And what the fuck? Where's the songs? Michael, Steven and Kliph jamming on 2 chords with Wayne mumbling some lyrics on top does not make a song. Well, maybe one or two songs, yes, but no the whole album.

Of course this is my first listen, and I'm not a fourth through the album, but the first 4 songs don't seem to be in par with the rest of the Flips catalog. I know "Silver Trembling Hands" is a good track, but I had to hear it a few times to figure it out, so maybe the whole album would need a few listens?

I remember when Soft Bulletin came out... I bought it the day it came out, brought it home, listened to it, and was like "What the fuck is this? Where's the crazy guitars?". So I can understand. Ten years later, it's like "What the fuck is this? Where's the songs?" I'll give it some time. At leats the CD was priced at $11.99. Thanks!

I don't mean to sound like a dick, but can we please consolidate all of your thoughts, praise, and criticism to one thread? There are currently seven threads pertaining to Embryonic in this forum. I tend to forget which threads I've posted in, and they're all pretty much interchangeable.

No.

Your definition of "song" seems to require verse, chorus, easily hummable melody . . . what else? I sense a connection between your reaction to Embryonic and your distaste towards Can.

HAHAH! I forgot I mentioned that! Well done... It's true. And you have to take personal tastes into account with any reviews.

But you misunderstand me: I like abstract music... I like MELODY even more. I fucking LOVE it when the two are morphed together, and that's what I loved about the Flaming Lips. They still had SONGS, you know? Zaireeka still had SONGS on it. So I don't mind non-music, but I believe it's good if there's a balance. That's why I said "well, I guess it makes one or two songs". If Convinced of the Hex and See the Leaves were the only songs like that on Embryonic, it'd be alright. But now I'm on track 9 and I'm still waiting.

There's a ton of melody on Embryonic, just as there's a ton of melody on, say, Ege Bamyasi. It's just not in the Beach Boys/Elephant 6 tradition.

It's a grower.

And what about "If"? "Evil"? "Watching the Planets"? "Silver Trembling Hands"? "The Impulse"?

If that shit's not melodic, then you're listening to a different album than me.

I agree, I liked Evil, If, Aquarius and Gemini. Now I'm making some stirfry, and the albums in the background, and nothing's really jumping out at me.

Really, this album sounds like demos for an album, and they were just like "Fuck it!" and released it anyways. Like, they would take fragments of this and turn them INTO songs, but they just left it as is instead.

Yeah, Embryonic should be more like the Beach Boys/Elephant 6! Now you're talkin!

quote:

Originally posted by soniclovenoize:
I agree, I liked Evil, If, Aquarius and Gemini. Now I'm making some stirfry, and the albums in the background, and nothing's really jumping out at me.

Problem found.

I have no witty retort.

Thus forcing you to accept that Embryonic rules and you're just being a contrarian?

So then it is agreed that people who put on this album as entertainment, such as Timberlake to vacuuming one's carpet will be sorely disappointed, while those who seriously listen to it as an artistic statement will be highly receptive.

Agreed.

Let's just say Embryonic is not a stirfry album.

quote:

Originally posted by Emperor Clobbersaurus:
while those who seriously listen to it as an artistic statement will be highly receptive.

...I guess if the statement was "Let's just release tapes of us jamming"...

quote:

Originally posted by soniclovenoize:

quote:

Originally posted by Emperor Clobbersaurus:
while those who seriously listen to it as an artistic statement will be highly receptive.

...I guess if the statement was "Let's just release tapes of us jamming"...

Not at all.

I'm blasting the album now. "Convinced of the Hex" and "The Sparrow Looks Up at the Magician," for example, sound to me entirely melodic and complete, but more in a kraut-rock than a Beach Boys mode of songwriting. It's a new direction from past Lips albums.

You've never made secret your love of the Beach Boys and antipathy towards Can. That's why I brought it up; it seems relevant.

quote:

Originally posted by soniclovenoize:

quote:

Originally posted by Emperor Clobbersaurus:
while those who seriously listen to it as an artistic statement will be highly receptive.

...I guess if the statement was "Let's just release tapes of us jamming"...

Everyone is certainly right to their opinion, but what has always bugged me is people state their opinion but fail to bolster it. How is it jammy and aimless? Out of everyone here I am probably the one who fails to appreciate jammy music the most, and Embryonic, to me, does not sound like a band aimlessly jamming. Motorik, repetitive, and maybe slightly obtuse, but jammy?

it's motherfucking preposterous!

quote:

Originally posted by Jön:
it's motherfucking preposterous!

Yeah, Jon.

Motherfucker!

Originally posted by Wayne Coyne:

quote:

We started to do these open-ended jams-- I'd be playing the bass and Steven would be playing drums and Kliph [Scurlock] would be playing drums. We wouldn't even know that we were trying to do a band session. We'd just be kind of jamming, thinking, "I don't really have an idea, but let's see where this goes." Some of those jams, in the beginning, they weren't that exciting. But there would be moments in them that would be really weird. And that really started to build what I think this record became.

quote:

I know one of the first jams we did was "Convinced of the Hex". That jam probably goes on for about 10 or 15 minutes

quote:

You never know if it's good or if you're just dicking around.

quote:

I would say at least three-quarters of the record is based on these minimalistic jam sessions that we did at Steven's house.

C'mon Emp, the "jam" is slathered all over the album. It's kraut-jams, jarr-jams© and noise-jams, not "jam band" jams.

I'm starting to really like it though. Bought my copy today. That Wayne interview somehow unlocked the album for me.