Steve Ellison’s You’re Dead! infuses hard jazz with a labyrinth of clacking, psychedelic guitar pedals and hip hop drum kits—not your average Darnall elevator tunes.
In an interview with Rolling Stone this past summer, Ellison (a.k.a. Flying Lotus) declared his annoyance with “all this Starbucks jazz shit” as the inspiration behind the album that has been two years in the making. Originally slated to be a purely hard jazz record, You’re Dead! injects that inspiration into the music of the electronic era.
In his fifth studio album, the Los Angeles producer’s “you’re dead, now what?” concept guides listeners through the new album. The execution of every track upholds the posthumous theme, creating a cohesive experience.
The follow-up to 2012’s Until The Quiet Comes presents a loyal audience with a different kind of Flying Lotus, one with a seriously experimental palate. At times, the album resembles a musical discussion with too many ideas, as in “Cold Dead.” Stay with it, though, for the the clear focus on collaborations with Snoop Dogg and Thundercat stabilize the 19-song tracklist, balancing the album’s most avant-garde instrumentals.
Piano legend Herbie Hancock lends his deft hands to the project too. He authenticates Ellison’s jazz update, right down to the drums sounding like they came out of a 1930s Chicago nightclub. Tunes like, “Moment of Hesitation” and “Tesla” are, thus, best served with a dry Manhattan.
The exclamation mark in the album’s punchy title declares Ellison’s intentions for the work, which rapper Kendrick Lemar reinforces in his verse on the lead single “Never Catch Me.” “It’s that life beyond your own life, this ain’t physical for mankind, this that out-of-body experience, no coincidence you been died,” he sings.
Keep an open mind with You’re Dead! Ellison’s new album is inventive and experiential, and although probably not the soundtrack for your Saturday night pre-game, it is definitely suitable for your Sunday afternoon recovery.
Voice’s Choices: “Never Catch Me,” “Coronus, the Terminator”
