The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Friday, January 20, 2017 — 5

The Flaming Lips’ new
album inventive, dreamy 
 

While the band’s latest offering is uneven relative to past releases, 
the psychedelic project shows a group still grounded in innovation

If 
nothing 
else, 
The 

Flaming Lips are known for 
their experimental ventures 
into the world of psychedelic 
rock. Some of these leaps have 
turned out extremely well in 
the past, while 
others 
have 

misfired 
and 

rocketed 
into 

more confusing 
territory. Given 
the 
range 

of 
quality 
— 

especially their more recent 
output — I wasn’t entirely 
sure what to expect from 
Oczy Mlody, which details 
a 
primarily 
drug-oriented 

journey through the mind. My 
doubt did resurface a couple of 
times throughout the album, 
but overall I was pleasantly 
surprised by The Flaming 
Lips’ sonic explorations and 
their ability to keep diving 
into new musical territory, 
even after over 30 years of 
experimentation.

The 
album 
opens 
with 

the titular “Oczy Mlody,” a 
rhythmic instrumental track 
that lets the listener know 
what tone to expect from the 
album: dreamy with a bit of 
an edge, a musical feeling 
that seeks — and finds — a 
balance between repetition 
and freshness. The Flaming 
Lips use this song to launch 
themselves into a 12-track 
evaluation 
of 
the 
many 

emotional and mental subtexts 
of love, drugs and violence. The 
first few songs are lyrically 
intriguing 
because 
they 

introduce some of the most 
central preoccupations of the 
album — the violent confusion 
of 
“How??,” 
the 
troubled 

idealism of “There Should 
Be Unicorns,” the despairing 
frustrations of “Sunrise (Eyes 
of the Young).” These songs 
are pensive and colorful, and 
they are tied together by their 
strange 
representations 
of 

balance between the clear and 
the cloudy, the real and the 
imagined.

It is not until a few songs 

into the album, 
however, 
that 

things 
begin 

to 
get 
more 

interesting. The 
catchy 
near-

instrumental 
“Nigdy 
Nie 

(Never No)” maintains the 
rhythmic feeling of the songs 
before it, while introducing 
a 
little 
more 
edge 
and 

inventiveness in terms of the 
relationships 
between 
its 

instruments 
— 
sometimes 

harsh and fuzzy, sometimes 
fresh and clear, always quick 
and insistent — and its sparse, 
almost choral vocals. “Galaxy 
I Sink” and “Listening to 
the Frogs with Demon Eyes” 
both embody the interesting 
dichotomy 
between 
vivid 

clarity and lost abstraction and 
fear that is presented by drug 
use and love alike. “Galaxy 
I Sink” effectively employs 
many different instruments 
and sounds — from the hard 
plucking of a guitar to the 
anxious surge of violins to 
an undertone of what sound 
like crickets, and “Listening 
to the Frogs with Demon 
Eyes” brings the cricket-like 
noises back, along with the 
croaking of frogs. “One Night 
While Hunting for Faeries and 
Witches and Wizards to Kill,” 
a psychedelic journey through 
some fairyland, is to me the 
most lyrically impressive song 
of the whole album, detailing 
a strange story of violence 

met with healing, of confusion 
met with clarity and leading 
toward love.

Almost all of these songs 

explore 
the 
relationship 

between — and at times union 
of — clarity and confusion, 
trust and distrust. “Almost 
Home (Blisko Domu)” recedes 
from the album’s earlier strains 
of fantasy with philosophical 
questioning, expressions of 
uncertainty, and disillusioned 
recollections of “my fragile 
dream / of how the world is 
full of love.” Then comes the 
closing track, the single “We a 
Famly.” Miley Cyrus emerges 
as the voice of the beloved 
figure often addressed and 
alluded to throughout the 
album, and finally responds to 
all of the album’s troubled-yet-
hopeful uncertainties about 
love and life, affirming, “It’s 
you and me, we a family.” This 
song represents a definitive 
decision on the part of The 
Flaming Lips to end this 
album, for all its doubts and 
anxieties, on a note of hope, 
faith, and togetherness. Brief 
laughter comes after the final 
proclamation of “We a family,” 
closing out the song, and with 
it, the album.

Oczy Mlody does see a 

few low points – some of its 
earlier songs blend together 
musically, and the lyrics of, 
for 
instance, 
“Do 
Glowy,” 

are nothing to drop one’s 
jaw at. However, it comes 
together for a well-conveyed 
message about the merits of 
existential inquiry, about love 
in the face of confusion and 
darkness. Dreamy, fantastical 
and musically inventive, it is 
a drug trip, a love story and, 
above all else, a verification 
that The Flaming Lips still 
have something to offer the 
world of psychedelic rock.

