Album Review: Flying Lotus - Until the Quiet Comes

Artist: Flying LotusAlbum: Until the Quiet ComesLabel: Warp, BrainfeederRelease Date: October 2, 2012Having been in the beat-making biz for over six years now, and having time and time again raised the bar on eclecticism and innovation in electronica, it almost seems with his latest release that Flying Lotus (Stephen Ellison) is calling it quits on his signature style. After a steady progression of adding more spacious and weirder sounds into the mix with every release, Until the Quiet Comes may finally be the album that sees Flying Lotus dump the “hop” to focus entirely on the “trip.”This isn’t a bad thing. Indeed, Until the Quiet Comes will likely satisfy many fans looking for a more coherent release, as well as those who have been frustrated with the lack of substantial songs rather than musical ideas and tidbits that have populated Fly Lotus' previous efforts.Until the Quiet Comes is gentler. Where Los Angeles and Cosmogramma often feature static and plenty of hissing distortion, Flying Lotus is now much more focused on the ethereal melodies that have slowly overtaken Flying Lotus' classic electro beats as the mainstay of his sound.As a result, this isn’t a boundary pusher like Cosmogramma and Los Angeles. Instead, it expands on many of the same ideas that made Cosmogramma so interesting. Space-y jazz bass is back on songs like “Putty Boy Strut,” and the dreamy, soulful vocals of Laura Darlington make a return on “Phantasm.”The return of these aspects definitely makes Until the Quiet Comes less of a must-listen for those who want to keep up with “cutting-edge” electronica. They do, however, make the album more accessible and listenable than Flying Lotus’ preceding releases.Overall, Until the Quiet Comes is a more traditional and coherent elaboration of the ideas presented in previous efforts. However, those who love Flying Lotus for his novelty and experimentation will be disappointed by the lack of really fresh ideas on his new LP.

Rating (by pizza size):

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