In the 50 years of psychedelic rock’s existence, there has been one band that has managed to persist and evolve in the face of constant change. That band is the Flaming Lips.
For over three decades, The Flaming Lips have been masterfully blending elements of electronica, indie and psychedelic music to create their own unique style. Unfortunately, their latest album, “Oczy Mlody” (Ock-see Mel-ody), fails to be as innovative or as interesting.
From the very first track, the listener is subjected to boring soundscapes, abrasive melodies and lyrics that sound as if they were written by a second rate Freudian psychoanalyst. Of course, psychedelic music is often confusing and sometimes borderline incoherent, but good psychedelic music is confusing and incoherent in a compelling and pleasing way. Where “Oczy Mlody” fails is that it makes no attempt to be friendly to its audience. It’s very difficult to listen to, in a way, and not only because it’s so poorly written. The vocals are buried under numerous effects, which makes listening to the album and decoding the lyrics a chore.
That’s not to say that the entire album is bad. “There Should Be Unicorns”, for instance, is a haunting piece with ghostly vocals and music that’s an infusion of electronica and dream pop. “Listening With Frogs” features a soundscape of wildlife sounds that transports the listener to the Amazon rainforest. “How??” is the closest the band get to replicating their classic sound, and is probably the standout track on the album.
Besides these moments, “Oczy Mlody” can best be described as an amorphous blob of electronic and psychedelic music that is not cohesive as an album and has few shining moments that stand out by themselves.