The Flaming Lips wild child.

We took time to listen  to the new Flaming Lips “Embryonic” record.
We have been impressed to see that something new happened to their music : “Embryonic” is a wild album!
That’s why we decided to write a small text to tell you why we love it so much.

THE FLAMING LIPS  “EMBRYONIC”

“When we are young, we are stupid jerks”. Well, this is what old folks say. “Old stupid jerks” say young people.
Incomprehension.
Existential levitation. When we are growing old and start to regard on ourself to be a bit old and a bit young at the same time. Sort of young old people. Or old young people…

To fight against this time some try to act like youngsters, hands up in clubs screaming yeahhh, or reciting in bars all those temporary hysterias of youngsters music blogs:  “have you listened to the last Solo’s crazy mix on discobelle ?” …But, man, your paunch is out of your jeans, too bad ! With your Kanye’s LV, it sucks.

Opposite option for the young old fundamentalist specimen who continues to eat junk food like a teenager: Getting damaged in the quest of youth. Like listening exclusively to some NYC Golden Age hip hop, the first Nas, “we haven’t done better since, I am telling you ”. Or getting mad ecstatically on the last Sonic Youth record.

Some crafty ones believe they have found the magic formula: now buddy, you’re gonna educate youngsters.
Art, music, life; no, not life!  I’m talking like an old fart…
Explaining that nothing is lost, it’s all about transformation, rewind forward, vintage, sampling, cycles and so on.
It’s a bit like us.
Robert Crumb, Chris Marker, La Jetée, the sixties… okay, we were not even born yet but by getting older I guess we go backwards.

Like in the late 80’s, early 90’s, when we were young and stupid jerks. When we were listening to lots of Indie Pop. And Sub Pop premises. And the Flaming Lips. A lot.
It used to make us laugh, the noise of this guy whacking off on the intro of  “Telepatic Surgery”. It was so “punk” Beavis & Butthead.
Much more punk than their previous records that we liked less and less as they played in giant stadiums throwing balloons in the first part of Coldplay.
Our old indie soundtrack: pop yes, but arty etc..

Now, with their new album « Embryonic », just forget about that: It’s like if they have stopped champaign and cocaine and down from the top of the wave.
Why and how I have no idea, they might have recorded it sober, but “Embryonic” is everything but a runt.
A fucking beautiful baby even.
When you are old, you think like a father, you will see, son.

Just with the two first tracks, a big bass line on low C chord, screams like Damon Suzuki, crushed riffs, head shakings on the sofa. Wicked.

Then telepathy on the third one: Evil. Old melancholic notes as an introduction, then I think it talks about drugs but above all, about age, and that, I am sure of :” I wish I could go back… go back in time”, crescendo, violins and oboes without accordions, a bit weepy: “it’s hard to understand, I’ll never understand”, yes, Wayne.
Wayne Coyne: I love you.

But hey, this is not a whining girls record: It goes up and then goes down, and sometimes it is ultra easy cool, sometimes, there are dirty guitars playing but never verse/chorus/verse like in the English cool-chick songs. It goes on a “Watching the planets” mode.
Kraut we told you, we could also say psyché.

Thus all youngsters, from Tame Impala to MGMT trying to play this Cream or Grateful Dead psyché rock, will learn from it.
Besides, the Spring Summer 2009 hipsters idols are there, on a featuring on the track “Worm Mountain”, one of the best song of this “Embryonic”. Normal. We are at Warner’s, you stupid ! have to buzz, although we don’t really see where are the Management guys, lost into the distortion pedals.
So Wild, this track, dirty and wild.

Like this record.
A wild child.

There are some that would never get old.