Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By The Flaming Lips, Warner Records 2019.
This album was first released on vinyl Record Store Day as a limited-edition gold-coloured disc and it sold out instantly.
King’s Mouth is now available on all formats to coincide with a world tour that sees the Lips come to Australia in September and October.
They’ll be performing in Brisbane, The Sydney Opera House, and Hamer Hall in Melbourne.
This album is the first studio release by the Flaming Lips since Oczy Mlody (2017) and the 12 tracks on King’s Mouth tell a conceptual creation myth storyline narrated by Mick Jones of The Clash.
The album is actually only part of a fully immersive art installation created by Wayne Coyne which consists of a giant metallic head that welcomes spectators inside.
Once inside, an LED light show begins in tandem with music from the album creating a sonic companion to the exhibit.
I’m not sure if the entire show is coming to Australia but Flaming Lips concerts are something to behold so it’s sure to be mind-blowing whatever format it comes in.
Musically King’s Mouth is very much like a soundtrack with its orchestral approach.
It’s a mixture of psychedelic flower-power and space pop in the best Pink Floyd, Moody Blues, and Alan Parsons Project traditions.
The album has received rave reviews from the music press and fans alike.
King’s Mouth is planetarium-ready space pop – Stereogum
Consistently weird, consistently fresh, artistic and adventurous – The Daily Beast
King’s Mouth is the most Flaming Lips release you could imagine… a psychedelic explosion of sound – Under The Radar
I often find these sorts of albums disappointing when they are divorced from all the visual imagery that goes with them but in this case the music was so laden with audio images that it totally captured me.
