So I avoided Flying Lotus for a while, in large part because I didn’t like the name. It was only through working with artists that I liked that I was forced to acknowledge his beat-making ability. While I’m still not crazy about the name (it sounds too much like a hardcore punk act I wouldn’t listen to), I’ve come around on the music. Cosmogramma is definitely worth the listen.

Taking inspiration from his aunt Alice Coltrane, he created a flowing musical journey that journeys through a wide range of emotions and genres. The album starts off with a Pac Man-esque sample that gives a sense of urgency, but that quickly give way to gentler harp figures.

From that point, you just have to strap yourself in and let Flying Lotus steer the ship, as we go from techno to hip hop to funk to jazz. Cosmogramma’s real strengths are Flying Lotus’s confidence not to overstay musical themes to not ride them out too long and transition consecutive musical ideas seamlessly. Even a guest spot from someone as noteworthy as Thom Yorke is treated as another subtle piece that isn’t magnified outside the scope of the album.

There are points on the album where I’m reminded of other artists like Daedelus or Jagga Jazzist or Four Tet. That said, I feel like he’s got subtle touches like these guys, but when he chooses to hit hard with the drums and bass, he packs more muscle.

But Cosmogramma’s biggest success comes in that when I put it on, I almost always have to listen to it all the way through, and am always disappointed when it’s over.