Flaming Lips - Embryonic

[Ego Tripping]

Has anybody checked this album out? It's been out for a bit so I thought I'd see what people here think.

I will say first off, that I sorely miss the overly bubbly happy-shiny-chords of Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi. When I heard At War With The Mystics, it was clear they wanted to mix it up and get crazy again. And then Embryonic...holy shit.

In some ways, I find it to be genius. In other ways, complete insanity. I know about that fine line and they are clearly trying to walk it. Some parts feel pretentious with their overly cacophonic mishmashes. Others feel perfectly sandwiched between the Velvet Underground and Mars Volta that throws back to the Lips' older styles but with a refined and matured essence.

Overall, it's growing on me slowly. I still miss the endless replayability of The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi, but it's damn sweet to see bands experiment successfully (for the most part). What I can say is, it makes me really excited to see what they come up with next.

[Ego Tripping]

And one afterthought after giving it another run through tonight...the one thing it does have, oddly enough, is cohesion. Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi (as well as their earlier stuff to a degree) had a well-rounded sound that pervaded each track, even with their wild differences. At War With The Mystics was a decent album but it didn't have a cohesive sound to it. While Embryonic's sound may be rough on the edges (sometimes fucking jagged & razor sharp), it has a consistent sound that makes it all that more provocative.