Albums to watch

Flamagra

Flying Lotus

Flamagra

Sixth album of experimental hip hop / electronica from LA-based producer and musician featuring Anderson Paak, George Clinton, Little Dragon, Shabazz Palaces, Thundercat, Toro y Moi and Solange

ADM rating[?]

7.7

Label
Warp
UK Release date
24/05/2019
US Release date
24/05/2019
  1. 10.0 |   NME

    The uniquely talented producer takes listeners on an exhilarating journey that unites both calm and chaos
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  2. 10.0 |   The Irish Times

    A sprawling masterwork of genius
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  3. 10.0 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    Flying Lotus returns with another pan-genre opus
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  4. 9.0 |   Exclaim

    Everything about this record begs repeating, but this is only solidified by what FlyLo told us in a recent interview. According to him, the last track, "Hot Oct,." bleeds back into the beginning of the album, creating a perfect circle. This is truly built to loop
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  5. 8.4 |   Resident Advisor

    That Flamagra's bundle of ruminations and influences can mesh without being exhausting is a testament to Ellison's chops
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  6. 8.4 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    Flamagra may not channel the raw angst of his previous works, but it still enacts that crucial moment of recognition
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  7. 8.3 |   Consequence Of Sound

    A remarkable experience brimming with emotion and technical joy
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  8. 8.3 |   A.V. Club

    If it all sounds vaporous at times, or even predictable to listeners long familiar with Flying Lotus’ sound, then at least it represents his growth into a full-fledged record producer, someone capable of straight-up great songwriting as well as engagingly electronic funk
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  9. 8.0 |   Tiny Mix Tapes

    So take it in. Bathe in the lush, singular visions conjured by Flying Lotus. Refresh yourself and begin anew
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  10. 8.0 |   The Arts Desk

    Among the guest spots, a gnarled David Lynch narration, a fleeting melody from Little Dragon, a levitational one from Solange Knowles, and a wild, multifacted rap vocal from meteoric young star Tierra Whack stand out
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  11. 8.0 |   Clash

    ‘Flamagra’ reminds us just how good Flying Lotus sounds when soundtracking transcendence
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  12. 8.0 |   The Music

    Although Ellison no longer seems to be driven to dazzle and overwhelm as his mixed media live shows do, this natural development indicates he will continue to bloom for many seasons
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  13. 8.0 |   The Independent

    A strange, twisting journey that begins to settle on repeated listens. After half a decade, it’s good to be drawn back into the bizarre universe of Flying Lotus
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  14. 8.0 |   The FT

    Steven Ellison’s latest album as Flying Lotus offers up 27 tracks that head off in a multitude of directions
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  15. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    A gospel-tinged riot of squelching bass, fizzling drums and ethereal dreamscapes
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  16. 8.0 |   The Quietus

    Flamagra is everything that we’ve come to expect from FlyLo: a collection of songs expertly composed and produced that we are left scratching our heads over, wondering if anyone else should even bother. However this is also the problem with the record. It isn’t that Flamagra is a bad album – far from it – but at times it feels like a slog to get through as the songs are so incredibly dense and earnest
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  17. 7.8 |   Pitchfork

    On Steven Ellison’s sixth album, his sweeping jazz-funk feels limitless. It sounds more like a sketchbook with FlyLo crafting each minute with great care and technical dexterity
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  18. 7.5 |   Under The Radar

    His most diverse and psychedelic yet
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  19. 7.0 |   All Music

    Somewhere in here is a 40-minute program with greater impact. Getting to know the whole thing well enough to make a custom-contracted edition is worth the time
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  20. 7.0 |   musicOMH

    He remains an inventive and interesting producer and there are significant patches of brilliance on Flamagra that make it a worthwhile listen
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  21. 7.0 |   The 405

    Flying Lotus is still as inimitable and demanding as ever on Flamagra, but without the same strangle-hold on your attention
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  22. 7.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Often beautiful and sometimes baffling
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  23. 7.0 |   Uncut

    Its moments of brilliance burn bright, but all the smoke obscures the quality
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  24. 7.0 |   Spectrum Culture

    The music seems made not of arches and ribbons but of great oblong bricks and panels
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  25. 6.0 |   PopMatters

    Flying Lotus' fifth album Flamagra contains plenty of strong material but ultimately lacks a unifying coherence
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  26. 6.0 |   The Guardian

    Cosmic voyager's cartoonish cinematic vision
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  27. 4.0 |   The Observer

    Flamagra is too considered, burdened, and what were once cosmic, mind-expanding polyrhythms come over as inconsequential and annoying
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