Exotic Birds of Prey

PING. She looked up. A rectangular notification had popped into view, obscuring the view of the road.  >You have an update pending. “No thank you,” she said, and brusquely waved it out of her field of view. PING. Her head jerked up again in annoyance.  >Stellify Subscriber alert: new album from Shabazz Palaces: Exotic Birds of Prey.  “Oh.” Her eyebrows arched, her fingers lightly drummed her tablet. “Play,” she said, voice softening. The integrated Bang & Olufsen speakers cut on. Lyrics and info danced on the windscreen, casting the cabin in a crimson glow. >Shabazz Palaces’ latest is a foreboding foray into final-days funk. Cold-forged synths cut like steel underneath paranoiac playerisms and science-faction set pieces. What will you do when the robots don't recognize your face? “Pour more bass on my mids.”  “Mmm.” The bio-reactive seat gently reclined as the whole vehicle body, composed of recycled marine plastics and seaweed, throbbed with deep, monstrous tones. Her eye