Pretty Lights: A Color Map of the Sun (8 Minutes 20 Seconds)
Derek Vincent Smith, the man behind the electronic project Pretty Lights, lays down a massive and layered record with A Color Map of the Sun, his fourth full-length release. Over the course of 70 minutes, Smith shows control and vision, weaving together the rising and falling action of an orchestra, only with soulful samples and sawtooth keys replacing the strings and french horns.
Clipping and distortion are used as effects in their own right, amping up a rawness that might otherwise be confined to a live setting. A couple of guest spots by Talib Kweli seal the deal and make A Color Map an album that works equally well onstage as in the living room.