My friends and I have been having a lot of conversations about how the flaming lips should be remembered. I know they’re not dead yet, but some people seem to really want them to be known for their earlier, more punk heavy, guitar-ridden stuff. Personally, I’m partial to Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and the like.

The first time I listened to At War With the Mystics, I was pleasantly surprised to discover how easy it was to listen to. I wasn’t listening to the lyrics too hard, but i knew i enjoyed the music. It’s because Mystics and Yoshimi exist in the same place musically. They both, for instance, make keen uses of synth and instrumentally superb. Due to this enriched production, tracks like “The Wizard Turns On,” have the feel of a long journey. Actually, the entire album, really, could be considered a journey in under an hour. even culminating with the ominous “Listen, you’ll hear it/we’re gettin’ near it/I know I should really fear it/But we pretend it’s just another day,” crescendo that comes to fruition and concludes in the final, and finest, track, “Goin’ On”

I love this album. I’ve listened to it practically non-stop since I received the advance. It’s creative (something that would seem hard for a band with this much history to still be able pull off), it’s entertaining, and it actually has some of the best lyrics that Wayne Coyne’s written.

Grade: A