The Flaming Lips have been around for a long time, and like many people I was new to the party. I'm familiar with only the most recent 4 of the band's 12 studio albums. From what I've read, The Soft Bulletin (1999) was a shift toward a more mainstream sound. The album that followed it, Yoshimi Battles the Robots (2002), is one of my favorite albums of the decade. At War with the Mystics (2005) is good, but not as strong.
Embryonic is a shift back toward their more experimental roots. Thus, those of us seduced by their conventional work--such as the 2002 hit "Do You Realize?"--may be put off by the lack of traditional songs here.
"Convinced of the Hex" and "The Sparrow Looks Up at the Machine" open the album along somewhat conventional lines--these songs do have discernible melodies, as well as driving beats. "See the Lights" is also pretty charged and transitions in the middle to a synth instrumental. Drum-heavy "Your Bats" is so lo-fi it sounds like it was recorded in someone's garage, or perhaps a shuttle bay, given the pervasive retro science fiction vibe.
Instrumental "Aquarius Sabotage," the first of the five Zodiac-themed numbers, bursts first with frenetic drumming, harp effects and other squelching before simmering down about halfway through. "Gemini Syringes" is better--a meditative track with a prominent bassline and synth melody featuring a scientist lecturing in the background. The sound expands in the song's second half, as the guitar and vocals (not the scientist) come to the fore. "Powerless," the nearly 7-minute closing track of the album's first half, sets a fairly static bass and drums background over which raw electric guitar riffs play and intensify. "The Impulse" is another mostly instrumental track, with vocals so distorted as to lose their coherence.
The album is not without its oddities. "Evil," a plodding melody of piano and synths intoning that "those people are evil, and it's hard to understand." Gentle "If" provides a counterpoint: "People are evil it's true, but on the other side they can be gentle too if they decide...but they don't always decide." The album's strangest moment though is hands down "I Can Be a Frog," during which singer Wayne Coyne suggests a number of sounds (mostly animals) for singer Karen O to imitate (which she does). MGMT also make a guest appearance on "Worm Mountain," a big-sounding track.
The album's final act contains a couple of winning tracks. "Silver Trembling Hands" picks up the tempo after a couple of slower numbers. "Watching the Planets" marches forth with a charging bass beat.
My take is that Embryonic is not bad, but it's not as enjoyable as their previous albums, and it's certainly not as accessible. It's also quite long, with 18 tracks spread over 2 discs. The materials flows well, as many of the songs have similar elements. The sound is like a lo-fi soundtrack to a psychedelic 1960s sci-fi film (not coincidentally, the band's last project was the science fiction musical Christmas on Mars). Raspy guitar and fuzzy, distant vocals blend with smoother keyboard notes and effects. It works well as a whole piece though, which is a pretty amazing accomplishment for something so long and varied.
Best: Convinced of the Hex, The Sparrow Looks Up at the Machine, Gemini Syringes, Watching the Planets
2 comments:
I'm buying this album tommorow for my friend, he's a huge fan--he's 2 years younger than me but he owns every album. As for me I don't really see the appeal.
I hope he likes it. Have you listened to Yoshimi Battles the Robots? I really like that album. After that, there's some that are okay, but that I really like a lot.
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