Customer Reviews

Cosmogramma

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I don't think its fair to review and rate an album such as this after only one day's listen... it's simply too dense. However, I can't help but offer my initial impressions to those of you still debating or waiting to get your copy.

While Los Angeles has its roots still sample based Hip-Hop, had dashes of Trip-Hop and Electronica, Cosmogramma goes beyond the far reaches of any boxed genre I can think of. The closest I can relate it to is avant garde jazz w/ some futuristic head nodding space grooves. A feeble attempt at classifying something that could very well be a considered a new genre. I know it's been said before about some of his work, but now so more than ever does FlyLo make that argument legit.

What I'm not struggling with is the pure genius that bleeds through the speakers in many of the small moments. The first couple of tracks didn't leave a huge impression on me, but as with the last LP, helps set the stage for stronger cuts like "A Comic Drama" and "Zodiac S*!!". Both are your "typical" solid FlyLo tracks. At that point the album could have coasted and probably still have been a solid 3rd album effort... but all of a sudden we get the intense build of "Computer Face//Pure Being" kicking it up notches beyond dope. The Nintendo generation will have shades of "Mega Man" esq loops interlaced and woven all throughout the track. Never missing a beat from thereon out, the album is loaded with those "holy s$!!" moments of musical ecstasy and you find yourself lost. From the head jerking "Recoiled", the interlocking drums on "Arkestry" to the woozy groove and lush strings of "Do the Astral Plane"; I find myself torn: drawn to each song in its own right and yet never fully being able to commit to a strong favorite above the rest. The sublime "German Haircut" is another blessing w/ Ravi Coltrane providing smooth Tenor Sax to the mix. Heavy synths and keys on "Dance of the Pseudo Nymph" require as much deep concentration as it does a mandatory nod of the skull. All the way up until "Galaxy in Janaki" (which also stands out as an epic symphonic conclusion to the performance) this piece of music captivates your attention and commands your eardrum. I will say that the vocal performances to me are not as tight as on LA, but it may be because the production simply overwhelms them here. I find myself clinging to the harps, strings, bass cords and yes... the table tennis match instead of vocals by Thundercat and the return collaboration of Laura Darlington. Even the welcome appearance of Yorke seems to serve its purpose as better exposure for FlyLo as apposed to actually adding the significant value you would think. Not to say that these players don't bring anything to the table. They are merely servants to FlyLo's bag of tricks, rightfully never able to wrestle the beat away from his control. He creates a beautiful canvas of sound that seamlessly moves from neck breaking to deeply satisfying grooves. Before you know it, you're constantly skipping back to pick out your favorite moments, only to vanish again in the overall flow of the album. Call it blasphemy, but Cosmogramma gives me the same feelings I got when I first heard Endtroducing... back in late '97; an album where I'm still trying to peel back all the layers even today.

There is still plenty I need to digest here, but my initial feeling is that I will love this album for years to come. Those wanting more of the same FlyLo might find their boundaries being pushed forward into unexpected realms of musical imagination. Although I am hesitant to award any fresh purchase high praise before experiencing its long term enjoyment... right now this has me in a strangle hold.
(9/10)

I've heard some people say this album is Flying Lotus' least accessible album and others say it's his most accessible album. I don't really know. I do know that this album had much more work put into it and you can tell. I love albums where you can consistently hear new things in the music each time you listen to it, and this is one of those albums. It has the usual Flying Lotus synth sounds, 8-bit sounds, ever changing drum beats, solid bass, weird unidentifiable sounds, occasional vocals, etc.... but I LOVE the addition of the live bass guitar, harp, and strings scattered throughout. He definitely imitates the Alice Coltrane sound on two songs, and they are beautiful nonetheless. The difference between L.A. and Cosmogramma is like the difference between Miles Davis' In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew. Cosmogramma is like a rocket launch into new territories, utilizing new instruments and a more cacophonous approach, much like Bitches Brew did. It's a great album, and it helps if you are into some of the "cosmic jazz" influences like Alice and Sun Ra. Flying Lotus is headed in the right direction, exploring anything his imagination conjures up, and I hope he goes further.

3.5 Stars.

I've been listening to a lot of IDM, instrumental hip hop, off-beat electronic music, for the last 15 years, and far from being settled into a sound I love hearing new approaches and new ideas. FlyLo's Cosmogramma apparently falls into the same problem as Aphex Twin's later drill 'n bass albums, or Squarepusher's lamer albums. There are cool ideas. There are great sounds. There is even some great composition. But there are not many great songs. The album is cohesive, sure, but cohesively mediocre. One of the treats of electronic music is the possibility of variety, but Cosmogramma seems to be infused with a prankster mentality, as an interesting song idea will pop up and then WHAM HERE'S A SYNTH WITH THE SAME SAW PATCH AGAIN! HAHA! and then we take a breather as FlyLo toys with some melodies and drum 'n bass rhythms and then HEY HERE'S A CRAZY BASS GUITAR WHOA! and that's that. Sorry, I heard those tricks back in the late 90s, and they were annoying then too.

