At War With The Mystics
by The Flaming Lips
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 156 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 123 out of 156
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 156
  3. Negative: 10 out of 156

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  1. bhsmall
    Sep 25, 2020
    10
    Man what an album. A nice mix of space rock, psychedelic rock, and dream pop. Good stuff I dare say!
  2. BeauFuller
    Jun 20, 2016
    10
    Good. .
  3. rvdawesome
    Jan 4, 2014
    6
    This album is good, but doesn't quite reach the high watermark presented the band's previous releases. A lot of the songs just seem like regular, quickly-dashed-off indie pop songs that, had they been more developed, may have been much better. There are so many average songs that have a really good song at the center, but are smothered by the silliness and giddiness of the lyrics andThis album is good, but doesn't quite reach the high watermark presented the band's previous releases. A lot of the songs just seem like regular, quickly-dashed-off indie pop songs that, had they been more developed, may have been much better. There are so many average songs that have a really good song at the center, but are smothered by the silliness and giddiness of the lyrics and instrumentation. THERE, I SAID IT. THIS ALBUM IS TOO DAMN HAPPY. Apparently the band realized this, as their next release, Embryonic, was amazing as well as bleak and sort of depressing. Then they again went a little too far with the music found on The Terror, but this is not a review of that album (which is a little better than this one). Anyway, this release is a interesting but ultimately disappointing one from a great band who have rectified this mistake with their albums Embryonic and the underrated Heady Fwends.… Expand
  4. Jcelsius
    Feb 7, 2013
    10
    This album is an overlooked masterpiece. It has the sort of kookiness the Flaming Lips can boast about while mixing in deeper, more melodic songs. "Mr. Ambulance driver" is a fantastically emotional song while "W.A.N.D." is an electric anthem of empowerment. The opening track is odd, but completely wonderful. There's a lot of atmosphere on this album and some people might find the lullsThis album is an overlooked masterpiece. It has the sort of kookiness the Flaming Lips can boast about while mixing in deeper, more melodic songs. "Mr. Ambulance driver" is a fantastically emotional song while "W.A.N.D." is an electric anthem of empowerment. The opening track is odd, but completely wonderful. There's a lot of atmosphere on this album and some people might find the lulls unpleasant, but when looked at as a whole and not just a collection of songs it's hard not to reflect on the beauty of it all.… Expand
  5. TatrTotz
    Sep 3, 2011
    10
    To be honest, I didn't like this album as much at first. The Flaming Lips are my favorite band, and this album just didn't do it for me at first.

    Then I listened to it again. While "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" can certainly be annoying to many who haven't listened to The Flaming Lips, its a very clever song I think, along with many of the other songs on this album. Mr. Ambulance Driver is    To be honest, I didn't like this album as much at first. The Flaming Lips are my favorite band, and this album just didn't do it for me at first.

    Then I listened to it again.

    While "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" can certainly be annoying to many who haven't listened to The Flaming Lips, its a very clever song I think, along with many of the other songs on this album. Mr. Ambulance Driver is another great song, about someone who wishes he could be in his friend's place. The Flaming Lips, between The Soft Bulletin and this album have this overarching theme of love, and At War With The Mystics continues it, with, as I said, Mr. Ambulance Driver, My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion, and Pompeii Am Gotterdammerung. As others have said, it certainly is different from other Lips' albums, but nonetheless great. More electronic than the others, and more strange. Personally I don't think there's anything wrong with the album. Its no Soft Bulletin, but its not bad, like everyone seems to be saying. I would go so far to say that its actually pretty good.    … Expand
  6. Vampire25
    Dec 15, 2010
    8
    At War With The Mystics is no Yoshimi, But it is a very good album. It's a little more rock orientated than Yoshimi. The guitars get pretty loud, and Wayne's voice soars high. Wayne's voice sounded so smooth in this album. It was just clear and perfect. The "Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" is one of The Flaming Lip's best song. "The W.A.N.D", "Goin' On" and "Mr. Ambulance Driver" are all greatAt War With The Mystics is no Yoshimi, But it is a very good album. It's a little more rock orientated than Yoshimi. The guitars get pretty loud, and Wayne's voice soars high. Wayne's voice sounded so smooth in this album. It was just clear and perfect. The "Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" is one of The Flaming Lip's best song. "The W.A.N.D", "Goin' On" and "Mr. Ambulance Driver" are all great tracks. All In All, At War With The Mystics doesn't top the sheer brilliant masterpiece Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, but it is still a very damn good album. B+… Expand
  7. TomP
    Feb 2, 2008
    8
    Mike, you're an idiot. Radiohead is, I'm sorry, a better band than The Flaming Lips, and their stuff, or anything on this album, is not taken from Pink Floyd, mabye inspired by them, but have you ever even listened to them, or are you just plain ignorant? Anyways, this is still an entertaining listen, if not as enjoyable as Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots or The Soft Bulletin.
