Progress Report: The Flaming Lips
Twice a week, Jessica Suarez's Progress Report updates you on what your favorite bands have been doing. Or not doing.
NAME: The Flaming Lips
PROGRESS REPORT: Wrapping up recording on their 12th studio album, Embryonic: "We think it's gonna be called Embryonic but we don't know if it's gonna just be called Embryonic or it's gonna be called Embryonic and...something else, but we think it's gonna be called Embryonic. You can write that if you want and not be humiliated later."
Like a lot of properties in this economy, Steven Drodz's old house lingered on the market for about a year. But this victim of the current real estate market also turned out to be the perfect recording studio for the Flaming Lips' new album. The band set up their guitars and mics all over the multi-instrumentalists' old home over the last year, using the resonant space to record their follow-up to 2006's At War With The Mystics. "You can't do these things when a house is full of furniture and carpeting. The sound doesn't reverberate with as much clarity, or excitement, or whatever you want to call it," says Lips leader Wayne Coyne. They've been "dicking around" since then, taking a few minutes of one recorded session and splicing it to another few minutes, then saving the puzzle for another day of overdubs. The Flaming Lips have always relied on a mix of computers and fucking around to find unexpected combinations, and Coyne says it's led to a schizophrenic--but still organic--album this time. "We had stuff that we thought didn't sound like anything that we would have purposely done, that we had accidentally stumbled upon like it was somebody else's music," he says. "It's free rock. Free freakout rock. It doesn't really have a song underneath it. It's just freaking out."
Coyne compares that aspect of the album to a Miles Davis group. But Embryonic has another side to it -- simpler, sparse tracks that he compares to John Lennon's more meditative songs like "Imagine" and "Instant Karma." "I don't think we've done this combination on purpose before. So that's kinda where we're at. We have like 10 or 11 songs that kind of go between being utterly free freakouts and songs that are very simple that are a couple of instruments playing," he says. Later this month the Flaming Lips will head back to the studio for three more weeks to sift through the material that will eventually become Embryonic .
The band hasn't released anything from Embryonic yet, and their last new song "Anything You Say Now I Believe You", from the Know Your Mushrooms soundtrack, doesn't say much about their next record. "There's a similarity to the attitudes but not a similarity to the instruments. But I could see them being on the same record but not feeling like they didn't belong together," Coyne says. A better hint at how the Lips are making "this new flavor of ice cream" is his description of "Convinced Of The Hex," an Embryonic song he's particularly excited about. It began as a "strange jam," that producer Dave Fridmann liked. Coyne spurted out some "dumb lyrics" and a vocal line that somehow worked. The whole process was haphazard, but Coyne says that's when the Lips are at their best. "I think most of our really good moments really do happen by accident," he says. The rest of their lengthy recording time has gone into refining those accidents and finding their best parts. "There's plenty of regrets. There's plenty of embarrassing things along the way. But embarrassment and art go together. If you're not willing to be humiliated, your art's probably too fucking boring."
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Posted at 5:53 PM by Jessica in Progress Report
Tags: The Flaming Lips
fuckin right
Score = 4
We need progress report on this:
"I'm a fan of them on one level, but on another level I get really tired of their pompousness ... We've played some shows with them and they really treat people like shit. Whenever I've been around them, I've found that they not only treated their crew like shit, they treated the audience like shit. They treated everybody in their vicinity like shit. I thought, 'Who do they think they are?' I don't know why people put up with it. I wouldn't put up with it. I don't care if it's Arcade Fire or Brian Eno. If either of them walked into a room and treated people like shit I'd be like, 'Fuck you, get outta here.'
... People treat Arcade Fire like they're the greatest thing ever and they get away with it. Those sort of opinions change my view of their music. They have good tunes, but they're pricks, so fuck 'em. Who does Arcade Fire think they are? I've been around groups. I've been around the Edge from U2 and he's the fucking sweetest guy ever. I was around Justin Timberlake when he was young and he was just a normal, nice, kind person. Anyone can be polite and kind and people who have the privilege and money and attention should understand that. If they don't, then fuck 'em."
Score = -30
that story was almost as boring as their 2004 Coachella performance. these guys are the definition of overrated.
Score = -47
uhhh here you go
http://pitchfork.com/news/35244-wayne-coyne-apologizes-to-arcade-fire/
Score = 7
Amen.
Score = 3
Great job Jessica. And kudos to Wayne for kinda rescinding what he said about AF. I look forward to a new studio album from these guys.
Score = 6
Very excited for this one. At War was such a great album full of wonderful soundscapes, I couldn't be more thrilled to hear this one.
Score = 4
Battles please.
That is an appeal to Stereogum and Battles themselves.
Score = 7
Yes, please GOD let Battles be doing something new.
Stereogum has a civic duty to let us know.
Score = 1
Pretty excited
Score = 4
i have honestly no idea what to expect from this record.
Score = 8
thank you for this, I am very interested in this album, they keep reinventing themselves.
Score = 4
Thank you. I'm pretty excited for this record
Score = 2
The Flaming Lips have always relied on a mix of computers and fucking around to find unexpected combinations. that is gold. good job and keep it up
Score = 4
not to be pedantic, but I really don't think they've ALWAYS done it that way. Maybe the last few albums, but that's the tip o' the iceberg, right?
Score = 2
Awesome...hopefully this spawns another US tour so I can see what all the hype of their live shows is about.
Score = 2
thank you for this...excited for the new Lips...but Battles and Tyondai Braxton next please!
Score = 0
Maybe some new material will be nice at p4k fest this summer. I definitely agree that a Battles progress report is much needed. I'd also like to see some updates on whats going on with Liars and Beach House!
Score = 1
BUILT TO SPILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! please and thank you
Score = 1
Jay Reatard, Liars, or anything to do with Jon Spencer por favor
Score = 0
I'd like to hear a progress report on They Might Be Giants new album. And not the kids one either.
Very excited for new lips. I feel like saying its their 12th studio album is a bit of a stretch - I'm about to start a flame war in saying their real careers started in the 90's.
Score = 1
Sweet!!! Now I wanna now what the hell Animal Collective are up to. Please...?
Score = 0
Faust Aarrp - Man, Animal Collective just came out with an album. The Flaming Lips released At War... 3 years ago.
Anyway I've heard 3 songs from the new album (the teaser tracks) and I am very excited. I think this could be a brilliant album.
Score = 0