During my freshman year in college, Flying Lotus, one of my all-time favorite artists, dropped his best album to date. My first semester in college wasn’t the best, but this album was a nice way to cap it all off, even if I didn’t get a chance to listen to it until the semester was nearly over. As I looked at the lineup of guest artists and collaborators who would make for one hell of a misfit comedy movie, I sat in the furthest outdoor lounge of Parkside Arts and Humanities all alone on a cold December night and listened to this album in one sitting.
You’re Dead! is a conglomerate of multiple genres and aspects of music. There’s no way to put this album in a single category, but if I had to give a quick description of it, it’s a modern avant-garde electronic music album. The wide range of sounds that come from this album are nearly unparalleled, and I’m positive that there’s something for everyone in this outing from Flying Lotus.
In some moments, it’s avant-garde. The first two tracks, “Theme” and “Tesla,” are atmospheric, with instruments and sound effects that transition into Thundercat hammering away at notes on a bass with no clear direction, and the only sense of order is a frantic drum line in the background. In other moments, it’s Flying Lotus’ version of funk. “Fkn Dead” and “Siren Song” have the traditional elements of a jumping bass line psychedelic guitar that are characteristic of funk, but they also have the spacey and out-of-this-world nuance that is characteristic of Fly Lo. Sometimes it’s new-age rap; Snoop Dogg and Captain Murphy (Flying Lotus’ alter ego) make appearances on this album. On “Dead Man’s Tetris,” the two rap a couple of morbid and eerie bars with an equally off-putting hook over a beat that sounds like a remixed version of something you’d hear on an old-school NES game.
This was also my first true introduction into a concept album. Every single track is a small part of the larger overall themes that stem from death and the afterlife. Despite there not being too many actual spoken words on this album, it’s one of the deepest and well thought out projects from any artist in any medium. Every single track, every single instrument, every single sound effect that is played on this album is an exploration into the unknown and the existential. It dares to explore the question of “What happens when you die?” in addition to the possibility of life after death. It’s that deep.
Everything you need to know about this album can be summed up in one of the greatest songs Flying Lotus has ever put out: “Never Catch Me.” If anyone is looking for an example of music transcending its limitations, it’s right here. Insightful lyrics from one of the greatest artists of our generation, Kendrick Lamar, a showcase of prolific talent from Thundercat and prophetic production from Flying Lotus make for the best song of You’re Dead! and possibly Flying Lotus’ career. If you listen closely and intently enough, you can chart the process of Flying Lotus taking you through the experience of dying, death and being reborn again. If you don’t, it’s still a kick-ass song to play at anytime.
After listening to it for the second time, I knew that it was my personal favorite album of the year, something I still stand by today. I also texted my good friend Billy if he had listened to it yet, and despite being 4 a.m. in the Midwest, we had a good conversation about our love for this landmark in music.
When I went back home to Michigan for a week that winter, I stayed with Billy and remedied my homesickness. One night, his dad took us out to a Mexican restaurant in Detroit, and we listened to this album there and back. What I find interesting about this album is that I’m not specifically taken back to the moment where I first heard it or the place where I most remember listening to it. When I play this album, I’m not taken back to Parkside or the backseat of Billy’s dad’s Ford Escape. Every time I listen to this album, I make a new memory of the experience I have listening to it with a fresh set of ears, and that’s something truly special.
Spencer Lee is a junior
majoring in narrative studies. His
column, “Spencer’s Soapbox,” ran every Tuesday. He is also the chief copy editor of the Daily Trojan.
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