The Flaming Lips don’t seem to take many breaks. Even though they haven’t released a proper album since 2006’s At War With the Mystics, the boys have managed to tour like crazy, finally release a decade-in-the-works film, start a fight with the Arcade Fire, get a street named after them, and have one of their song’s dubbed the state song of Oklahama. For a while, it was looking like the Lips were so busy with prior engagements that a new record seemed like a far of dream. But rest assured, ’cause the Flaming Lips are back.
Though back in March, the Lips hinted at a June release, September will see the release of a new Flaming Lips double-album as-of-now entitled Embryonic. That’s right, two full discs of material to make up for a three year absence. As to the title, Coyne adds that it refers to “Just this idea that you can kind of weave a couple of themes into there and you can sort of sprawl a little bit” (Spin). Wayne Coyne, Steve Drozd, and Michael Ivins have already written 13 tracks and plan to get 8 to 9 more, while at work in Drozd’s empty, on the market home.
Speaking with Billboard.com, Coyne had to following to say about the album’s sound:
Coyne said that one new track, called “Convinced of the Hex,” is like “Joy Division-meets-Miles Davis Group,” while “I Don’t Understand Karma” is his response to John Lennon’s “Instant Karma.”
“There was an element of accidentally stumbling upon more spontaneous sort of freak-out stuff,” Coyne said of the sessions. “We were sitting at Steven’s house and we just started out having these freak-out jam sessions where he’d play drums and I’d play bass and we just would sort of do freaky stuff. Some of those recordings, even though they’re not recorded very well, really had a spontaneity about them that we probably wouldn’t have purposely done.”
The Flaming Lips still have some touring to do before they hit up Monticello, New York to curate day three of All Tomorrow’s Parties festival at Kutsher’s Country Club. And if you don’t get a chance to see them live this summer/fall, I hope you stacked up on confetti/weird dancing dudes/human sized gerbil balls/giant hands/you get the idea.
Flaming Lips 2009:
06/12 – Loch Ness, UK @ Rockness
06/26 – St. Gallen, CH @ St. Gallen Festival
06/28 – Helsinki, FI @ Pitka Kuuma
07/19 – Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival
07/28 – Sydney, AU @ Hordern Pavilion
07/29 – Melbourne, AU @ Festival Hall
08/07-09 – Osaka & Tokyo, JP @ Summer Sonic Festival
09/13 – Monticello, NY @ ATP New York
