Jon Loeb ’11
A&E Editor

Three years ago people were worried. The Flaming Lips, a band that had seemed to produce an endless stream of great records had ended their streak, which was apparent only a few seconds into “At War With Mystics,” with “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song,” a song brimming to the top with handclaps and unnerving “yeahs.”

Gooey childish synths and silly simplicity had taken a stranglehold on the Lips. Enter “Embryonic”: a violent left turn in the right direction.

The Lips have resurrected their acid-soaked, fun, yet cynical, reimagining of 60s psychedelic music.

Perhaps the focal point of the resurrection of the Lips is switching to writing more groove-and riff-based songs rather than highly melodic ones.

Every song except for the classic Lips style ballad “Evil” (possibly the 80th Lips song to declare people evil) is built around the solid spine of a deep groove.

Whether it be the klezmer-esque stomper, “Watching the Planets,” or the drugged out endless guitar solo, “Powerless,” the groove reigns supreme in “Embryonic.”

Both Michael Ivins and Wayne Coyne manage to pound out some of the dirtiest bass lines that despite their repetition, stick in your hand and keep the propulsive songs moving.

Some of the bass lines are squishy and squelchy while others recall Joy Divison/New Order bassist, Peter Hook’s dark, yet high up in the fret board style.

The bass seems to create a template for Wayne’s lyrics and vocal stylings.

Unlike many of their previous efforts, Wayne mixes it up vocally on “Embryonic.” Known for his childlike falsetto, on “Embryonic” Wayne reaches down deep and belts out some deeper tones, beginning early on with opener “Convinced of the Hex.” In “Evil” and “If” the falsetto comes back, sounding sweeter than ever after depriving the listener of it for a few tracks.

One of Coyne’s more subtleties is the “ohh ohhhs” he uses in every song in “Embryonic.” The “ohh ohhs” are just proof that Wayne is embracing the groove and the band sound and sometimes blending his voice, and in the process, using it as a instrument.

Lyrically it appears as if Coyne is trying to channel dead Pink Floyd singer, Syd Barrett, and the ghosts of Led Zeppelin and the Beatles.

Coyne brings out the mysticism and the widespread use of animals, especially in the single “I Can Be a Frog.” “She said I can be a Frog, I can be a Bear, I can Be a Cat.” Perhaps the focal point of the resurrection of the Lips is the switching to writing more groove–and riff–based songs rather then highly melodic ones.

On “Embryonic,” Wayne is in full psychedelic mode. On “If,” the Bonham drums are unleashed, and on “Worm Mountain” the riff fest is also unleashed.

“Embryonic” itself is technically a double album even though, due to the death of physical media, the double album is long dead.

Often an issue I have had with the newer Lips record is that one or two of the tracks steal the show.

“The Soft Bulletin’s” song “Race for the Prize,” or “Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots’” song “Do You Realize,” definitely took away from having a true full album experience because they just dominated all the other songs near them.

Luckily, “Embryonic” does not have this syndrome.

Interludes and spoken word songs lead into long heavy rock songs, and often they’ll each share something in common, a riff a chord anything.

No song has a “sweep you away” chorus. Each of them focus on the beat, creating one beautiful groove, and that groove is “Embryonic.”