Published on Apr 5, 2006
It’s hard not to think in terms of trilogies when two
big-event albums, books or movies are released. Think the
Matrix movies, the Lord Of The Rings books or a
series of solid albums from artists (e.g. Radiohead’s The
Bends, OK Computer and Kid A trifecta). So when
The Flaming Lips were making their latest album, At War With The
Mystics, it’s hard not to see this album as a perfect
complement to their 1999 masterpiece The Soft Bulletin and
their stellar 2002 release Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots.
But in true Flaming Lips fashion, the album refuses to snugly fit
into this category.
At War With The Mystics is a stubborn little
album. The album is far more a flashback to the band’s earlier
albums than a huge step forward for the band. And after three
listens, it seems like the band is spinning their wheels a bit. But
it’s the best “artist spinning their wheels” album since The
Beastie Boys’ Ill Communication.
The album kicks off with “The Yeah Yeah Yeah” song
(no relation to the arty New York trio). If you can ignore the
kiddie chorus, the scratchy guitar riff grabs your ear enough to
listen to the song’s hypothetical question: “What would you with
all your powers?” The song teeters from infectuos to annoying, but
the rousing crescendo puts the song into the “win” category.
No so much luck with the second song, “Free
Radicals.” It’s soulful in a Beck way (it could be that Wayne Coyne
took some hints from the artist while they were touring), but it’s
the first time in ages when I could actually describe a Flaming
Lips song as dull. With “Sound of Failure/It’s Dark…Is it
Always This Dark?”, the disc begins to sound like a mellow
acid-trip.
Drug references, political obsessions and ’60s-era
idealism are all over At War With The Mystics. “They see the
sun go down, but they don’t see it rise, ” Coyne sings; the sunny
lyrics permeating through the murky, overcast sound of “My Cosmic
Autumn Rebellion.” In “Vein Of Stars,” Coyne takes a page from John
Lennon’s “Imagine” when he sings “If there ain’t no heaven, maybe
there ain’t no hell.”
Matching the drug references are sounds that are
heavily rooted in 70s progressive rock and late-60s soul (even
though they’ve been marketed by the media to be the house band for
an intergalactic bar in the year 3000). Thankfully, bassist Michael
Ivins and drummer/percussionist/catch-all ace Steven Drozd are up
for the challenge…most of the time. “Wizard Turns On” has a
70s porno feel, but it just doesn’t go anywhere.
“Haven’t Got a Clue” has a pleasant, marching,
scratchy guitar riff. The riff vaguely recalls Primus’ “Wynona’s
Big Brown Beaver,” but with a definite political slant: “Every time
you state your case, the more I want to punch your face!” Coyne
sings.
If “Haven’t Got A Clue” wakes you from the sleepy
early half of the album, “W.A.N.D.” jolts you awake, taking the
political talk of the previous song to a street-demonstration
level. “We got the power now, motherf**kers!” hearkens back to Rage
or maybe Public Enemy, at least in spirit.
Like Radiohead with Niles Godrich, The Flaming Lips
seem to have gotten comfortable with producer Dave Fridmann. The
relationship may start to bring in diminishing returns as much of
At War With The Mystics has a “haven’t I heard this from the
band before?” feel. But Flaming Lips have always been a band where
even at their most mundane, they’re still a few light years ahead
of their peers.