But the album is consistent; listening to it from start to finish is more worthwhile than picking out any particular song, with three exceptions. Do The Astral Plane is fun and a definite standout, and Nose Art is probably the best of the hyperactive jumbly tracks . Recoiled is sublime, and worth buying by itself. And Table Tennis isn't as good as other Laura Darlington tracks but is still nice.

Maybe FlyLo got bored. Much of the album sounds like he set a personal challenge and then recorded the result, which while not terrible is generally not very good either. Maybe he was trying for more of a jazz approach? Well, jazz is best with a memorable head and strong solos, none of which are here. He definitely seemed bored with his "dubby bass" sound, as there is a decided lack of bass frequencies in the album. I think FlyLo could do some interesting things if he continues to pursue this direction in his music, which makes me excited for his next album, but Cosmogramma will remain the "You could see him moving towards greatness without reaching it" album.

Editing to add: After owning the album for a few months, I will add it to the "grows on you" category. I still feel that there is an uneven mix here, and Thundercat's bass playing does nothing for me, but the album makes me very optimistic for FlyLo's next release.

Pretty awesome collection of instrumental Hip Hop songs. I am always a sucker for anything with Jazz infusions and this is definitely no exception. Excellent production skills and sampling equal out to a generally great album with only a few flaws.

Instrumentally which is what pretty much all of this album encompasses with only a few breadths, this album is extremely strong. It samples quite a lot of different types of big band, Jazz and world music and all of it is well integrated into the general ideas and emotions he is trying to convey. He also uses sounds that wouldn't normally be heard in a song, like drills, tennis games and other weird stuff that somehow always seems to work anyway. The general mixing techniques are pretty awesome and take things to a whole new level for this genre as far as I have heard.

I think Recoiled, Table Tennis and German Haircut are my favorites, but all the songs are pretty strong.

The few cameo Vocal songs are all well done. Table Tennis is probably my favorite one, but Thom Yorke's isn't bad either. I'm not the biggest fan of Radiohead, but it was a generally nice cameo that got the job done.

I also on an irrelevant note, have to give the album art an A+. Simple but awesome, just like most of the songs.

The feelings and themes are well enumerated by the sounds and this is one of those CD's it will take many listens to get everything out of. Listens I am personally looking forward to. A great album, I would highly recommend to all those who like Jazz and Hip-hop instrumentals.

This is an amazing album. I don't buy a lot of music, usually opting to stream through Napster or Last.fm or Pandora instead, but this had to go on my iPod. Like Lotus, I'm an L.A. native and, when I was at The Colony last night and asked the DJ to "play Flying Lotus", he gave me the knowing look that the guys in Fight Club give Ed Norton as he travels the country realizing Fight Clubs have sprung up everywhere.

The complex layers and incredible texture of each track are just beautiful. No two tracks sound similar. It's as much an experience as it is an album. You'll find yourself hearing new things after playing the album 40 times. I wake up wanting to listen to it.