  8. johnT.
    Aug 2, 2007
    10
    Only once I gave this a chance did I realize the amazing complexity and possibility of this album. This is an album where you can listen to it a hundred times and discover something new each time. "It over takes me" is an epic in itself.
  9. DamonT
    Apr 23, 2007
    8
    Mostly, a very enjoyable album.
  10. GuyH
    Jan 22, 2007
    7
    Nowhere near their best but still a decent album. There are signs of a welcome return to the more expansive sound of The Soft Bulletin (Sound of Failure, the end of It Overtakes Me). A couple of absolute duds (Free Radicals, Haven't Got A Clue) and a bit of fodder (Ambulance Driver, Goin' On) bring the rating down.
  11. Landon__
    Jan 7, 2007
    10
    Masterpiece with political undertones. Their best albumt o date
  12. Mike
    Nov 7, 2006
    3
    A serious decline from Yoshimi. Sincerity is really missing from this record, and that is not a good thing since that is a Flaming Lips strength. The production feels very bland, and the melodies are very poor (another Flaming Lips strength that doesn't appear on this record). This album is like a Radiohead album. It sounds ok the first few listens, but then you realize it's A serious decline from Yoshimi. Sincerity is really missing from this record, and that is not a good thing since that is a Flaming Lips strength. The production feels very bland, and the melodies are very poor (another Flaming Lips strength that doesn't appear on this record). This album is like a Radiohead album. It sounds ok the first few listens, but then you realize it's just "experimental" music that is really just borrowed from Pink Floyd. Pink Floyd it is not. What happened to the genius Lips that created the Soft Bulletin, Transmissions from the Satellite Heart and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots? I can't think of finer rock records. Hopefully the get back in the studio ASAP.… Expand
  13. Tom
    Oct 30, 2006
    4
    All over the place - in a bad way. I remember reading that Wayne said the band was "getting back to their roots" or something like that before the album came out and that's always a worrisome thing - whenever bands seem to feel the need to "get back to roots" it usually means they're lost, and that's what this album sounds like, a band lost with no idea where to go. Sure, All over the place - in a bad way. I remember reading that Wayne said the band was "getting back to their roots" or something like that before the album came out and that's always a worrisome thing - whenever bands seem to feel the need to "get back to roots" it usually means they're lost, and that's what this album sounds like, a band lost with no idea where to go. Sure, there are some good songs here, but there are an unfortunate number of go-nowhere songs that drag down the forward progression. Even more unfortunately, superior material is to be found in the outtakes of this album on singles and now on the 5.1 reissue - yes, it's actually worth buying to get those tracks in one place. Mystics was definitely my biggest disappointment of the year.… Expand
  14. bolisj
    Oct 3, 2006
    7
    A bad Lips album is still OK by many other standards, but just as Yoshimi was a step down from The Soft Bulletin, this is a further drop in standards... and yet it could have been much better... the basics are there alright, but those annoying, innane, occasionally even embarrassing, little chirps and yeahs etc really started to get on my nerves after a few listens. I have pretty much A bad Lips album is still OK by many other standards, but just as Yoshimi was a step down from The Soft Bulletin, this is a further drop in standards... and yet it could have been much better... the basics are there alright, but those annoying, innane, occasionally even embarrassing, little chirps and yeahs etc really started to get on my nerves after a few listens. I have pretty much everything they've ever done, so I can appreciate and applaud the fact that they're not standing still musically (compare Hit To Death.. with this for example!), but this makes me wonder if it's time to start thinking about hangin' up them old guitars.… Expand
  15. MihaiV
    Sep 29, 2006
    9
    A succes. I love all the different sounds. That's how a modern album should be: full all experiments, not just playing safe pretty tunes.
