The Flaming Lips & Heady Fwends

The Flaming Lips | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 26, 2012)
• Original Release Date: 2012
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros.
• ASIN: B007P3BM3E
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,001 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

In between one-off shows scattered around the world over several months, The Flaming Lips found time to record a series of unique and experimental sessions for an album featuring a diverse cross-section of heavy friends from every corner of the musical cosmos.

The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends includes vocal and musical assistance from such disparate playmates as Yoko Ono, Nick Cave, Bon Iver, Ke$ha and many more. Some of these tracks have already appeared on previously released, extremely limited edition color vinyl 12" EPs released in past months which sold out as soon as they became available. And all tracks were released together as a special limited edition Record Store Day 2012 vinyl 12" that was one of the most in demand items of the day.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Spacey, Cluttered, and Instinctive June 26, 2012

By T. A. Daniel TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:MP3 Music

The Flaming Lips have never backed away from a good collaboration (2009's The Flaming Lips Doing Dark Side Of The Moon). This new album is 13 songs by the Flaming Lips in conjunction with another music artist. Of course, this is going to lead to some strange pairings: who wouldn't scratch their heads at the prospect of The Flaming Lips + Ke$ha? Or The Flaming Lips + Erykah Badu? Or The Flaming Lips + Yoko One? Ok, maybe that last one makes sense. In some ways, this record is a greatest hits collection: EP's of collaborations with Neon Indian, Yoko Ono, Prefuse 73, and Lightning Bolt have all been released. These interesting experiments varied wildly in quality; here, THE FLAMING LIPS AND HEADY FWENDS collects some of these past songs. The resulting album is a mixed bag -- better than it probably should be, but not as good as 2009's EMBRYONIC.

The album begins with the Ke$ha and Biz Markie collaboration "2012 [You Must Be Upgraded]". It's fast, loud, electronic, and immediate. Rather than spacing out on the first song (that comes with the next track), "2012" is mostly pretty grounded. This song raises two questions for me: why is Biz Markie here? He only has one half of a line. Additionally, why use Ke$ha, if you're not going to have her be the stubborn, hamfisted, party-rocker personality that we know her as? Ke$ha is oddly reigned in here on this recording. Gripes aside, it works. "That Ain't My Trip," a reeling, sloppy rocker featuring Jim James from My Morning Jacket feels like it has potential, but falls a bit short by the end; Nick Cave's "You Man? Human???" follows the same vein. "Is David Bowie Dying?" is a submerged, electronic, reverby ballad that would have sounded in line on Mark Linkous/Danger Mouse's DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL. New Fumes' effort "Girl, You're So Weird" sounds like it might be the most accessible on the album -- a calm before the storm -- "Tasered and Maced" is a spoken-word piece that feels like a bizarre way to end the album, even for the Flaming Lips.

THE FLAMING LIPS AND HEADY FWENDS is cluttered, spacey, and instinctive; rather than being too cerebral, the creative moves here feel like gut-reactions. Chances are, if you're reading this review, you at least have some idea of what to expect from this. Listeners unfamiliar with The Flaming Lips are suggested to start somewhere else in the band's catalog (THE SOFT BULLETIN or YOSHIMI come to mind). Standout tracks: "2012 [You Must Be Upgraded]", "Is David Bowie Dying?", and "I'm Working At NASA On Acid." This album has plenty of good moments, you just have to be patient enough to let them play out.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Nobody expected this? September 15, 2012

By Scott

Format:Audio CD

Suprised at all the bad reviews for this record a lot of people citing the weirdness of it...It's the flaming lips what do you expect! To be honest with you it's not all that different from Embryonic, plenty of good moments on this album.

Stand out tracks here: First Time I ever saw your face, that ain't my trip, helping the retarded know god, Supermoon made me pee, Ashes in the air.

Essentially this isn't really an album proper it's really a compilation of all the collaborative EP's they made last year, their new proper album is due out very soon called The Terror.

I will deduct a star for not including the Chris martin track on the CD version even thought it's mentioned in the booklet - that was just lazy.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Flaming Lips at their weirdest!! August 25, 2012

By Stevo

Format:Audio CD

2012 is a very exciting year for Flaming Lips fans, and music fans in general! Anyone is bound to enjoy any one of the several artists the Lips collaborate with on Heady Fwends. They may not be what you expect from said artists but that's what you get with the Flaming Lips. THE UNEXPECTED. It's great to see some of these artists just let loose and have some strange musical fun with the Lips. You'll have to listen to it a few times to fully appreciate it but it really is a beautifully flowing cohesive album.. And yes, it's loud. It's Dissonant. It's Unusual. It's extremely weirdly experimental. But it's definitely a lot of fun... And that's why we love the Flaming Lips, right??