But where Thom and the boys seek out any trace of disonant alienation, sparing scant thought for the listener in the process, the 'Lips are altogether a more cosy, cuddly outfit. They're famous for their live show, where the goal is a visceral form of group entertainment potentially involving stage make-up, enormous ballons, fireworks, animal costumes... oh, and some killer songs. And they're equally famous for their unapologetically 'concept', sci-fi affected studio work - the final track on the last album was titled - "Approaching Pavonis By Balloon (Utopia Planitia)". Recently they organised a mass nude fans cycle ride to provide footage for a video clip. Their raison d'etre is to spread the joy of imagination and their approach is democratically inclusive.
While earlier albums have a child-like sense of wonder and curiosity, with Embryonic they belatedly outgrow the wacky art-student tendencies. This album is much darker. Indeed it goes as far as being decidedly sombre. And with slightly less all around boisterousness, there's space for the melancholic mood to work itself into the fabric. They sound as if they're battling both outer demons and inner nightmares. So the echoey, haunting "Evil", the ghostly, plaintive "If", the mournful "Powerless"... invoke a threatening atmosphere, like a looming dusk. These bitter pills are interspersed between the more upbeat and hopeful "The Sparrow Looks Up at the Machine", "See The Leaves", "The Ego's Last Stand". Their former mode appears briefly on the fantastical "I can be a Frog"... complete with comical sound effects.
The album picks up in spirit towards the end, with a gorgeous, poignant trilogy to close out the album - the puslating "Silver Trembling Hands" drops smoothly into the wistful instrumental "Virgo Self-Esteem Broadcast" which echoes earlier phrases and sounds, before the stirring finale "Watching the Planets" - which roughly encapsulates the whole Flaming Lips kitchen sink in a single track.
There's an early 70's vibe to it, for my money - Pink Floyd, say, or John Lennon. It made me go listen again to Meddle, and the aesthetic is similar, but where that album soars off and away with expansive prog rock, Embryonic definitely seeks a closer, more intimate, connection to the listener. (The band's next album is reportedly a re-recording of Dark Side of the Moon).
Technically, there's a lot of a fuzzed-out overdrive on the guitar and, interestingly, on the bass as well, which helps give it that early 70's sound, resembling say the White Album. The drums and vocals are hugely reverb-ed to give that big booming effect, like the album was recorded in a dancehall. Indeed it sounds almost analogue, which is a delightfully refreshing pleasure.
Despite superficial similarities to their equally prog-rock devoted, uber hip peers, the Lips have been doing this from the beginning and there's really nothing else out there quite like it. There's a coherence to the sound and pace of this album that rewards listening to it in it's entirety. With Embryonic, the Lips demonstrate real compositional maturity. This is a deeply emotional record, full of drama and colour both in the music and the lyrics.
Highlights: "The Sparrow Looks Up at the Machine". "Powerless", "Silver Trembling Hands", "Watching the Planets"
Links: Watching the Planets (live) , NPR Interview - Making of Embryonic