  16. MC
    Sep 15, 2006
    8
    I won't argue whether or not this album measures up to previous efforts by the Lips; that's almost beside the point, no matter what you conclude. But AWWTM IS better than just about any album you'll pick up this year--it's almost unfair to rate Justin Timberlake and ilk on the same number scale. I must contest the reviewer who said the album weakens on repeated I won't argue whether or not this album measures up to previous efforts by the Lips; that's almost beside the point, no matter what you conclude. But AWWTM IS better than just about any album you'll pick up this year--it's almost unfair to rate Justin Timberlake and ilk on the same number scale. I must contest the reviewer who said the album weakens on repeated listens. While it's true some elements get annoying (the "Yeah, yeah" stuff, deep voiced dubs in "It Overtakes Me," some of the spacey electronica), the album remains strong. Maybe nothing here approaches the delicacy of "Feeling Yourself Disentegrate" or the loveliness of "Morning of the Magicians," but "The W.A.N.D." is like a politically-charged "The Gash," and "Vein of Stars" is one of the best mostly acoustic songs I've heard in a long time. It's a very good record.… Expand
  17. StephenI
    Jun 29, 2006
    9
    I love it, simple beats, great tunes, awesome music, I love it!
  18. JonL
    Jun 23, 2006
    8
    The Flaming Lips take heavier prog elements than before with the sensibility of Yoshimi to create yet another forward-looking, ambitious work, with strong music and an ability to go from their twisted brand of pop to somber numbers more druggy and elongated than ever before, yet with a less wonder-filled theme and grounded more in political implications. This leads to the real stumbling The Flaming Lips take heavier prog elements than before with the sensibility of Yoshimi to create yet another forward-looking, ambitious work, with strong music and an ability to go from their twisted brand of pop to somber numbers more druggy and elongated than ever before, yet with a less wonder-filled theme and grounded more in political implications. This leads to the real stumbling block on the album--the lyrics are not as strong or as profound as before, and the album doesn't feel as much a whole as their previous work with its somewhat jarring stylistic shifts, so it feels a little bit rushed, but it shows that the Lips are still moving in a positive direction and are still far from spent in terms of ideas. If they focus a bit more with this style on their couple next albums they can easily make another masterpiece or two.… Expand
  19. AlanK
    Jun 16, 2006
    5
    On the surface the album seems to be inspired genius. The more I listened to it the less I liked it; to the point where I can't even listen to the songs on the radio any more. I can imagine the band sitting around waiting for their fans and the critics to realize they're just a fraud. Much like Pink Floyd, their appearance as musical genius wears off quickly to expose gimicky On the surface the album seems to be inspired genius. The more I listened to it the less I liked it; to the point where I can't even listen to the songs on the radio any more. I can imagine the band sitting around waiting for their fans and the critics to realize they're just a fraud. Much like Pink Floyd, their appearance as musical genius wears off quickly to expose gimicky music with decent hooks.… Expand
  20. AlexA
    Jun 11, 2006
    9
    Simply brilliant! Best Album of 2006 so far.
  21. Brendan
    Jun 8, 2006
    9
    While this is definitely not the best of the Lips' work, I don't have a clue how people can be so unimpressed by tracks like "My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion," which is a glorious cacophany in the vein of "Riding to Work in the Year 2025." Any Pink Floyd fans out there should be taken by "Pompeii Am Gotterdammerung" and the second half of "It Overtakes Me," both of which are lifted While this is definitely not the best of the Lips' work, I don't have a clue how people can be so unimpressed by tracks like "My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion," which is a glorious cacophany in the vein of "Riding to Work in the Year 2025." Any Pink Floyd fans out there should be taken by "Pompeii Am Gotterdammerung" and the second half of "It Overtakes Me," both of which are lifted almost directly from the Floyd's "Meddle" record. "Mystics" also combines the 3-D effect of "Zaireeka" with the sheen production of the last two records AND the heavy, guitar-driven edge of the early, punkier Lips (think "Oh My Gawd"-era). Excepting the rather tuneless "Haven't Got a Clue," the album is genius.… Expand
  22. BenW
    Jun 8, 2006
    9
    Incredible album......beyond the 70's throwbacks is the psychedelic trip that we have come to know and love from this band. I am actually enjoying this album more than Yoshimi. First listen maybe a 7/10, then the depth and quality of each track just keeps on growing to form what ultimately develops into the perfect album - the natural progresssion they just had to write.
