The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
Rating
RIYL
Pink FloydBuilt to Spill
Phish
Release Date
10/13/2009
Label
Warner Bros.Tracklist
Disc: 11. Convinced of the Hex
2. Sparrow Looks Up at the Machine
3. Evil
4. Aquarius Sabotage
5. See the Leaves
6. If
7. Gemini Syringes
8. Your Bats
9. Powerless
Disc: 2
1. Ego's Last Stand
2. I Can Be a Frog
3. Sagittarius Silver Announcement
4. Worm Mountain
5. Scorpio Sword [Instrumental]
6. Impulse
7. Silver Trembling Hands
8. Virgo Self-Esteem Broadcast [Instrumental]
9. Watching the Planets
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Prepare yourself for a dirty romp through the mind of Wayne Coyne and family. Gone are the twinkling guitars of songs like “Do You Realize?” and “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robot Pt 1.” What you will find here is a much darker Flaming Lips, one possibly rawer than earlier outings. Embryonic hearkens back to early 90’s Lips where the songs sound more like live jam sessions than iconic pop masterpieces.
The album consists of eighteen songs of 60s/70s psych-rock. From the opener “Convinced of the Hex,” the undeniable sense that you are not going to be listening to another At War With the Mystics is apparent. The direction on this CD is towards the dark. It seems that Coyne is no longer going to embody the lighthearted nature found on their last couple of LPs. He is instead a dark horse who describes his environment as haunting and without remorse. For a prime example check out the track “See the Leaves.” Coyne, in a monotone voice, gives nothing to the listener in terms of hope, but rather a hymn on the lowest points humankind can reach.
There are countless moments where you can hear that this album is another great step forward for the band. For example, in the song “I Can Be a Frog” we find Coyne recalling his lyrical nursery type rhymes over a dismal orchestration. The background animal impressions are courtesy of Karen O and only add to the creepiness of the song.
The only lackluster moments come in the form of a few instrumental tracks scattered throughout the two CDs. These include the songs “Aquarius Sabotage” and “Gemini Syringes,” to name a couple. They are not really that interesting and seem like more a spillover of ideas put into song form.
The album is extremely opaque and at first listen kind of overwhelming considering it is two discs in length. Through repeat listens the subtle nuisances of electronic equipment gone awry rewards the listener with something new every time. Those looking for pop songs of robots and levity, this is not a record for you. If you jumped on the bandwagon soon after Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots you will in fact be very disappointed. The Flaming Lips are no longer content with being pigeonholed as that band who did “Do You Realize?” For the Fearless Freaks there is a renewed sense of who they are. No longer merely a stage presence with a lead vocalist in a bubble, but rather a driven group of musicians who are trying to do something different with their music, and they have certainly succeeded with this album.
--Corey Mack
Comments
Fort Bragg, CA
This seems like it's going to be a pretty trippy listen. I dig Yoshimi quite a bit, and am convinced this band can do no wrong.
Baltimore, MD
I'm absolutely loving this album. Prior to Embryonic, I only knew a few of the singles from Yoshimi and At War, but this album really got me into their discography. However I'm still having trouble with At War (except for The W.A.N.D.).
Anyway, I like everything on Embryonic...minus I Can Be a Frog, but it's short enough that I can forgive it. The darkness on this is captivating. Also of note, I thought immediately as I listened to this the first few times that it really reminded me of Baltimore band Lake Trout. I come to find out they were a big influence on this album.
Last.fm | RateYourMusic | 8tracks
Boston, MA
This record rules. I absolutely love "See the Leaves"
Stereo Typing
Tweet at me, bro
VT
So good.
My Top Songs of '09
The Appleseed Cast//as the little things go
Caspian//sycamore
Sunwrae//Chinook Winds
Dredg//down to the seller
If These Trees Could Talk//the sun is in the north
From Monument to Masses//an ounce of prevention
Straylight Run//i'm through with the past
LpShinobi's Post-Rock and Shoegazing Recommendation, via YouTube
Lpshinobi's Post-Rock Band, New Song Posted
Ann Arbor, MI
one of the best albums of the year!!
DETH ROK!!!!
San Jose, CA
Gooooood album.
last.fm/user/thetsaiguy
Infinitely Inwards
Awesome album....this one is in my year top list.
Ever Forthright - Ever Forthright
Fallujah - The Harvest Wombs
The New Law - The Fifty Year Storm
The Mars Volta - Noqtourniqet
Aborted - Global Flatline
Spawn of Possession - Incurso
Crippled Black Phoenix - (Mankind)The Crafty Ape
Sunshine Coast, Australia
saw the Flaming Lips in July at Splendour in the Grass, an australian festival... never really listened to them much before, but they put on a hell of a show... the performance was probably more entertaining than the actual music, I'm interested to here this though.
"If you want something done right, get a fucking Australian band to do it" - Chris Cheney
Brooklyn, NY
awesome album, good review too
www.explodinginsound.com
Leeds, England
I'm on the fence with this one. It's too long for one, and doesnt really feature any standouts, IMO. I guess it's alright as an ambient album, but there's nothing that makes this much more than background music for me.
Baton Rouge
At War With the Mystics is a flaming pile of poo! Maybe two redeemable tracks on the whole thing. They got way into themselves and their live image on that one. Embryonic is a return to their music-focused form. It may not be the easiest listen, but it is sure more rewarding than listening to Wayne Coyne say "It Overtakes Me" 50 times in one song.
Boobs
http://thenicsperiment.blogspot.com/