I didn't know this record was being made, so not only was I surprised when I saw it in the store I didn't even get to savour anticipating its release. I guess it was the appearance of no less than two DVDs (including the essential Fearless Freaks documentary) and that whole Squarebob Spongepants soundtrack-thing that distracted me from the fact that it had been four long years since The Flaming Lips had released Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.
It's because you're still kind of reeling from the robust "yeah yeah yeahs" of "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" and the weird Prince-like vocals and Pure Guava guitars of the second song, "Free Radicals," that you find yourself feeling a little dubious about just how this record is going to turn out. These two songs, however, not only redeem themselves with a little time, they lead to more familiar territory and to — what I think is — the high point of At War with the Mystics, the three gorgeous ballads, "The Sound of Failure," "My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion" and "Vein of Stars."
The narcotic atmospherics of Yoshimi... have moved over slightly to allow room for squelchy synths, loops and filters, leaving a record that is as psychedelic as its predecessor but in a livelier, bouncier way. The melodies, whilst still retaining their Lips-trademark quirkiness, seem to be, for want of a better term, a little more obvious and a little less delicate, though certainly not, I should qualify, in any negative way.
Coyne's lyrics are still existentially probing, still coming to terms with the non-existence of any form of supernatural guidance and still gently trying to figure out exactly how one lives. This time around, however, his concerns are focussed outwards a little more than usual - radicals, fanatics, fundamentalists, greed, etc, all cop a serve, and I wonder, what with the politicised feel of some of these songs, just how mystical these mystics are.
I'm really happy with this record. I have to admit that I was terrified that The Flaming Lips, based on the one or two songs I had heard, would release a Yoshimi... Pt. 2, which would have been a disappointing misuse of their talents. At War with the Mystics, however, though not necessarily heading in a direction I could have predicted, is exactly the sort of record I wanted to hear and of the quality of music that I should have expected from such a consistently terrific band.
I can only hope these motherfuckers decide to tour again.
Reviewed on Monday, 5 June 2006