Pushing Music Forward
Steven Ellison, better known as Flying Lotus, may not be a household name, but among musicians he is viewed as a master of his art. Anyone who has watched Adult Swim commercials has seen Ellison's work, lucid videos of various topics that go along with music he and fellow artists have produced. Flying Lotus manages to fuse various genres of electronic music in his works, and his newest albums go beyond the boundaries of previous electronic music.
In 2010, Ellison released his third studio album, Cosmogramma. Viewed as a breakout album for Flying Lotus, Cosmogramma incorporated many genres from hip-hop to house. Cosmogramma was a step forward for Flying Lotus, defining his style as something that cannot be placed in any genre other than the vast sea that is "electronic music." When asked about how he felt about his career at that point, Ellison replied that he finally felt as though he could produce the things he had always dreamed of making, and that future music would display his ability. Without a doubt, Ellison pushes the boundaries of what is standard in electronic music, and his latest album is no different.
Aside from the Cosmogramma release in 2010, previous albums by Ellison include 1984 and Los Angeles, both of which are excellent hip-hop albums that begin to venture into the area of electronic music that Flying Lotus currently represents, one that simply cannot be put into words. To keep fans happy, Ellison has released various demos and EPs in between album releases, providing much more to listen to than the average artist, something that non-electronic musicians have trouble with due to their inability to record on the fly.
Ellison's newest addition to the Flying Lotus discography and his label, Brainfeeder, is the Cosmogramma Alternate Takes album, featuring various string arrangements, remixes, and unreleased versions of the tracks featured on his studio album. Brainfeeder is known primarily for the works of Flying Lotus and Thundercat (another talented group), however Ellison was sure to include Teebs, another up and coming Brainfeeder artist, in this new release. Cosmogramma Alt. Takes is proof of the time that Ellison puts into his productions.
Beginning with the harp arrangement of the booming hip-hop track "Clock Catcher," the smooth harp rhythm brings the listener to a sort of hypnotic state, preparing them for what is to come. While the track is only 1:13, it has a much calmer vibe than is provided by much of Ellison's work. The original features much of the same harp that is played in the new arrangement, however the alternate version seems perfectly fine on its own, giving a Middle-Eastern twist to Ellison's original.
The extended, chime-only version of "Pickled," featuring MatthewDavid, provides a similar mood as the first track; it does not feel as complete as the other tracks on the album. To me, this stripped version sounds as if Flying Lotus put a microphone up to a jack-in-the-box and recorded it. The original version featured on Cosmogramma was much fuller, which made it seem more complete. The only upside to the new version is that the track only lasts 52 seconds, and serves as a relatively successful transition into the next track, "Drips Mix3."
"Drips Mix3," is the best track on the album, and in my opinion is the best showcase of what Flying Lotus is capable of. Ellison manages to bring a drum and bass vibe to the typical hip-hop sound he produces, giving more depth to his sound. The sounds in this song need to be absorbed in order to truly appreciate it; I listened to it around 5 times before I could fully wrap my head around the sounds and samples that Ellison used. The smooth organ at the intro flows into the very hard to predict drum pattern that is introduced later in the track.
Flying Lotus may not be known by music fans worldwide, but he does not need to be in order to push electronic music, something that is currently not evolving as fast as it should be. While Cosmogramma Alt. Takes may go unnoticed by many, they are worth obtaining if only to take a glimpse into the future of electronic production, or rather what I hope the future holds.

Listening to the music of Steven Ellison is a head trip. Period. Although we may have heard the sounds of Flying Lotus on Adult Swim's interludes (aka 'bumps') between the shows, he was first introduced to the followers of abstract, experimental, and instrumental hip-hop with his debut, 1983 on Warp Records' offshoot, Plug Research. Then, FlyLo showed off his skills with the Reset EP (2007) on Warp, and by 2008 the label was confident enough to backup this California producer of avant-garde beats and free-form jazzy rhythms for his sophomore LP, Los Angeles. By 2009 everyone knew his name, and although there were a few copy-cats in the alleys, no one could cut it as deep and smooth as Flying Lotus. Ellison's stumbling beats and rubbery bass lines defy metronomes and clock synced drum machines. Truly in the spirit of jazz music, Cosmogramma is an improvisational production. The synth lines sprinkle through the confetti of percussion, falling like a dandelion's florets into the dirt beneath a rolling tank of rhythms. Defying your expectations and any genre classification, Ellison's deranged psychedelia is a beautiful child playing with a kaleidoscope of plucked sound. If anything, Ellison's third full length is a lot more "jazzier" than its predecessor. With 17 tracks running a little over 45 minutes, Cosmogramma is an album with a lot of material to digest in one sitting, and begs for multiple returns. And these are definitely rewarded!

Wow - I just came across this after reading the pitchfork best albums of 2010 - no argument with that. So much produced, predominantly electronic music comes off as cold and dark - not this album. Cosmogramma is SO positive and forward-looking, you can really see into the positive and optimistic nature of Flying Lotus. It actually reminds me of Tortoise in some ways, which is similarly, relatively optimistic and warm, but this album has a lot more positive energy without seeming cliche or one-dimensional.

Musically, there are many carefully crafted layers and textures that come together perfectly in every track. Can't wait to hear more from Flying Lotus.

Others have already talked about the richness of ideas in this disc. I will say this: I liked Los Angeles fine, but I was not particularly taken by it. It had some standout moments and was very cohesive as a piece, but it could just as well become wallpaper music. Cosmogramma can't be ignored. Works like Radiohead's Kid A or Animal Collective's Strawberry Jam took the sounds of their times and blended them in such a fresh way that they forged a sound that was not heard before in that configuration. It may be too early to tell but this disc sounds like that to me.

Below were my initial impressions, and I was wrong. This is a dense, artistic intellectual work. Like reading a classic novel it opens itself up from repeated readings. Perhaps this is the Tonal art of the future, constructed by complicated individuals for complicated individuals....I always admit when I am wrong - Dj4cast

Several publications are calling this the release of 2010, I don't. I purchased it because I would like to support American electronica but this escapes me. Sorry. No moments of beauty to make up for the collage. Perhaps this is for the younger more adventurous, I don't get it.
Dj4cast