"If only there were a land where cool but well-known bands could run free; garnering accolades from snobs and radio listeners alike. Where Fruitwater and Sprite flows like wine, and where thrift store t-shirt wearers and Abercrombie swim team members could run hand in hand."
"This place potentially exists! And this land has a most appropriate soundtrack containing the likes of Ben Folds, earlier Weezer, a little Beck and a band you might remember from your middle school days, the Flaming Lips who incidentally just released a new album, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robot. They did that 'She don't use jelly' song I'm sure you know. But what you didn't know was that they formed in 1983 and are no one-hit wonders"
"Right, right! I loved that song. Wait... So you're telling me they came out with something new that's as cool, or cooler, than their past stuff?"
"Dave Fridmann of the haunting and spiraling Mercury Rev produced the album, so there's a whole new level of depth and mood. The album is fantastically engineered which certainly shows maturation and demonstrates their predilection for risk-taking, but they seem to have lost sight of what they do best; they traded in their grittier days of post-punk alternative for an Urban Outfitters friendly Japan and robot-filled concept album. Another qualm is that too many songs have that muffled lo-fi space shtick going on -- it's interesting, but a far step from Clouds Taste Metallic or The Soft Bulletin from their quirkier more free-wheeling days."
"Go on."
"There are a couple of wonderful tracks; 'Fight Test' and 'It's Summertime' will prove to be hits and will be the best stuff played on the radio and in hip retail joints all summer long-- but as for the rest, it's too esoteric for the radio crowd and too hackneyed for the elitists."
"So that's where the peace will be made? That a couple songs will be embraced by the public and others will be similarly rejected by different groups for different reasons? You didn't say much in this review."
"Bottom line is that you can list The Flaming Lips when naming bands you like and be respected by several social groups. The music on Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots is consistently pleasant and the melodies always fluid, yet some of it could get monotonous for the more seasoned listener. Perhaps a halcyon world can be reached through this band and others like it, and that little by little we can all live, learn, and play in the same mall"
