The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends - The Flaming Lips
User Score
7.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 13 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13

Review this album

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Professahex
    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 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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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
  1. Q Magazine
    Aug 20, 2012
    60
    The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends runs the risk of turning into a cluttered affair, but what unfolds is an atmosphere of uninhibited adventure. [Sep 2012, p.100]
  2. Mojo
    Aug 8, 2012
    60
    The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends was the perfect Record Store Day artefact--dramatising the value and mystique of physical recordings. [Sep 2012, p.94]
  3. The Quietus
    Aug 1, 2012
    20
    The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends is a flatulent folly, humming with the sulphurous reek of self-indulgence.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »