Until the Quiet Comes

by Flying Lotus

I think Flying Lotus's new album, Until the Quiet Comes, is probably my favourite album of the year.  In these eighteen tracks, FlyLo takes his music into some places he hasn't gone before, delivering a complete package that is more thoughtful, beautiful, and also accessible than anything he's done before.

I've admired his work for some time now, but sometimes have found listening to him to be distracting or a more cerebral than enjoyable endeavour (depending on my mood).  With this album, he wraps everything in such lush, atmospheric sounds, that I find I can leave the album on repeat for hours and just get lost in it.

A big part of what makes this album work so well is the blending of electronic music with live instruments, with guests such as Thundercat, Austin Peralta (RIP), and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson adding to the richness of the tracks.  There are vocals by Niki Randa, Laura Darlington, Thom Yorke, and Erykah Badu, providing some of the nicest tracks on the album.  My favourite track, though, is 'Putty Boy Strut'.

Flying Lotus is one of the most exciting artists in the business right now.  His music is almost impossible to categorize - he uses the phrase dubstep, but I still think of it more as post hip-hop - and I look forward to seeing what he does next.

The Golden Age of Apocalypse

by Thundercat

One of my favourite albums of 2011, The Golden Age of Apocalypse is a treasure trove of jazzy chill-out music.  Thundercat, a protege of Flying Lotus, who produced this album, plays bass and sings on some of the songs.

Unlike a lot of what I've come to expect from Flying Lotus's Brainfeeder label, there is not a lot of weirdness to this album.  Instead, there are plenty of lovely songs made all the better by Thundercat's slightly haunting voice.

I lack the musical vocabulary to really explain what makes this album so special; it will have to suffice to say that I like it a lot.