Who would have guessed that a band 25 years into an already illustrious career and comfortably ensconced in commercial success and legendary status would take an absolute left turn the way The Flaming Lips do on Embryonic – a double album swimming in boomingly distorted instruments, jam sessions and noise freak outs, stoner philosophizing and minimalist experiments, from rockers like “Convinced of the Hex” and the stomping “Watching the Planets” to unsettlingly eerie tracks like “Evil”, there’s an amazing and satisfying sense of depth and musical experience to be found on Embryonic; thank god, for the first time in many years The Flaming Lips are fucking weird again.

Rating: 9.3 / 10

October 13, 2009
Warner Bros.

Dark Night of the Soul is a big musical collaboration between the band Sparklehorse, ubiquitous producer Danger Mouse, a whole bunch of other people, and David Lynch, who provides an high price artbook full of accompanying visuals (and may or may not give an uncredited vocal performance on the title track); the album is made up of fuzzy, melencholy vignettes about “dark” themes like revenge and suffering but with an overwhelming pop sensibility – the results often live up to the contributor’s reputations and add to the album’s engaging mood (Wayne Coyne on “Revenge”, Iggy Pop on “Pain”, Vic Chestnutt’s “Grim Augury”) but as with any kitchen with this many cooks, missteps are bound to arise. (Nina Persson’s two tracks are pretty meh and Frank Black seems misused)

Blank Slate: Due to an “ongoing dispute” between Danger Mouse and EMI, Dark Night of the Soul will probably never see an official release. It is widely available online though, and those who purchase “the album” receive either the limited edition Lynch art book or a poster, depending on what package they choose, and a blank CD-R to “use [as they] will”. I assume that means they should put the new Jonas Brothers album on it.

7.7 / 10

Self-released
2009