The Flaming Lips - Embryonic

The double album. Has any band in history ever pulled this off? I mean, even The Beatles couldn’t do it, so surely it’s just not a good idea? But ever since the inconsistent, unfocused mess that was The White Album, there have been endless attempts at the double album, most of which have gone down as considerable failures. The format may have produced some interesting works - but let’s face it, how many double LPs are in your regular rotation?

And unfortunately, The Flaming Lips’ new double album, Embryonic, is no different. Its 18 tracks are interspersed with noise freakouts and some entirely throwaway curios, making the album a bit of an effort to listen to from start to finish in one sitting. Although somewhat predictable, the criticism that this album could have been so much better if it had been cut to 45 minutes is fitting here. The lead single, ‘I Can Be A Frog’, is some sort of poorly judged musical ‘joke’ – the track centres around Karen O (of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) making a string of extremely annoying animal noises – and some of Embryonic’s tracks just seem underdeveloped. But this carefree attitude is not without its charm – it’s a real breath of fresh air to hear The Lips throw caution to the wind after their calculated, and sometimes rather cold, recent works.

In fact, Embryonic couldn’t be further removed from the pop sheen of At War With The Mystics or Yoshimi, closer perhaps to 1997’s Zaireeka. The band have done away with the lush, orchestral soundscapes that have characterised their sound since The Soft Bulletin, opting instead for a more muscular, guitar driven production. Much of Embryonic sounds like it was recorded in one take, giving the album a ragged and unpolished feel – you can even hear mobile phone interference on a couple of tracks.

Embryonic opens with buzzes, twangs and disconnected squalls of guitar distortion, the band going through a couple of false starts before ‘Convinced Of The Hex’ settles into its insistent kraut-rock groove. The rhythm section here is tighter than ever - the stuttering drums refuse to settle onto a comfortable beat, as if at any moment the band could erupt in a cloud of distortion and noise – and Coyne’s voice has never sounded so commanding. ‘Convinced Of The Hex’ could be seen as a sort of manifesto for the rest of the record; the driving bass, the raw production, the dark, tense atmosphere – all return time and again throughout Embryonic.

The longer format of the double album has given The Flaming Lips considerable room to experiment on Embryonic, to varying degrees of success. ‘Virgo Self-Esteem Broadcast’, for example, is truly stunning. A wordless choir, singing beautiful rising harmonies, punctuated by the occasional organ stab, floats atop a muffled voice sample (repeating ‘this is the beginning’ over and over). This track is powerfully hypnotic, lodging itself deep within the subconscious, and is one of Embryonic’s finest moments.

Whilst not all of the experimental tracks here are as successful, it is well worth putting up with the (relatively few) missteps for music as striking as that found on ‘Virgo Self-Esteem Broadcast’. Embryonic might be a little hit or miss, but it is never boring or middle of the road. The Flaming Lips have taken a risk with this record - something extremely refreshing to hear from such an established band - making Embryonic a surprisingly easy album to love, warts and all.

Listen now on Spotify

Tom