BELLA UNION

The Flaming Lips in concert.

LAURA DSZUBAY

Daily Arts Wrtier

NY rap makes a comeback

It’s been a minute since a New 

Yorker reigned as the hottest 
rapper. Without counting Jay-Z’s 
post-retirement victory laps, it’s 
probably been more than a decade. 
The Big Apple, the birthplace of 
hip-hop, was long-considered rap’s 
pinnacle city. But in the early 2000s, 
once 50 Cent’s debut album, Get 
Rich Or Die Tryin’, cooled off, so did 
the mainstream attraction to New 
York’s gritty, street-core lyricism. 
By then, other major metropoles — 
namely, Atlanta, Los Angeles and 
Chicago — had already established 
their own musical movements, ones 
that were inspired by alternative, 
perhaps 
more 
progressive, 

creative energies and have largely 
dominated the rap charts since.

Today, 
among 
post-lyrical 

mumblers like Young Thug and 
Future, or even the soulful smooth-
talkers such as Chance the Rapper 
and Anderson .Paak, a lot of the 
always-on-beat rhymers that have 
historically been deemed top-notch 
can seem strikingly out of place. 
It’s hard to imagine Fabolous, or 
Jadakiss, or Cam’ron, or even Nas 
earning a number one rap song in 
2017 — not because they’ve lost their 
technical abilities (note: they have 
NOT!), but because of ideological 
static that exists between them and 
the culture’s youngsters.

Today’s kids have spent their 

entire lives having a hip-hop 
hierarchy passed down to them 
by threatened adults who often 
conclude by saying that kids will 
just never understand. So those 
same kids went out and built 
something new, something that’s 
entirely their own, something that 
they can definitely understand. 
They launched a sort of rainbow 
revolution that aims not just to 
adjust, but to entirely rebuild hip-
hop’s foundation by establishing a 
new culture of acceptance within 
the genre. Less fazed by the gun 
talk and bullyish aggression of 
earlier eras, modern fans are most 
effectively drawn to artists that 
oppose 
convention. 
Successful 

boasts no longer broadcast body 
counts 
and 
bank 
receipts; 

instead, they brag about social 
media followers. Like Quavo 
from Migos said: “They bustin’ 
for Instagram / Get your clout 
up.”

Alas, there is now a new 

movement at-large, one led 
by traditionalist gatekeepers 
(such as the once-influential 
radio DJ Funkmaster Flex) in 
vocal opposition to the mere 
existence of young, cartoonish, 
somewhat controversial hip-hop 
stars (think Lil Yachty and Lil Uzi 
Vert). While the ethical feud has 
already produced tangible results 
(lest we ever forget that mash-
up .gif of Funk Flex screaming 
“Motherf*cking baaaars!!” after Lil 
Uzi Vert moans, “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! 
Yeah!” on “Bad and Boujee”), it has 
also catalyzed larger conversations 
within hip-hop and revitalized an 
ongoing search for New York’s next 
prophetic rap star.

Perhaps hip-hop’s changing of 

the guards was inevitable, a natural 
result of the genre’s spreading 
across the country, the world and, 
most recently, multiple generations. 
But try breaking that logic down 
to a purebred New Yorker donning 
Timberland boots and rapping 
every word of Nas’s Illmatic. Let 
me know how that goes for you 
(warning: it won’t go well). So, in 
2017, I am betting on the Big Apple 
to strike back and properly reassert 
its vitality. There is a whole wave of 
fresh, young talent coming out of 
the five boroughs. You better expect 
these artists to come out shooting.

Dave East
Dave East is the oldest, most 

traditional and, well, least new of 
these newcomers. But he’s been 
inching towards the spotlight for 
a few years and, having recently 
been named a member of XXL 
Magazine’s 
current 
freshman 

class, is sure to continue garnering 
attention 
in 
2017. 
Stemming 

from Harlem, East blew up after 
self-releasing his “Black Rose” 
mixtape in 2014, a project that 
proved his technical skills to be 
absolutely superior to his peers’, 
and eventually earned the attention 
of hip-hop legend Nas, who went on 
to sign the emcee to his label, Mass 
Appeal Records.

