9

At War - Really?

Well The Flaming Lips are back with their very own brand of bombastic, completely off the wall rock and roll. It is easy to see why they are often dubbed as "The Greatest American Band". 'At War With The Mystics' is the Lips twelfth studio album, produced once again by Dave Fridmann, the album sees Coyne and Co. move away from the digital sounds that dominated their 2002 release 'Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots' and take on a more experimental-organic sound described by leader Coyne as "space-age jazz and progressive Dixieland". Well it is different I will give him that!

The Flaming Lips music has once again evolved, never resting on the tried and tested, they once again push the boundaries back. Opening the album with three very strong and organic tracks, with a heavy pop, electronic sound, you are bounced into 'The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song', 'Free Radicals' and 'The Sound Of Failure'.

If I were to have a complaint about this album then it would be that at times that the tracks tend to merge into one and sound more like an electronica soundscape. But saying that, it is also very soothing, which is not a word usually associated with The Flaming Lips.

Wayne Coyne says of the album "There are some tracks we've delved into production-wise, where we're trying to get some of that heavy rock'n'roll with heavy guitar riffs, but not just aggressive...... On the last couple of records, we've tried to be more expressive in beautiful ways. But sometimes, volume and intensity are great too."

The album is as reflective as it is experimental, 'Goin On' reflecting on how Coyne coped after the recent death of his mother. Just as 'The Sound Of Failure' handles the slow death of a friends father from cancer.

Whatever happens, this album is strong on experimentation, and only one band could get away with it: The Flaming Lips. I am sure this will play well at the festivals over summer and I am sure they will unleash their extraordinary stage show on the world once again.