{"id":39706,"date":"2006-04-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2006-04-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/at-war-with-the-mystics\/"},"modified":"2006-04-05T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2006-04-05T00:00:00","slug":"at-war-with-the-mystics","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/at-war-with-the-mystics\/","title":{"rendered":"At War With The Mystics"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

It’s hard not to think in terms of trilogies when two
\nbig-event albums, books or movies are released. Think the
\nMatrix<\/i> movies, the Lord Of The Rings<\/i> books or a
\nseries of solid albums from artists (e.g. Radiohead’s The
\nBends<\/i>, OK Computer<\/i> and Kid A<\/i> trifecta). So when
\nThe Flaming Lips were making their latest album, At War With The
\nMystics<\/i>, it’s hard not to see this album as a perfect
\ncomplement to their 1999 masterpiece The Soft Bulletin<\/i> and
\ntheir stellar 2002 release Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots<\/i>.
\nBut in true Flaming Lips fashion, the album refuses to snugly fit
\ninto this category.<\/p>\n

At War With The Mystics<\/i> is a stubborn little
\nalbum. The album is far more a flashback to the band’s earlier
\nalbums than a huge step forward for the band. And after three
\nlistens, it seems like the band is spinning their wheels a bit. But
\nit’s the best “artist spinning their wheels” album since The
\nBeastie Boys’ Ill Communication<\/i>.<\/p>\n

The album kicks off with “The Yeah Yeah Yeah” song
\n(no relation to the arty New York trio). If you can ignore the
\nkiddie chorus, the scratchy guitar riff grabs your ear enough to
\nlisten to the song’s hypothetical question: “What would you with
\nall your powers?” The song teeters from infectuos to annoying, but
\nthe rousing crescendo puts the song into the “win” category.<\/p>\n

No so much luck with the second song, “Free
\nRadicals.” It’s soulful in a Beck way (it could be that Wayne Coyne
\ntook some hints from the artist while they were touring), but it’s
\nthe first time in ages when I could actually describe a Flaming
\nLips song as dull. With “Sound of Failure\/It’s Dark\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6Is it
\nAlways This Dark?”, the disc begins to sound like a mellow
\nacid-trip.<\/p>\n

Drug references, political obsessions and ’60s-era
\nidealism are all over At War With The Mystics<\/i>. “They see the
\nsun go down, but they don’t see it rise, ” Coyne sings; the sunny
\nlyrics permeating through the murky, overcast sound of “My Cosmic
\nAutumn Rebellion.” In “Vein Of Stars,” Coyne takes a page from John
\nLennon’s “Imagine” when he sings “If there ain’t no heaven, maybe
\nthere ain’t no hell.”<\/p>\n

Matching the drug references are sounds that are
\nheavily rooted in 70s progressive rock and late-60s soul (even
\nthough they’ve been marketed by the media to be the house band for
\nan intergalactic bar in the year 3000). Thankfully, bassist Michael
\nIvins and drummer\/percussionist\/catch-all ace Steven Drozd are up
\nfor the challenge\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6most of the time. “Wizard Turns On” has a
\n70s porno feel, but it just doesn’t go anywhere.<\/p>\n

“Haven’t Got a Clue” has a pleasant, marching,
\nscratchy guitar riff. The riff vaguely recalls Primus’ “Wynona’s
\nBig Brown Beaver,” but with a definite political slant: “Every time
\nyou state your case, the more I want to punch your face!” Coyne
\nsings.<\/p>\n

If “Haven’t Got A Clue” wakes you from the sleepy
\nearly half of the album, “W.A.N.D.” jolts you awake, taking the
\npolitical talk of the previous song to a street-demonstration
\nlevel. “We got the power now, motherf**kers!” hearkens back to Rage
\nor maybe Public Enemy, at least in spirit.<\/p>\n

Like Radiohead with Niles Godrich, The Flaming Lips
\nseem to have gotten comfortable with producer Dave Fridmann. The
\nrelationship may start to bring in diminishing returns as much of
\nAt War With The Mystics<\/i> has a “haven’t I heard this from the
\nband before?” feel. But Flaming Lips have always been a band where
\neven at their most mundane, they’re still a few light years ahead
\nof their peers.<\/p>\n

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