flying lotus - los angeles

When I sit back and consider the best record labels for experimental and innovative music, Warp always comes to mind. While they are regarded mostly for electronic artists like Autechre, Boards of Canada, Squarepusher, and the iconic Aphex Twin, the label has a few tricks up its sleeve when it comes to venturing to new soundscapes. Recent indie phenom Battles, along with Grizzly Bear, are just a few examples. A relatively new artist that also fits into this category of Warp-gone-eclectic is Flying Lotus. If you are the type to stay up late watching reruns of Aqua Teen Hunger Force or the charmingly-bizarre Assy McGee, you've probably heard his beats during commerical breaks. He's just released an album titled Los Angeles, and it's proof-positive that Warp is headed in the right direction.

If I were to steal a fellow blogmate's literary techinque and do a review in eleven words, I'd say Los Angeles is like an MF Doom album minus MF Doom. That is, there are no vocals. However, don't take this as an album that's missing something; for everything it misses out vocally it makes up for musically. This is such a rich album, and its texture is unbelievable. Its got a nice warm, fuzzy feel, incorporating all kinds of little sounds to complement the basis of each track. And while it may at times sound like a track Viktor Vaughn should be rhyiming over, the album quickly makes you forget that, fusing elements of IDM and electronica that are akin to Massive Attack or Portishead. Overall, you get a nicely done album that doesn't allow itself to stick to the confines of one genre.