THE FLAMING LIPS

THE FLAMING LIPS
AT WAR WITH THE MYSTICS (2006)
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'The Soft Bulletin' and 'Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots', the Flaming Lips' previous two albums, have both received the sort of praise that doesn't come along very often. And this, inevitably, means that we're due a backlash. They couldn't put a foot wrong on '...Bulletin' and 'Yoshimi...', so there was no way they could maintain the same level of excellence for the third time. Right? Well, yes and no as it turns out. Firstly, the Flaming Lips are to be applauded for daring not to trot out the same formula for a third consecutive time. Had they done so, the album would have been treading water, resting on laurels - whatever you want to call it. The off-the-wall oddity of old makes something of a return: the swooning beauty of their two previous efforts is tempered with more of their pre-fame inverted acid drenched punk pop.
Opener 'The Yeah Yeah Yeah' song certainly taps into this vein: think Talking Heads criss-crossed with the Beach Boys at their bounciest and you won't be far wrong. If it's a welcome change, then the Scissor Sisters dirge that is 'Free Radicals' certainly isn't. In terms of pace 'At War With the Mystics' sprints out of the blocks with these two upbeat numbers, but then subsides into blissful melancholy for the next several numbers before resurfacing into chirpy mode with the cheesy verse/glorious chorus goggle-eyed chant that is 'It Overtakes Me'. As a whole this rather destabilizes the balance of the album, and certainly doesn't work first time out. But the second quarter of the album is certainly worth revisiting, featuring as it does moments of real power - most notably on 'My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion', every bit the equal of their dreamscape 'Yoshimi...' efforts. All the good work, alas, is almost undone by the bloated 'It's Dark...Is It Always This Dark' suite tacked on to the end of the otherwise majestic 'The Sound of Failure' and the pointless half-baked noodle of 'The Wizard...'
If the first half is maddeningly inconsistent then it doesn't bode well for the second half. Remarkably, the second half of the album is far stronger. There is one possible duff track in 'Haven't Got A Clue', which is something the band could have knocked out in their sleep if we're honest. But the closing trio of the album is probably the best closing trio to an album they have ever done and almost makes you forgive the below par tracks beforehand. 'The W.A.N.D.' is a triumphant return to 'Transmissions...'/ 'Clouds Taste Metallic' era Flaming Lips, only this time with added stinging guitar spice and extra catchiness. Future single for sure. The absurdly titled 'Pompeii Am Gotterdammerung' is surely one of the Lips' all time top five songs - definitely the best song Pink Floyd never wrote at the very least, and with emotional euphoric clout (the second 'Now we'll be forever holding hands' line is a glorious moment) to boot. And after all the impressive 'look what we can do' musical fireworks, Wayne, Steven and Michael pull it out of the bag by stripping it back to a simple piano for the final album track 'Goin' On'. A gloriously understated piece, it is decisively melancholic in subject matter but oddly comforting in tone. It's a perfect finale to a sprawling, often experimentally grandstanding work.

1. The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song
2. Free Radicals
3. The Sound of Failure
4. My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion
5. Vein of Stars
6. The Wizard Turns On...
7. It Overtakes Me
8. Mr. Ambulance Driver
9. Haven't Got a Clue
10. The W.A.N.D.
11. Pompeii Am Gotterdammerung
12. Goin' On