Review: Flying Lotus’s Until the Quiet Comes

Flying Lotus: Until the Quiet Comes (Warp, 10/2/12)

“Putty Boy Strut”

Originally sharpening his teeth with bumper music for Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, electronic producer Flying Lotus garnered notoriety that bolstered the success of his 2006 debut, 1983. Now with four full-length albums, seven EPs, and countless singles and collaborations, it’s clear that, in retrospect, Steven Ellison has skills that only can be inherited, not taught.

Until the Quiet Comes capitalizes on the “chillwave” trend sweeping the lo-fi playlists, though it’s all served up with a healthy admixture of jazz samples, electronic textures, and hazy, glitchy, fuzzed-out beats (a FlyLo signature). You can play Quiet straight through without knowing where one track ends and another starts — perfect for a sunset road trip or midnight drive. A few tracks, such as “Me Yesterday//Corded” and “Putty Boy Strut,” have a hard time taking off, but the collaborative tracks (featuring Thom Yorke, Erykah Badu, Laura Darlington of The Long Lost, and more) play strong, steady, and smooth.