THE KING SAVES THE DAY
The evergreen Wayne Coyne might not be too many years away from claiming his free bus pass, but his band The Flaming Lips are still making music that’s fresh, vital and alive. This year sees the release of the band’s 15th studio album, King’s Mouth, a majestic musical fairy tale with plenty of heart, lots of customary weirdness, and even some cathartic moments that touch upon bereavement. While their output has been less fully realised and more experimental in recent years, the new record represents a return to what they always did so well: beautifully crafted concept albums that run the gamut from the silly and surreal to the moving and melancholic. What’s more, it features ex-Clash legend Mick Jones narrating a story about a king from a ye olde neverland who has his head chopped off, leading to new, magical powers of perception.
The overall effect of inviting a Wandsworthborn rock veteran on to the record is less incongruous and definitely more eccentric than you might have expected.
“King Crimson; the are evocative of those types of scales.”
