Flying Lotus: Pattern + Grid World

Flying Lotus
Pattern + Grid World
Rating: Grrrr

So soon after the stunning tour de force that is Cosmogramma, Flying Lotus returns with an EP of all new material that thankfully is not Cosmogramma outtakes or even cut from the same cloth. FlyLo is too brilliant to be stuck in one place for too long, and his profligacy, which could be seen as a detriment, is his case is not a limitation; his inventiveness is astounding.

I am still trying to get my head around the brilliance of Cosmogramma, and was surely not in the mood for another dense, layered album. Right off the bat, FlyLo assuaged my fears by immediately starting with the light and airy, almost old radio serial sounding, playful track "Clay." Warm analog synths buzz and swoop over a delicately skittering drum pattern.



Which leads into standout track, and first single, "Kill Your Co-Workers," that, unlike it's brutal title, is a very lighthearted and playful track, with a simple, toy-like melody over tremendously supple programming. The video, which I profiled earlier, is an amazing piece of art as well.



FlyLo rarely retreats from this joyful sound. He is excellent at evoking a mood and staying with it. "Kill Your Co-Workers" bleeds into the banging track "PieFace," with a more in-your-face dense production.



On "Jurassic Notion/M Theory," FlyLo returns to Los Angeles-like territory, seamlessly bleeding a tribal jazz vibe into more modern, avant-garde programming.



The final pairing of tracks heads back to the fun, playfulness of the beginning of the cd. "Camera Day," has a blast with it's 70's blaxploitation meets Atari 8-bit vibe.



And "Physics For Everyone!," moves through shards of flanged synths and clicky drums, borrowing notions from all the other pieces before it, sounding like a playground air raid.



In 19 minutes, FlyLo does more than some artists do in their entire careers. At this point his creativity seems limitless. He does amazing things in both large canvasses (Cosmogramma) or in small, intimate ones, as here. Very few electronic artists these days get my attention more than Flying Lotus. His restlessness is endlessly intriguing, and it only whets my appetite for his next release.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top albums of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been trimmed or polished.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.