Kronos Quartet and Friends Kronos Quartet Meet Sun Ra By Outer Spaceways Incorporated

You ever have one of those ideas that sounds great on paper but falls apart in execution? Like when you try to combine sushi with pizza because you like them both separately. Well, Kronos Quartet’s attempt to meet Sun Ra halfway on Outer Spaceways Incorporated is just that—a confused culinary experiment you regret ordering. It promises an avant-garde collision of cosmic jazz and modern classical cool, but what you actually get is a disjointed mess that feels more like a genre-blending traffic accident than a musical revelation.

Kronos Quartet has always been that respectable ensemble pushing boundaries, known for working with diverse artists across styles. But here, in their fourth attempt at Sun Ra tribute under the Red Hot series, they’re stretching their avant-garde credentials a bit too thin. Don’t get me wrong—Sun Ra’s music should be an invitation to explore deep space. But Kronos seems lost in orbit, floating aimlessly as they try to mix Ra’s Afrofuturist jazz with their string-heavy classical approach. The result? A soundscape that’s more outer space junkyard than interstellar beauty.

Take “Maji,” for instance. It features Jlin’s frantic footwork beats colliding with Kronos’ sweeping strings. It should be exhilarating. Instead, it feels like two separate tracks accidentally layered on top of each other. “Daddy’s Gonna Tell You No Lie,” with Laraaji’s new-age synths, throws some exotica rhythms into the mix, but rather than complementing each other, the parts just don’t gel. The album’s defining vibe is “overcooked”—too many cooks in the cosmic kitchen.

Lyrically, the album doesn’t fare much better. It includes spoken word elements from Laurie Anderson, but when you mix Anderson’s esoteric musings with Marshall Allen’s sax squawks, it’s more confusing than cosmic. And that’s a recurring theme here—chaos without cohesion, experimentation without substance.

The collaborations could have been a saving grace, but even the star power (Moor Mother, 700 Bliss, Laurie Anderson) can’t rescue the album from its own weight. Standout tracks? More like stand-up acts at an experimental comedy night—awkward, a bit out of sync, and not entirely sure what they’re doing here. “Images Suite” features some intriguing moments, but it’s not enough to salvage this cosmic misfire.

In the end, the album’s flow feels as uneven as the surface of an asteroid, careening from one overproduced track to the next. What should have been a mind-bending journey through sound is instead an overstuffed album where no one remembered to pack the map. Even Sun Ra would struggle to find the melody in this one.

Audience Appeal: Who’s this album for? Probably the same crowd that enjoys abstract art installations where you’re not sure if the piece is finished or if the janitor just forgot to clean up. If you’re deeply into avant-garde for avant-garde’s sake, this might be your cup of space tea. But if you’re hoping for a coherent tribute to Sun Ra’s pioneering jazz, prepare for disappointment.

Final Thoughts: Somewhere, in a parallel universe, this album works. Unfortunately, in this dimension, it’s a celestial flop that Kronos and friends should have left in the wormhole.