[Photo by Laura M. Gray; more here]
At the risk of sounding cheesy, the new Flaming Lips album gave us chills when we first heard it streaming on Stephen Colbert’s site. That’s because it drops the trio’s tired confetti & costumes shtick for the dark but delightful fare they excel at, something they haven’t explored since 2002’s Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. (We honestly only listened to their last LP once because its opener, “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song,” immediately sent us into diabetic shock. The new one, on the other hand, starts with two Kraut-y descents into absolute darkness.)
The following video features the preschool wails of Karen O, who can do a mean lion impression. Aside from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs connection, we’re not quite sure why the band ran with this song as a lead-off single of sorts. Unlike the album’s true standouts, it’s short and a bit too simple. With that said, it still reflects the record’s slightly sinister bent; as innocent as the lyrics are, there’s a dewy-eyed sense of nostalgia that makes it feel like a faded photo.
Consider us actually excited about an album for once. Hell, we even just pre-ordered the limited double LP pressing here.