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The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends Image
Metascore
72

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 23 Ratings

  • Summary: The latest album from The Flaming Lips was originally released on Record Store Day and it includes collaborations with Erykah Badu, Biz Markie, Bon Iver, Nick Cave, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Ke$ha, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Neon Indian, New Fumes,The latest album from The Flaming Lips was originally released on Record Store Day and it includes collaborations with Erykah Badu, Biz Markie, Bon Iver, Nick Cave, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Ke$ha, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Neon Indian, New Fumes, Yoko Ono, Prefuse 73, and Tame Impala. Expand
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 24
  2. Negative: 2 out of 24
  1. 100
    Their [the guest artists'] fresh influx of ideas on The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends creates new flavor profiles for the band's loopy psychedelic slurry.
  2. Jul 5, 2012
    80
    Anticipation has been high for the album's official release, and Heady Fwends doesn't disappoint.
  3. 80
    This is actually one of the Lips' more coherent efforts, despite its wild diversity and devil-may-care attitude.
  4. 70
    It all adds up to a deeply deranged and intermittently great listen, and serves as a decent stopgap 'til the band's next album proper.
  5. Jun 27, 2012
    65
    It may all cohere together, but it doesn't all work.
  6. Jul 26, 2012
    60
    Beneath the sludge and churning distortions, however, is a characteristically generous squaring-up to life's horror and humanity that is worth excavating.
  7. Aug 1, 2012
    20
    The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends is a flatulent folly, humming with the sulphurous reek of self-indulgence.

See all 24 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. Dec 17, 2015
    10
    It's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt'sIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's okIt's ok Expand
  2. Jul 25, 2012
    5
    Okay so technically this is an album but really its just a bunch of collabos that were put together while touring. As recently reported TheOkay so technically this is an album but really its just a bunch of collabos that were put together while touring. As recently reported The Flaming Lips have set the Guinness World Record for more performances within a 24 hour period beating Jay-Z's 7 performance record. Also, as you may have seen on the internet as well as on our blog, there has been a video "accidentally released" which features Erykah Badu and her sister nude to go alongside a collab they did. Thats a lot of publicity and noise around an album that sounds like its an old remixed and remastered PinkFloyd Album. In terms of long exaggerated orchestration, dramatic key and time changes, and complex structures. Which aren't terrible elements to have. Dont get me wrong, Im down with the whole psychedelic alternative sound, its just that its not a something that can be listened to everywhere or all the time. Now, the album opens up with a track feat. Ke$ha and BizMarkie and Hour of the Time Majesty 12 called "2012[You Must Be Upgraded]". It Aint half bad. The vocal arrangement of it is interesting as it reminds me of an electronic synth-ed Funkadelic song that transforms into an airy ending scene to some cerebral indie film. Speaking of airy cosmic soundscapes, the intro is followed by a gloomy layered track called "Ashes in the Air" Feat. Bon Iver. Its also not terrible but perhaps a little overzealously reverbed. I personally prefer my psychedelic rock to be a little more jammy with strong drum and distorted guitar that strikes like lightning and a deep consistent bassline to make me rock and vibe out. Luckily they recruited my mans Jim James the lead singer/guitarist from My Morning Jacket for a song called "That Aint My Trip" which ironically is my kinda trip. Wish I had a blunt right now for that one. Its also followed by an almost as good song called "You, Man?Human?: feat. Nick Cave. Then the rest of the album jumps into experimental blahzayhood of soundeffects and clickclacks or better yet organized noise passed off as music. So yeah, musically its pretty cool in a "Hey how did they formulate and mix this song that way..." kind of way. It is definitely not an album that you put on your cell phone, ipod, tablet what have you. In fact you will probably only hear this album the next time you get invited to a modern art event sipping dry wines and eating cheeses courtesy of some uppity late 30's hipster. Expand