They may not have a flawless catalogue (though it is largely great), but at the very least The Flaming Lips are always doing something and it’s always interesting. They can record one-off songs with Ke$ha and other friends if they choose, then encase them in gigantic gummy skulls and other shapes. Frontman Wayne Coyne can travel to independent record stores around the country and just hang out for a couple hours at each, meeting fans and signing stuff. They can even cover Pink Floyd’s entire Dark Side of the Moon record, as they did in 2009, and nobody blinks an eye. Speaking of that though, the band has decided to return to that seminal piece of psychedelic rock by creating a companion record to be played at the exact same time as the original. They’re calling it Flaming Side of the Moon, and in addition to syncing up perfectly with the Pink Floyd album, it also apparently pairs well with the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, in case you wanted to give that a try. Since the full thing is currently streaming on Soundcloud, I paired it with Dark Side of the Moon, and it was pretty much perfect. It doesn’t really change my perspective of the classic album, but at the very least adds some new wrinkles to old material. Once again, The Flaming Lips have done something interesting whose ultimate worth is moderately questionable. But if they don’t do it, who will? The whole thing is kind of fun. So is today’s Pick Your Poison, by the way. There’s some good tracks from 1,2,3, Emma Garrett, Jadeite, Sleepyhead, Sun Club and WOOL. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Glass Animals (ft. Tei Shi), Japanther, Jensen Sportag, Cerrone Funk’s remix of Haim’s latest single, and The Field’s remix of an I Break Horses track.
The 1975 – Settle Down (EMBRZ Remix)
Dana – Dear Love (Birthday Boy Remix)
Sleepyhead – Liberation Theology
Static in Verona – White Knuckles
Xu Xu Fang – Noir State Beach
SOUNDCLOUD
Black Hearted Brother – Got Your Love (Ultramarine Remix)
Glass Animals – Holiest (ft. Tei Shi)
Haim – If I Could Change Your Mind (Cerrone Funk Remix)
I Break Horses – Faith (The Field Remix)
Japanther – Take Me In
Jensen Sportag – One Lane Lovers