The Flaming Lips turned up their amps and waxed symphonic to address internal and external struggles with this eclectic and complex reflection of our turbulent times. The music is beautiful and catchy at times but also challenging and experimental. Lyrically it addresses dark political themes and channels them through a personal perspective. The album takes you on a journey through rebellion, surrender, and perseverance that is moving and thought provoking.
Wayne Coyne reflects on the return to their freak rock roots: "I do think, even when we made 'At War With the Mystics', we were not searching that far. We had so many things going on that we wanted to make rock music in a sense, and we liked this idea of being a radical, drugged-out, political freak-out band. But we didn't have some agenda of reinventing the wheel again. What's the point? We didn't want everybody not to know what we're doing. Now, as time has gone on, I feel like this idea that, whatever the band was during 'The Soft Bulletin' and during 'Yoshimi' and during 'At War With the Mystics', will all be a thing. Whatever we move onto next could be any of those things and not feel like, “Hey! Where's the next phase?” and perhaps go into the unknown again or not. It's hard to say."
'The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song'
"It's a very dangerous thing to do exactly what you want
Because you cannot know yourself or what you'd really do
With all your power"
'Vein of Stars - The Firebird Suite'
"Who knows?
Maybe there isn't a vein of stars calling out my name"
'The Sound of Failure / It's Dark... Is It Always This Dark??'
"Standing there in the graveyard
While the moon sprays its fireworks in your hair
The sound of failure calls her name
She's decided to hear it out"
'Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung' describes the beginning of the end.
"Now we'll be forever holding hands
Lava and tephra will form our bed
Now the royal flames of Pompeii bless
All our senses..."
'At War With the Mystics'
full album:
All songs written and composed by The Flaming Lips.
1. "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)" 4:51
2. "Free Radicals (A Hallucination of the Christmas Skeleton Pleading with a Suicide Bomber)" 3:39
3. "The Sound of Failure / It's Dark... Is It Always This Dark??" 7:18
4. "My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion (The Inner Life as Blazing Shield of Defiance and Optimism as Celestial Spear of Action)" 4:48
5. "Vein of Stars" 4:15
6. "The Wizard Turns On... The Giant Silver Flashlight and Puts on His Werewolf Moccasins" 3:41
7. "It Overtakes Me / The Stars Are So Big... I Am So Small... Do I Stand a Chance?" 6:50
8. "Mr. Ambulance Driver" 4:21
9. "Haven't Got a Clue" 3:23
10. "The W.A.N.D. (The Will Always Negates Defeat)" 3:44
11. "Pompeii am Götterdämmerung" 4:22
12. "Goin' On" 3:39
No comments:
Post a Comment