Things are certainly never dull with The Flaming Lips and the band's long storied career has seen a lot of changes both within the lineup and in their sound. Of course there are always the fans who prefer their early stuff, before that period from 1999-2006 where they sold more records than they ever had, played to bigger crowds than they ever had and made what, for them, you could call more accessible music. But accessible music for The Flaming Lips is not the same as your typical radio friendly pop or rock music. There is still an astounding amount of experimentation in The Soft Bulletin, Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots and At War With The Mystics, so much so that this will never be a mainstream band, and I love them for that.
There were four full-length original studio albums after 2006's At War With the Mystics, nothing that captured the magic of that trio of gems, and included in there was the unlistenable noise of 2013's The Terror. There were also a bunch of EP's, cover albums, wild collaborations including that whole Miley Cyrus thing and offstage controversies that Wayne Coyne found himself in the middle of. Even though I wasn't digging much of the music the band was putting out during this time period, one thing never changed. They're still one of the best live acts on Earth and their live shows never suffered over these years and helped me keep the faith they'd put out an album that I loved from start to finish again. There were sparks of greatness on 2017's Oczy Mlody, but it would be 2020 when The Flaming Lips unleashed their next great album.
Of course it wouldn't be The Flaming Lips without a wild concept around the album. Coyne has stated American Head's story was based around Tom Petty's death. He imagined Petty's 70's band Mudcrutch playing his hometown of Oklahoma City, never leaving, recording an album, while developing drug habits. This basic premise then allowed him to include real life events and characters from his time growing up, including siblings and himself. For example, "Mother Don't Be Sad" is based on a story he's told many times over the years of how the Long John Silver's where he worked in his younger years was robbed. Except in this version, he was killed in the robbery and sings comfort to his mother.
With song titles like "At The Movies On Quaaludes", "You N Me Sellin' Weed" and "Mother I've Taken LSD", the drug references are certainly right out in the open, as he spins tales influenced by his brother's experiences and experiences of his own into his Mudcrutch storyline. Musically, American Head is The Flaming Lips at their most melodic and alluring. There aren't any of the harder rock tracks from the past, this is a slower, elegant folk/rock sound this time around and it's captivating all the way through. Tracks including "Will You Return/When You Come Down" and "Flowers Of Neptune 6" are as beautiful as anything in their catalog. Don't worry, there is still plenty of experimentation and psychedelia mixed in. Steven Drozd's work shines throughout. On "Brother Eye"' Coyne's vocals alternate between a dark, electronically altered menace and sweet, clear vulnerability against a backdrop of electronic bleeps and beats. "Dinosaurs On the Mountain" is one of several tracks that would easily have fit sonically on The Soft Bulletin.
American Head is the Flaming Lips album I've been waiting for since At War With The Mystics. It's cohesive, it's experimental but accessible, it's emotional and it's overwhelmingly gorgeous. It's The Flaming Lips at their best, reaching the levels of The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi once again.
Favorite tracks: "Will You Return/When You Come Down", "Assassins Of Youth", "Flowers Of Neptune 6", "Dinosaurs On The Mountain"
American Head was released September 11th, 2020 on Warner Records.
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