I recently watched ‘Fearless Freaks’, which is a lovingly assembled collection of recordings made of the Flaming Lips by a close friend, who also happens to work in film.
For two decades, he recorded them in close quarters, and the film was a very informative journey into the history of this fascinating band. They’ve come from no-talent acid-dropping punks surviving on macaroni and cigarettes to one of the most consistently engaging bands in the public eye. ‘Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots’ was an amazing album, and this single, from the new album, ‘At War With The Mystics’, is cut from the same cloth. Not as layered or as complex as some of the music on ‘Yoshimi’, there’s a rocking riff that sounds as if it’s being played on an overdriven kazoo. The drumming is right on, as usual, as the weird and wacky left-field sound effects perfect for playing with big fuck off expensive stereos and tinny two watt portables alike. The lyrics are humanistic and expansive, concerning self-empowerment and the broad themes of love and living life, as their songs have recently been focussed on. It won’t top the charts, but that’s no reason not to have this song in your collection.
