First Impressions...

Arguably the best showman on the planet, Wayne Coyne, and his outlandish festival impresarios The Flaming Lips have unveiled their first double album, ‘Embryonic’, lifting the Clash office on it's initial airing on a rather grey Monday morning. A proper album in the traditional sense, with untold reserves of both depth and substance to it, only time will tell if their aims to push the boundaries of sound into uncharted new territory are realised – the potential is there though!

Always heralded as diehard experimentalists, it's interesting to see where The Flaming Lips are going with this double long player. 'Convinced Of the Hex' kicks things off in fine style, it's 'Tomorrow Never Knows' drums startling the listener to attention. Already a highlight from the digital E.P. is ‘Silver Trembling Hands’, one of the more cohesive offerings here alongside 'See The Leaves', 'Worm Mountains' and album closer 'Watching the Planets'. As with most double albums, there is a surplus of material with excess minutes spent on song fragments and periods of noodling, 'Powerless' being the chief culprit.

With guest appearances from The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O, providing vocals on ‘Gemini Syringes’, 'Watching the Planets' and animal sounds on ’I Can Be A Frog’, fellow psychedelic warriors MGMT on ‘Worm Mountain' and mathematician Thorsten Wörsten’s spoken announcements all adding extra value contributions.

Three tracks are instrumental which seem to qualify its diversity even more, especially when adding in the gossamer ballads 'IF' and 'The Impulse' for further variation.

AWOL, it would seem, is their knack for effortless pop nuggets as heard on tracks like the classic 'Do You Realize'. A return to their earlier head music roots is definitely apparent, and not just in that cover art.

Available from October 12th, the Grammy and Brit Award winning Oklahoma posse return to the UK this November with 6 dates confirmed so far.

UK November Tour Dates -

10th London, The Troxy
11th London, The Troxy
13th Portsmouth, Guildhall
15th Glasgow, 02 Academy
16th Manchester, Academy
17th Birmingham,Academy

'Embryonic' Full Tracklisting -

1. “Convinced of the Hex”
2. “The Sparrow Looks Up At The Machine”
3. “Evil”
4. “Aquarius Sabotage”
5. “See The Leaves”
6. “If”
7. “Gemini Syringes”
8. “Your Bats”
9. “Powerless”
10. “The Ego’s Last Stand”
11. “I Can Be A Frog”
12. “Sagittarius Silver Announcement”
13. “Worm Mountain”
14. “Scorpio Sword”
15. “The Impulse”
16. “Silver Trembling Hands”
17. “Virgo Self-Esteem Broadcast”
18. “Watching The Planets”

Words by John O'Rourke