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The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (Warner Bros)

"Do you realize - that happiness makes you cry?"

You know I had no idea what the Hell The Flaming Lips last disc "The Soft Bulletin" was about. Something having to do with spider bites, Superman, and some sort of intergalactic space-race for a cosmic cure for what ails of of us I guess. I didn't care - I just thought they were exciting gong-smashing cyptically catchy tunes that further perfected their skill at creating pop soundscapes. You'll see the word "soundscapes" a lot in reviews of the follow-up "Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots". If Neil Young ever made an electronica album it would probably sound like this. But wait, Neil Young did sort of make a electronica album! Well, that's another article. Anyway the story here is pretty much summed up in the title. Only the most ardent listener will follow the concept and try and make sense of the question of whether robots can love or the notion that our destiny will never be revealed to us by some time traveler from the future. One of the most philosophical pop concept albums to come along in a while, "Yoshimi" is no breakthough or grand departure from previous Lips efforts but it's a fun listening experience from a band that maybe isn't truly visionary but sure pretends to be. Just don't ask me to explain what the Hell it all means.

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