The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends - The Flaming Lips
Metascore
72 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 24
  3. Negative: 2 out of 24
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  1. Entertainment Weekly
    May 30, 2012
    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. Absolute Punk (Staff reviews)
    Jun 28, 2012
    85
    Heady Fwends, rather inexplicably, plays much like a proper follow-up to their 2009 mindfuck Embryonic, and their ability not only to bring a project like this together at all, but to make it work so cohesively and effectively, is as strong a testament as any to their genius.
  3. Pitchfork
    May 30, 2012
    82
    What at first seems rather silly actually proves to be quite purposeful.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 13 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. Professahex
    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 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.… Full Review »
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