Sorry brehs. You know I write overly long shit that could be reduced down to a few sentences. We all have our deals and that's mine. So here are my thoughts on
You're Dead!-----
Section One: Bang!Theme | Tesla | Cold Dead | Fkn Dead
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Chaotic, unstructured, and off the wall. Elusive sonic elements flitting in and out of existence from all angles. From a purely thematic standpoint I think this is the strongest segment of the album, and of any album in Flylo's discography. He did an amazing job crafting an unorganized chaos representing the snap reaction to death. Kind of similar to the first few seconds after you wake up drunk on an unfamiliar couch. There's an anxiousness at the jump that grows less and less prominent over the course of these songs and I think it's meant to be the mind slowly grasping its surroundings (it's not the entirely blissful wave that hits later, but quick peeks and glances forming within the disorder itself). I love that. I know PD, Esch, and others feel that in execution this part is masturbatory and overly jam-bandish but within context of the project I think those concerns can be dismissed a bit. It's a vision of death that, in my opinion, is extremely evocative.
From a technical standpoint and just in terms of the music itself: dope. It's impossible to wrap your hands around and get a firm grasp, like sand falling through your fingers. But individual elements trace lines on your palm and leave lingering impressions long after they're gone. The drumming and bass are frenetic and anxious (and drives a lot of emotional experience above). The smoother brass cues are a great peek at where the album is headed and works as a kind of a guard rail to hold onto while the rest is in turmoil around you. Dig it a lot but being honest the narrative of the record buoys it a bit. Solely on its musical merit I wouldn't necessarily be in love.
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Section Two: Charon of HadesNever Catch Me | Dead Man's Tetris | Turkey Dog Coma
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General structures start to form within songs, although they're still scattershot in many ways. Fewer motifs popping in and out, less instrumentation diddly-do. Never Catch Me feels like a bridge from one end of the experience (
What is happening to me?) to the next (
Wait, I died?). Kendrick and Snoop are guides that clue us in on what's happening. I love the sinister undertone to Dead Man's Tetris. It's a perfect little look at how scary this would be, specifically how scary it would be to realize that you're dead after Kendrick has walked you through it. Captain Murphy playing an abstract, mocking, demonic role as though he's
enjoying your death. Super dope. Turkey Dog Coma is kind of a release (and new transitional point) that comes after the realization. So we've gone:
What the fuck is happening -->
Oh shit I'm dead -->
OH FUCK I'M DEAD NO NOT THIS -->
Whooooooooooooooa. If anything I think Turkey Dog Coma is the start of the metaphysical journey our soul would take while everything before it is the process of dying itself.
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Section Three: A Higher PlaneStirring | Coronus, The Terminator | Siren Song | Turtles
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Gorgeous. Blissful. Euphoric but without the fedora. This is one of my all-time favorite runs off any album. Settling into a peaceful exploration of the cosmic expanse with these mellowed out strings, cascading drums, vocal harmonies...all of it swirling into majestic clouds of pleasure. I can feel my soul trying to transcend its body just listening to this. Low key there are still some dashes of chaos pitter-pattering around in here. Love that a lot. Love how it feels unrestrained and overwhelmingly harmonious. I'd write more but honestly it would just be me gushing about how unbelievably dope this section is. Coronus is prob. my favorite track of the year.
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Section Four: Time Is A Flat CircleReady Err Not | Eyes Above | Moment Of Hesitation | Descent Into Madness | The Boys Who Die In Their Sleep | Obligatory Cadence
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I draw a clear separation from Turtles to Ready Err Not where a lot of dudes might not. I think there's a pretty big leap from the enchantment of the previous section of the record to the more...contemplative, maybe, nature of this one. I've had kind of a hard time putting this portion into words. It's much more restrained and not nearly as uplifting. Darker, heavier, more bop oriented. These are definitely the premier
beats on the record, although maybe not the premier songs. Ready Err Not and Eyes Above are wonderfully understated tracks. Moment Of Hesitation is kind of a call back to the chaos the record began with. To a certain extent I'm struggling with the purpose of this section. It may be that it is truly aimless, but I'm giving Flylo the benefit of the doubt here and giving myself some time to piece it together/read other opinions. My instant reaction is that it represents wandering (still in a metaphysical sense as in the immediate prior section) and the absence of different concepts like time, space, sustenance, etc. Essentially, what exists within nothing? But idk.
The Boys Who Die In Their Sleep seems really out of place. I like the track for a variety of reasons--its playfulness (especially the vocals folks have been hating on, I enjoy the sly smile Flylo can toss toward listeners in ways like that), the sincerity of its pain, the beat itself. But it doesn't fit. Tough, tho, because Flylo has experienced two big losses (Austin Peralta and DJ Rashad) stemming from drug use and it feels like this was meant to represent that...but is just kind of
there. Standing in the middle of the record by itself.
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Section Five: Final Resting PlaceYour Potential/The Beyond | The Protest
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idk brehs this feels pretty obvious to me. End of the journey. Acceptance. Dope nature-tinged beats and vocal harmonies. Becoming one with the beating pulse of the universe.
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So yeah. Dope record. I think the songs work individually as representations of death as an experience, but when taken as a whole the album truly shines. I would say this is the most cohesive Flylo has ever been. Also the least technical, most warm and humane. It's an extremely emotion based record. Obviously it's still super early so I'll come back to my thoughts regarding the album, but for now I love it. Slotting it ahead of Shabazz for my favorite of the year so far.
Final verdict:
