Flamagra
2019 studio album by Flying Lotus
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Flamagra is the sixth studio album by American record producer Flying Lotus (Steven Ellison), released on May 24, 2019 by Warp Records.[6] It is his first album since 2014's You're Dead!.[7] The lead single, the spoken-word "Fire Is Coming" featuring David Lynch, was released along with its video on April 17, 2019.[8] The album also features contributions from Anderson .Paak, George Clinton, Little Dragon, Tierra Whack, Denzel Curry, Shabazz Palaces, Thundercat, Toro y Moi and Solange.[9] A deluxe version of the album with the instrumentals was released on May 29, 2020.[10]
| Flamagra | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 24, 2019 | |||
| Recorded | 2015–2019 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 66:57 | |||
| Label | Warp | |||
| Producer | Flying Lotus | |||
| Flying Lotus chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Flamagra | ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 Deluxe Edition cover art | ||||
Background
Ellison said that he had gathered different material from the past five years in the process of making the record, and had a "thematic idea" about making an album with a fire concept during that time. He imagined an "eternal flame sitting on a hill", and upon hearing David Lynch talking at a party he was attending, asked him to record the same words for his album, at which point he said the idea for the album became fixed.[9]
The track "Post Requisite" was featured on the soundtrack of Ellison's 2017 feature film Kuso and was accompanied by a music video. Prior to the album's release, the tracks "Fire Is Coming", "Spontaneous", "Takashi", "More" and "Black Balloons Reprise" were released as singles. The latter is a reprise of the song of the same name from Denzel Curry's 2018 album Ta13oo. The opening track "Heroes" is a new version of the previously released song "Heroes Pt. 5".
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.8/10[11] |
| Metacritic | 80/100[12] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [13] |
| The A.V. Club | B+[14] |
| The Guardian | [15] |
| The Independent | [16] |
| The Irish Times | [17] |
| Mojo | [18] |
| NME | [19] |
| Pitchfork | 7.8/10[1] |
| Q | [20] |
| Rolling Stone | [21] |
At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, Flamagra received an average score of 80, based on 27 reviews.[12]
Year-end rankings
| Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afisha Daily (Russia) | The Best Foreign Albums of 2019 | 20 |
Commercial performance
As of July 2019, the album has moved 10,000 units in United States.[23]
Track listing
Credits adapted from liner notes.[24]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Heroes" | 2:44 | |
| 2. | "Post Requisite" |
| 2:08 |
| 3. | "Heroes in a Half Shell" |
| 1:17 |
| 4. | "More" (featuring Anderson .Paak) |
| 4:17 |
| 5. | "Capillaries" | Ellison | 1:54 |
| 6. | "Burning Down the House" (featuring George Clinton) |
| 3:03 |
| 7. | "Spontaneous" (featuring Little Dragon) |
| 2:08 |
| 8. | "Takashi" |
| 5:51 |
| 9. | "Pilgrim Side Eye" |
| 1:30 |
| 10. | "All Spies" | Ellison | 1:45 |
| 11. | "Yellow Belly" (featuring Tierra Whack) |
| 3:11 |
| 12. | "Black Balloons Reprise" (featuring Denzel Curry) |
| 2:41 |
| 13. | "Fire Is Coming" (featuring David Lynch) |
| 3:16 |
| 14. | "Inside Your Home" |
| 1:26 |
| 15. | "Actually Virtual" (featuring Shabazz Palaces) |
| 1:58 |
| 16. | "Andromeda" |
| 1:28 |
| 17. | "Remind U" |
| 2:41 |
| 18. | "Say Something" |
| 1:15 |
| 19. | "Debbie Is Depressed" |
| 2:19 |
| 20. | "Find Your Own Way Home" |
| 1:40 |
| 21. | "The Climb" (featuring Thundercat) |
| 3:15 |
| 22. | "Pygmy" |
| 1:24 |
| 23. | "9 Carrots" (featuring Toro y Moi) |
| 3:01 |
| 24. | "FF4" |
| 1:11 |
| 25. | "Land of Honey" (featuring Solange) |
| 3:27 |
| 26. | "Thank U Malcolm" |
| 1:32 |
| 27. | "Hot Oct." |
| 4:35 |
| Total length: | 66:57 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28. | "Quarantine" |
| 3:48 |
| Total length: | 70:45 | ||
Sample credits
- "Post Requisite" contains a sample of "Everything You Do Is a Balloon" by Boards of Canada.
- "Heroes in a Half Shell" contains audio samples of the Dragon Ball series.
- "Black Balloons Reprise" contains a sample of "Ten Et Tiwa" by Alain Goraguer.
- "Debbie Is Depressed" contains a sample of the theme for the Wii Shop Channel by Kazumi Totaka.
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes.[24]
Musicians
- Miguel Atwood-Ferguson – strings (1, 3, 12, 19, 20, 26)
- Ashley Norelle – backing vocals (4)
- Taylor Graves – keyboards (4)
- Ronald Bruner – drums (8, 26), backing vocals (20)
- Deantoni Parks – drums (19, 21)
- Niki Randa – backing vocals (20)
- Thundercat – bass (1, 2, 4, 6-9, 12-16, 19, 21, 22, 26, 27), Backing vocals (20, 21)
Technical
- Flying Lotus – mixing
- Daddy Kev – mixing, mastering
Artwork
- Winston Hacking – artwork
- Echelon Color – retouching
- Stephen Serrato – layout
- Guccimaze – typeface design
- Joph (Jeong-woo Jo) – portrait
Charts
| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[26] | 55 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[27] | 47 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[28] | 16 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[29] | 122 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[30] | 74 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[31] | 60 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[32] | 20 |
| Japan Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[33] | 36 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[34] | 28 |
| Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[35] | 96 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[36] | 20 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[37] | 25 |
| US Billboard 200[38] | 45 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[39] | 5 |
| US Top Dance Albums (Billboard)[40] | 1 |
| US Indie Store Album Sales (Billboard)[41] | 1 |