Review: The Flaming Lips – Embryonic

“I wish I could back…back in time” – are the words in which Wayne Coyne passionately pleads on the track Evil and this is what The Flaming Lips accomplish with Embryonic. They manage to find their psychedic roots; what they did and still do best. This comes off like it was released somewhere between Transmissions From The Satellite Heart and Clouds Taste Metallic. Don’t get me wrong , I loved Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots but it had a great deal of clean, controlled studio tricks and had been touched up by David Friedmen’s brush. Friedman is behind the controls again here with Scott Booker and The Lips but the sound is so different. This is raw; at times sounding like a live 70’s era electric Miles Davis and other times sounding like something from Pink Floyd’s Meddle. Once a while an album will instantly stop you in your tracks and keep you there. And for me, Embryonic is this album. If I had to give my pick for album of the year already…well…you know.

At first listen, I was so moved by the rawness and how dark and spacious the songs played out [track #9 “Powerless”]. This “loose feeling” plays out through both discs and pulls the listener though space and time with standout tracks like “Watching the Planets”, “Silver Trembling Hands”, “Evil, “Convinced Of The Hex” and “Worm Mountain”.

Don’t waste your time with the standard realease of this lp – spend the money and get the Embryonic [LIMITED EDITION]. It includes: 2CD set with over 70+ minutes of music! Bonus audio DVD of the full album (The 96k 24 bit audio has 256 times more resolution than a standard CD which provides greater detail reproducing the music in it’s full dynamic range. You can now experience exactly what the artist and producer hear in the studio.); Custom ‘hard-cover book’ with 24 pages of full color art, lyrics and band photos. This is a limited edition run that was custom designed by the Flaming Lips.