Deap Lips
by Deap Lips
User Score
5.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 7
  3. Negative: 3 out of 7
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  1. GuitarPen
    Mar 16, 2020
    8
    In their latest attempt to throw their arms around the world, The Flaming Lips have teamed up with the bluesy LA duo, Deap Valley, to create a curiously satisfying collaboration. Flaming Lips vocalist Wayne Coyne and multi-instrumentalist Stephen Drozd join Deap Vally guitar/vocalist Lindsey Troy and drummer/vocalist Julie Edwards in this psycho-blues-robot-alien-pop rock experiment.In their latest attempt to throw their arms around the world, The Flaming Lips have teamed up with the bluesy LA duo, Deap Valley, to create a curiously satisfying collaboration. Flaming Lips vocalist Wayne Coyne and multi-instrumentalist Stephen Drozd join Deap Vally guitar/vocalist Lindsey Troy and drummer/vocalist Julie Edwards in this psycho-blues-robot-alien-pop rock experiment.

    Since their triad of masterworks at the turn of the century, The Soft Bulletin, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots & At War with the Mystics, The Flaming Lips' trajectory has been crooked and confounding at best. While 2009's Embryonic gave fans hope for the band's evolution into an impassioned psycho-prog sound, 2013's The Terror steered their fans into another confounding direction. 2017's Oczy Mlody and 2019's King's Mouth attempted to blend elements of this newfound psycho-terror with the aforementioned triad of masterworks, striking chords in spots, yet missing the beat as a whole.

    What has truly kept The Flaming Lips compelling and viable over the past 15 years has been their work with other bands and artists. Arguably, their best album over this period has been 2012's The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwiends. Ambitious cover albums of Sgt. Pepper and Dark Side of the Moon assembled even more "fwiends." This current collaboration with Deap Vally follows suit by layering soulful vocals over more complex, yet lighter tracks. "Home Thru Hell" is a standout that exemplifies this strange fusion, even adding some playful pokes. "taking all my wisdom from the Flaming Lips of youth."

    More intriguing elements of the Flaming Lips such as robotic blurps, churchbells, and descension into divine, jangling netherworlds are peppered throughout the collection. "Hope Held High" and "Love is Mind Control" are superb tracks reminiscent of some of the Flaming Lips' best psycho-pop-acoustic work. Lindsey Troy's vocals on these and other songs add an Amy Winehouse-style **** nihilist bent to the atmosphere.

    Most satisfying is hearing Deap Vally's aggressive garage sound soften amidst The Flaming Lips psycho-prog vibe. Alternately, The Flaming Lips become sharp and soulful within Deap Vally's electrified boundaries.

    All in all, The Flaming Lips skillfully harnessing Deap Vally's raw strength makes for one of the most pleasant surprises of 2020. There's enough here to please fans of both bands and then some.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
70

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. The Wire
    Nov 6, 2020
    70
    The astonishing thing about Deap Lips is that it sounds nothing like either constituent band, though Troy’s nasal vocal sometimes gives it away. [Sep 2020, p.52]
  2. The Line of Best Fit
    Mar 13, 2020
    65
    Deap Lips, is less of a synthesis and more of a compromise. A diamond in the rough rather than a crown jewel. Undoubtedly more experimental than the Lips’ last collaborative effort, the music is still tinged with that same whiff of self-indulgence.
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  3. AllMusic
    Mar 12, 2020
    70
    While Deap Lips lose some of the raw immediacy of Deap Vally and don't ascend to the songwriting heights of Flaming Lips, they create a mood of their own that pulls only a little from each group. Required listening for anyone already invested in either band and a wild, enjoyable listen for even the uninitiated.
    Read full review
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