Free The Universe

It’s been four years since Guns Don’t Kill People… Lazers Do blasted out across the Internet and beat pop to a pulp. In that time, Major Lazer’s duo have gone in different directions; Switch has taken more of a back seat whilst Diplo has cemented his status as one of the most influential and in-demand producers around. Finally he’s found time, amidst endless touring and guest remixing, to release Major Lazer’s sophomore album.

Free The Universe is distinctly, definitively and unmistakeably Major Lazer, which is somewhat of an achievement considering the stellar line-up of guest artists. As on the debut release, Santigold features on the opening track, ‘You’re No Good’. This is the perfect opening track, as if Diplo is opening his arms wide and welcoming you back into his crazy world.

The tempo reaches a mini-crescendo with ‘Jah No Partial’: this collaboration with Flux Pavilion has divided critics, with some claiming it’s an outstanding mash of their respective styles, whilst others have pointed out it has no place on the album. I agreed with the latter on first listen, but a few spins later, and I love it.

With more featured artists than you can shake a joint at – twenty-nine, actually – it’s often difficult to get a linear sound throughout the album. That’s the skill of this tour-de-moombahton; Major Lazer somehow manages to create an album that sounds like a Jamaican orchestra perfectly conducted. Every song is unique and could easily stand alone as a single.

That’s largely due to the featured artists; whilst Diplo provides some outstanding production, we mustn’t make light of the lyrics and vocalists themselves. Take ‘Scare Me’ for example, on which Peaches blurts out such moving lines as “banging on my ovaries and busting my piñata.” Find something that poetic in a Nicki Minaj song, I dare you.

Then of course there’s the haunting vocals of Amber Coffman on ‘Get Free’: “coming down feeling like a battery hen / waves won’t break ’til the tide comes in.” Not even stony-faced gargoyles can resist the hilarity of Bruno Mars repeatedly chanting “bobble bot”, a trivial phrase making something of a fool out of one of the most popular young American songwriters currently working.

The only guest turn that doesn’t particularly fit is that of Ezra Koenig, who features on ‘Jessica’. I enjoyed the song, but it felt more like Vampire Weekend ft. Major Lazer, rather than the reverse. Still, considering it’s one of only three slowed-down tracks on the album, it’s a great breather before Busy Signal throws you back onto the dancefloor with upcoming third single, ‘Watch Out For This’.

What really comes through on this album is maturity; Diplo said in an interview that he’d made enough money from songs about money and girls. Whilst both feature intermittently, it’s more about good vibes than anything else. Jamaican vibes in particular burst through on this sophomore release, but it’s even more bass-driven than the debut, with an extra dash of dubstep thrown in for good measure. I never thought this was possible, but it smashes down the doors of Justin-Bieber-pop even more so than Guns Don’t Kill People… Lazers Do.

The moombahton is overwhelming and almost trippy, it drives this album and makes this record the perfect choice to liven up your dreary April day. As if you needed proof, I wrote this article whilst sitting on the floor of an overcrowded train headbanging as subtly as possible and attempting to dance. I’m just making Diplo proud.

Similar To: Flosstradamus, Baauer

MP3: ‘You’re No Good’, ‘Watch Out For This’