Flying Lotus compiles enough pieces to make that flame shine, but barely holds the consistency to make it enrapturing.
An instrumental concept album around fire, Flying Lotus approached the concept with sporadic pieces and meshes of instrumentation and guest stars to fill in that sprawling, meditative tones amidst hints of fiery dread underneath. Well-balanced and well-produced, enough to capture the essence of that flame, but not all of it. With every hint of promising gloss from the melodies, instrumentation, and performance from some guest stars, there is always some kind of pushback on the tones, performances, and melodies. A pushback that lets the flames simmer and spark, but not bellow. Tracks that have that gloss let their crackle burst for only a minute or two, and the movement from song to song is questionable, skewed as these fragments go by and not letting the smoke and flame sit longer.
There are instances where the flames let their movements and crackle heard and seen enough in the distance, but for the most part, that flame needs to be oiled up to let loose and have its heat be felt by everyone.
Favorite Tracks: More, Yellow Belly, Black Balloons Reprise, Fire Is Coming, Remind U, Debbie Is Depressed, Land Of Honey, Thank U Malcolm
Least Favorite Track: Takashi
MWE 2022 #1.