East 
released 
his 
first 

commercial project, Hate Me Now, 
in 2015, and though it demonstrated 
both his willingness to evolve into a 
wholistic songwriter and his ability 
to hold his own bar for bar with 
established veterans like Jadakiss, 
Pusha T and Styles P, it still left 
some emotional layers untapped; 
there was room for the rapper to go 
deeper. Thankfully so, because in 
September of 2016, East released his 
second project with Mass Appeal, 
Kairi Chanel, and while its songs 
maintain the gritty, or graphic, or 
even intimidating tone of his earlier 
work, they’re equally defined by the 
artist’s heart and self-awareness.

Kairi Chanel is an almost perfect 

rap album: The skits are cinematic, 
vividly 
capturing 
disconnected 

conversations 
in 
a 
way 
that 

transplants listeners straight to 
the sidewalks of Harlem, and its 
songs are finer tuned than any of 
Dave East’s earlier work. “Keisha” 
is a wildly impressive street 
parable reminiscent of Biggie’s “I 
Got A Story To Tell”; “From the 
Heart” offers a fresh take on a 
classic format: rapping to a friend 
who’s incarcerated; “Don Pablo” is 
evidence of how organically East 
can find infinite rhymes in a single 
syllable; “Don’t Shoot” might be 
the most chilling commentary on 
police brutality to date. Dave East 
raps with the street knowledge 
of an industry legend in an era 
that probably won’t pay him the 
attention he deserves. If that 
sounds dope to you, it’s time to start 
listening.

A. Boogie Wit Da Hoodie
I swear, gun to my head, I still 

can’t pick my favorite A. Boogie 
harmony. So, to speed things up, 
I’ve settled on two: First is the 
deep-cutting, 
“I’m 
done 
with 

these Balenciagas, they keep on 
fucking my socks up / Nothing but 
foreigns behind us, we used to pull 
up in that Honda,” which appears 
on his prophetic single, “Not A 
Regular Person,” chronicling his 
evolution from aspirational Bronx 
kid to rookie rap star. But then, how 
could I not also mention the perfect 
bridge on “Jungle,” which made 
me comfortable with his singsongy 
rap style in the first place? “I was 
walking in the rain with my Timbs 
on, stepping over puddles full of 
pain / It’s a big storm, 13 on my 
Balmains / It’s a big storm, in the 
club, love to make it rain.” Those are 
some of the most quintessentially 
New York lyrics ever written, even 
with A. Boogie’s unwillingness to 
disguise his major “feels.”

Born Artist Dubose and raised 

in the Highbridge neighborhood 
of the Bronx, New York, A. Boogie 
released 
his 
debut 
mixtape, 

Artist, on Valentine’s Day last 
year, and after “My Shit,” one of 
its featured tracks, turned into an 
essential summer hit, he found 
himself opening for Drake and 
Future’s Summer Sixteen Tour 
at Madison Square Garden. 
Since then, he has self-released 
a commercial EP, “TBA (The 
Bigger 
Artist),” 
to 
prolong 

his residency on New York 
radio. The five-song project 
is filled with hits: “Timeless 
(feat. DJ SPINGKING)” is a club-
ready anthem that inherits its vibe 
from Island dancehall music; “99 
Problems & Messages” is a boastful 
romance rap that pays discrete 
homage to tracks by Jay-Z and 50 
Cent; “Baecation” is a singsong one 
for the lady fans.

Boogie harmonizes like most 

other post-Drake aspirers, but 
writes lyrics that feel more directly 
informed by those of the great 
horror-rap era wordsmiths. Even 
as a rookie, he’s proven himself 
capable of establishing a unique, 
recognizable sound that caters 
to a wide audience. He can be a 
braggadocious gangster or even 
threatening, but more often he is 
emotional, musical and publicly 
romantic. That’s the kind of balance 
needed to succeed in 2017, so 
I’m betting on A. Boogie. A lot of 
listeners already have.

Don Q
Don Q first emerged rapping 

aside A. Boogie on their crew 
mixtape, Highbridge the Label: the 
Takeover Vol. 1, counteracting his 
cohort’s more melodic moments 
with slick, piercing verses that add 
extra street credibility to proven 
hits “Bag on Me” and “Bando.” He 
already has the nasal twang of a 
seasoned emcee (think Jim Jones 
yelling out, “Haaarh-luhm”) and 
on his debut solo project, “Don 

Season,” which released in July 
and is hosted by Don Cannon, he 
explores a diverse set of musical 
spaces, effortlessly proving himself 
capable of creating within each one. 
Don Q told REVOLT that he’s a fan 
of Jay-Z, particularly “the way he 
puts words together and flows,” 
but he also “fell in love with the 
punchlines” by listening to Cassidy, 
Loyd Banks and Fabolous.

