The Flaming Lips - 'King's Mouth'

7/10

The last few years have proven to be pretty rough for the stalwart psych-rockers. Having found some serious praise for their early 00s releases such as 'Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots' and its follow-up 'At War With The Mystics', the band's subsequent releases were met with a mixture of oddball confusion and just plain uncertainty over their future. With their experimental side seeming to get the better of them, they embarked on a series of irreverent records that seemed to fall short of the standard The Flaming Lips had shown in the past. But all that seems to have been forgotten now as they return with 'King's Mouth', an ambitious concept record that sees them back to their brilliant best.

Originally released as a limited run for this year's Record Store Day back in April, 'King's Mouth' sees the group return to their storytelling ways with this new collection, focusing on the story of a man with an abnormally large head saving his small town from an avalanche by swallowing up the universe whole, killing himself and everyone else in the process. So in all, this is Flaming Lips bringing back the weirdness in a way only they know how. Narrated by The Clash's Mick Jones, this new release is a mixture of light and airy psych-rock, occasionally punctured with the odd dose of punchy and impactful sonic instrumentation.

It has been a while since the band chose to tell a story throughout their albums, but whenever they do, it always feels like a winning formula. 'King's Mouth' has this smooth and succinct feel to it and never seems to want to stray too far from its core sound, making for an incredible easy and enjoyable record. A strong record from a band that always seem to be on the edge of greatness whenever they find their form.

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