SATCHMO |
09-25-2012 12:23 PM |
Wow, I'm just blown away, and that's not a phrase I use lightly. This seems like the album that I thought Cosmogramma was going to be when it was released. Not that I'm knocking Cosmogramma by any means; I just felt like it was quite a departure from everything that came before it.
The album definitely carries the theme intimated by the album title Until the Quiet Comes . There is a prevalent "Nocturnal R&B" theme to it, (If anybody is familiar with the late night quiet storm R&B radio broadcasts that seem to exist somewhere on the far right of the dial in almost every city, then what I'm saying will make all the more sense). The album seems more ethereal and has much more of an organic element to it. Despite it being quite a bit less beat-centric than Cosmogramma or Los Angeles, much more of the sampled instrumentation sounds quite a bit less blatantly electronic. There are a few exceptions to that though, such as the song Sultan's Request which carries itself over with an almost dubsteppy bassline only to abandon the theme and give way to a more "discrete beat" style.
The cameos are all interesting too. I for one was not expecting See Thru to U, the song featuring Erykah Badu on vocals, to have such an abstract bent to it. DMT Song, featuring Thundercat, has a 70's jazz fusion vibe to it very reminiscent of Chick Corea's Return to Forever ensemble. The jazz fusion element also happens to rear its head at various points throughout the album. Altogether there are many distinct homages, in bits and snippets, to the influence of African American Urban music on contemporary hip hop/electronica and they all play out quite beautifully and cohesively. Candyman featuring Thom Yorke seems a little odd, but nonetheless appreciable. Thom Yorke... neo-soul singer? Well, maybe not, but the song doesn't take away from the cohesiveness of the album as a whole and only feels somewhat disjointed when one remembers a certain little band called Radiohead.
All and all I don't think I can say enough good things about this album and I'm sure I'll be deriving much more enjoyment from it in the future. It could be a game changer for a whole slew of relevant genres. Even after only a cursory listen, it has had a tremendous impact on me. It's not the Fly Lo album I was expecting, but it's exactly the Fly Lo album I was hoping for.
|