“Don 
Season” 
is 
packed 

beginning to end with straight 
bars — there’s no other way to say 
it. “By Accident” is a fully-equipped 
street banger reminiscent of old 
Dipset tracks and some Meek Mill 
heaters; “Look At Me Now” plays 
something like an unforgiving 
memoir; “In Love With The Music” 
and 
“Everyday” 
demonstrate 

Don’s range and musical ambition; 
“Everything Lit” is a firm reminder 
that his lyrical acrobatics alone are 
enough to carry a song. Be sure to 
watch out for Don Q in the new year 
and expect him to keep bullying 
his generation with hard-hitting 
verses. The entire Highbridge Label 
just might turn into the next big 
movement.

Young M.A
You know Young M.A. You may 

not know that you know Young 
M.A, but you know Young M.A. 
You’ve heard her breakout hit — 
“Oou” — at least a dozen times this 
year, maybe a hundred if you’re in 
a committed hip-hop circle, and 
you’ve seen her perfectly meme-
able lyric — “Like I ain’t got a hitter 
to the left of me” — on countless 
internet timelines, unprecedentedly 
accompanying your friends’ non-
gangster Instagram posts. You’ve 
also seen Young M.A, whether 
you’ve realized it or not, in the 
Beats By Dre commercial (“I’ve Got 
No Strings”) that has, like, every 
celebrity ever (Pharrell, Travis 
Scott, DJ Khaled, Amber Rose, 
Nicki Minaj and more) parading 
around 
in 
pastel 
headphones. 

During her spot, the Brooklyn-
raised 
spitter 
is 
appropriately 

shown 
strolling 
through 
an 

alleyway, staring back at a woman 
that’s just passed and broadcasting 
her approval with a staple moan — 
“Oooou!” — that is among the elite 
few audio tracks allowed into the 
grandiose commercial.

Young M.A first blew up in 2014 

after her barrel-emptying verse 
on posse cut “Brooklyn (Chiraq 
Freestyle)” 
proved 
vicious 

enough to tick off of Dr. Boyce 
Watkins, a social commentator 
who struck back against the 
rap 
song 
and 
accidentally 

earned it more attention. Since 
then, 
she’s 
been 
acquiring 

credibility 
mostly 
through 

underground 
mixtapes 
and 

Soundcloud 
freestyles 
that 

reimagine famous rap songs 
into 
more 
street-appropriate 

forms, but in late 2015, the emcee 
commercially released six songs 
from her SleepWalkin mixtape 
as an EP, and ever since “Oou” 
turned her into superstar, those 
tracks have been earning a lot of 
attention. “Hood Love” is proof 
that even gritty gangster rap can 
come in approachable packages; 
“Through the Day” is a chilling 
reflection on the death of her older 
brother and the ways in which 
that motivates her to grind 
harder; “Get This Money” is 
well-equipped to be a radio hit, 
which is probably why it just 
recently got a music video.

Young M.A might be one of 

the coldest female spitters — 
spitter, not artist, not musician, 
rapper, remember those? — 
to ever hold a microphone, 
yet 
she’s 
openly 
expressed 

weariness with working with 
others who might want to box 
her in by emphasizing her 
gender for marketing purposes. 
She turned down an acting spot 
on Fox’s hit television show 
Empire; she’s still weighing 
contracts 
from 
multiple 

records labels and isn’t in any 
rush to sign. “Nobody really 
said anything that we weren’t 
already doing, so I definitely 
gotta big-up my team,” she 
told Elle. In 2016, Young M.A 
received public endorsements 
— either through collaboration 
or vocal praise — from Beyonce, 
Serena Williams, Nicki Minaj, 
50 Cent, The Game, French 
Montana, Meek Mill and more. 
The spotlight is already on her; 
the ball is in her court. You 
better expect Young M.A to 
steal the show this year!

SAL DIGIOIA
Daily Arts Writer

MUSIC REVIEW

Oczy Mlody

The Flaming Lips

 Warner Bros.

MUSIC NOTEBOOK

INTERESTED IN WRITING FOR ARTS? 
MASS MEETINGS @ 420 MAYNARD, 

7 P.M ON 1/23, 1/26 & 1/30 

If you have any questions regarding the application process, please contact us at 

anay@umich.edu or npzak@umich.edu