  23. MichaelC
    May 17, 2006
    10
    This album is simply mindblowing. Joins Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and The Soft Bulletin in the pantheon of amazing Lips albums.
  24. RickW
    May 10, 2006
    8
    A fantastic album. I only bought after hearing it the last 8 times i went to my record shop (I dont think they've stopped playing it since it came out!) and it kept growing on me. 'Havent got a clue' is a fantastic tune.
  25. Jules
    May 2, 2006
    10
    What a joyous and thrilling album to live with! It is its diversity that I love - it'll make you laugh, cry and hurl as Wayne would say. I found Yoshimi beautiful and interesting but a little sleep inducing after a while and while soft bulletin is more cohesive and def a work of genius, Mystics is a different beast altogether - its genius lies in its sprawling diversity and rough What a joyous and thrilling album to live with! It is its diversity that I love - it'll make you laugh, cry and hurl as Wayne would say. I found Yoshimi beautiful and interesting but a little sleep inducing after a while and while soft bulletin is more cohesive and def a work of genius, Mystics is a different beast altogether - its genius lies in its sprawling diversity and rough edges. God forbid that our acid gods could have so much fun while raging against the machine - personally I'm glad they shed some of the pompositythat was starting to develop with Yoshimi.… Expand
  26. RyanG
    Apr 29, 2006
    10
    This the album that, like The Wall, but not The Wall, all the critics who hit their thirties in the past few decades will never fully appreciate but in time will have it's place atop those life defining top ten lists for anyone who has yet to leave their younger days behind and take life to be more serious than it actually is.
  27. JonnyFreshNone
    Apr 29, 2006
    1
    This album is the sound of Pro-Tools coming alive, and being able to catch and eat the Flaming Lips band members because they were tired and just sitting in the control room. Lots of effects. No melodies. Poor lyrics. Tired sounding singing. Flat production and engineering on the drums. A flat, dying-goose sound for a guitar on almost every track. Forgotten .wav files in Pro Tools tacked This album is the sound of Pro-Tools coming alive, and being able to catch and eat the Flaming Lips band members because they were tired and just sitting in the control room. Lots of effects. No melodies. Poor lyrics. Tired sounding singing. Flat production and engineering on the drums. A flat, dying-goose sound for a guitar on almost every track. Forgotten .wav files in Pro Tools tacked on the end of songs. Four years for this? Are the Lips even a rock band anymore, or a corporation? As Wayne says on one of the worst Flaming Lips songs ever made ( Haven't Got a Clue): " Oh, Come on".… Expand
  28. AaronQ
    Apr 28, 2006
    9
    Not "The Soft Bulletin," not even close... but still a complete mindjob. Definitely gets better and better with every listen. The most enjoyable totally out there album since "Soft Bulletin."
  29. AlexH
    Apr 25, 2006
    4
    I've been a Lips fan for ages now and I was looking forward to this album immensely. when "Mr. Ambulance Driver" came out a while back I was disappointed and declared it one of my least favorite Lips tracks... when Mystics finally dropped I soon discovered it to be one of my favorite tracks on the album, which certainly says something. just plain dumb songwriting, scattered I've been a Lips fan for ages now and I was looking forward to this album immensely. when "Mr. Ambulance Driver" came out a while back I was disappointed and declared it one of my least favorite Lips tracks... when Mystics finally dropped I soon discovered it to be one of my favorite tracks on the album, which certainly says something. just plain dumb songwriting, scattered production, boring instrumentation... come on, now, I know Wayne and the boys can do better than this. (that said, they remain one of the best live acts on the planet... go see them at any cost.)… Expand
  30. PrasR
    Apr 25, 2006
    9
    If this album indeed gets better with more listens it might be a 10.
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Awards & Rankings

24
#24 Most Discussed Album of 2006
78
#78 Most Shared Album of 2006

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 37 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 37
  3. Negative: 1 out of 37
  1. Amazon.com
    90
    Coyne is a shrewd observer of human nature, and an even shrewder songwriter and this album stands as his greatest and most varied work yet.
    Read full review
  2. Filter
    92
    Each consecutive [song] is stranger than the last. [#19, p.88]
  3. Los Angeles Times
    88
    The weird part is how well this stuff holds together, a delirious jumble of android psychedelia and Coyne's elliptical wordplay that goes down as easily as warm milk (spiked with acid). [26 Mar 2006]
See all critic reviews »