knowncutter's Full Review: At War with the Mystics by Flaming Lips
Despite the infatuation, or perhaps because of, some people have with the Flaming Lips’ previous two albums, The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, I’ve never thought very highly of them. In my opinion, both these albums are like cheap bubblegum. I might give them a taste every once in a while for the brief burst of flavor they provide (Fight Test or Race for the Prize), but I always end up spitting them back into the garbage, usually with a now dull and unsatisfying taste left in my mouth.
I don’t necessarily hate either of the aforementioned albums, and I certainly don’t hate the Flaming Lips, but I’m not of the company that suggests their sonic evolution (where they’ve apparently become so advanced they’re now staring at sound) is a universe changing improvement. I’m all for ambition and progression in a band’s sound, but truth be told I’m far fonder of the Flaming Lips earlier, less sappy works, such as Transmissions From the Satellite Heart or Clouds Taste Metallic.
So the big question for me, concerning the Lips 2006 release, At War With the Mystics, is where it will fit into the band’s catalogue. Is it a brand new development in the psychedelic journey of the Flips, or is it just the band rehashing old ideas? And more importantly, if they are rehashing, what era have they chosen to imitate?
Answering these questions is not quite as simple as one might hope. In terms of new developments, many of the songs on At War With the Mystics, such as It Overtakes Me, lay down big funky guitar riffs the Flaming Lips haven’t really utilized before. At the same time, fans of the The Soft Bulletin will be pleased to know several tracks, The Sound of Failure… and My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion, sound as if they could have been lifted straight off that 1999 release.
Before you go assuming the association with Bulletin automatically ruins Mystics in my mind, hear me out. Despite Mystics failure to completely turn a new leaf, I feel it is an overall more enjoyable and satisfying effort than anything the Lips have done since 1995. My reasoning for this belief is due to a newfound tendency in the band to combine the succinct, beautiful melodies with some tasty guitar licks, most notably exemplified on The Sound of Failure…. Unfortunately this track also perfectly exemplifies the album’s biggest flaw; its knack for meandering about for minutes at a time without actually accomplishing anything.
The album opens with two cuts more distinct to this specific album’s aesthetic. The second of these, Free Radicals, lays down an enticing riff behind Coyne’s almost ridiculous falsetto, while gradually putting all the pieces of the song together. It sounds very disjointed at first, but overtime begins to make sense. The opener, The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song, is easily the catchiest song since a certain girl became famous for not using jelly, and immediately presents Wanye Coyne’s opinions about the state of our nation, and more specifically president Bush.
Much of the album does focus lyrically on the band’s clear disdain for Bush, most blatantly on Haven’t Got a Clue when Coyne pipes, “Every time you state your case, I want to punch you in the face.” Perhaps it’s just me, but considering how clever a wordsmith Coyne’s been on past efforts, one would think he could come up with something better than, “You think you’re radical, but you’re fanatical.” There’s an absolute mountain of material out there on Bush and Coyne fails to really grasp any of it very effectively. He more or less makes painfully obvious statements, knowing full well he’ll have 70% of America on his side just for speaking up against Bush in the first place. Fortunately for any dignity Coyne has left, tracks like The W.A.N.D overwhelm you enough musically that you can’t focus on his juvenile lyrics.
One interesting characteristic of At War With the Mysitcs is its penchant for Pink-Floydian tracks such as The Wizard Turns it On or Pompeii Am Gotterdammerung. Both sound like long lost Dark Side of the Moon outtakes, meaning for me they’re well done, and melodic, but overall boring. Then again some people love the Beatles’ Piggies, so I guess Pompeii could be seen as excellent in some circles.
I have to admit I never planned on liking this album. I initially had set out to write a scathing critique of the snooze fest the Flaming Lips had become. However, along the way I realized that At War With The Mystics is, at the very least, the best thing the Flaming Lips have done in quite some time. Depending on your point of view, that could be high praise indeed.
Song Rankings
$= Great song worth your money
Download (essentially steal)= Good song
Skip= Average filler
Garbage= Terrible track
1. The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song- $
2. Free Radicals- Download
3. The Sound of Failure/It’s Dark…Is It Always This Dark??- Download
4. My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion- Download
5. Vein of Stars- Skip
6. The Wizard Turns On…- Skip
7. It Overtakes Me/The Stars Are So Big, I Am So Small… Do I Stand a Chance?- Download
8. Mr. Ambulance Driver- Download
9. Haven’t Got a Clue- Skip
10. The W.A.N.D.- $
11. Pompeii Am Gotterdammerung- Skip
12. Goin’ On- Download
At War With The Mystics follows the Flaming Lips tradition of not treading back over old ground, with the band initially looking for a more playful, l...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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