Humanity has yet to settle upon a single definition of unadulterated dopeness, but Steven Ellison may have achieved our closest approximation yet. Cosmogramma is almost too maximalist, but there really is no other album that can combine this many styles and instruments together while maintaining such a cohesive identity.

NoFi