American Head
by The Flaming Lips
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
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  1. Exclaim
    Sep 14, 2020
    60
    For a band that's spun fanciful yarns from the farthest reaches of time and space and the inner recesses of their own minds, this grounded perspective could be another interesting change of direction. But for now, it feels more like a retreat.
  2. Paste Magazine
    Sep 10, 2020
    58
    By track four, a whimsical-by-numbers reverie called “Dinosaurs on the Mountain,” American Head starts to fall off an American cliff. The tempos are slow enough to deflate even Coyne’s considerable charm, and the record’s rootsy, pastoral spin on the Lips’ sound is undermined by the band’s maximalist production ethos. Nearly every song is overstuffed with queasy synth textures and sleek, digitized strings, and Coyne can’t resist warping his vocals in a grab-bag of ugly processors.
  3. Punknews.org (Staff)
    Oct 16, 2020
    50
    I think the punk rock attitude is to not easily be impressed with technical musicianship that doesn’t make you feel much of anything. American Head didn’t hit me in the heart or in the gut, but it did make me want to go back and listen to “She Don’t Use Jelly” again and, if nothing else, that’s a positive that comes from this experience.
  5. The Observer (UK)
    Sep 14, 2020
    40
    Coyne’s quivering voice still captures the frailty of the human spirit, and his band have made songs that will draw tears from frazzled audiences until the Earth slides into the sea. Yet too many of his death-obsessed drug lyrics are lamely predictable and uninvolving, and swaddling his vocals in effects until he sounds like Rob Brydon’s “man in a box” doesn’t help.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 30 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 30
  3. Negative: 1 out of 30
  1. antpaca
    Sep 11, 2020
    10
    The Flaming Lips needed direction. Since 2009's Embryonic their albums have been marked by chaotic sounds and sonic digression. They've alwaysThe Flaming Lips needed direction. Since 2009's Embryonic their albums have been marked by chaotic sounds and sonic digression. They've always been an experimental group, but it's gotten the better of them for much of the last decade. On American Head, they've focused their approach to deliver their most consistent album since Yoshimi in 2002. Their usual themes (life, death, the universe) are here, but anchored by personal experience, which gives the songs a newfound resonance and weight. If this is the Lips reborn, their next chapter promises to be a great one!… Full Review »
  2. gimo80
    Sep 11, 2020
    10
    Absolutely stunning. The ‘Lips creating a stellar record in line with The Soft Bulletin all the whole sounding sonically richer. One of theAbsolutely stunning. The ‘Lips creating a stellar record in line with The Soft Bulletin all the whole sounding sonically richer. One of the best records of the year.… Full Review »
  3. AloysiusRoe
    Sep 11, 2020
    9
    Lyrically American Head is a return to form with the dreamy melancholy nostalgia that filled their earlier work. Instrumentally it feels likeLyrically American Head is a return to form with the dreamy melancholy nostalgia that filled their earlier work. Instrumentally it feels like a fresh new direction for the band with little influences from every previous album.… Full Review »
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