Claustrophobic, Dark, Intricate. The Flaming Lips let go of the reins and let the music do the talking– unleashing a largely inexplicable but wondrous album.
Release Date: October 13, 2009
Record Label: Warner Brothers
Rating: 100
To attempt to describe all that happens over the 73 minutes of listening to Embryonic would be futile. However, if it had to be summarized, it would have to be described as something of a clusterfuck– it’s as though the band became possessed by the devil while tripping on acid, and the devil had been spending all of its time listening to krautrock before seizing their souls. The droning opener “Convinced of the Hex” is exhibit A, with its unsettling grove that continues to grow stranger as the song progresses before bleeding into the equally hypnotic “The Sparrow Looks Up at the Machine.” Much of the first disc operates in the same matter, a constantly evolving opus of wonderment that is both dark and mysterious yet occasionally surrenders itself to an almost subconscious beauty.
Contrasting the animalistic id-like presence of the first disc, disc two emphasizes the aforementioned beauty, while still maintaining an air of mystery. Airy, and slightly more playful with songs such as “I Can Be a Frog” (which features Karen O providing vocal effects). While it’s certainly not even remotely radio friendly, the second disc is like a safehaven compared to the first– a more familiar sound for Flaming Lips fans, but still maintaining the same organic elements from the last disc.
Embryonic is a highly appropriate name for this album. After basking in the crowd-pleasing glow of The Soft Bulletin, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and At War With the Mystics, The Flaming Lips have crawled deep within their inner recesses to a musical place that hasn’t been visited it seems since much earlier in their career to create something so viscerally appealing that it’s almost incomprehensible. A widescreen epic, exploring the world through seemingly infantile or simply strung out eyes, The Flaming Lips put on a sprawling display of talent. All things considered, Embryonic must be considered for album of the year.
The Flaming Lips - “Convinced of the Hex”
