Yes, they’re silly and their big furry animal-clad fans are an embarrassment, but they do make some nice music. I first encountered the Lips when their previous album The Soft Bulletin was a smash hit, and it seemed to be a welcome break from the po-faced earnestness and sneering of some of the Britpop bands who had taken us to the end of the century.
Is it a concept album? I suppose there’s a loose narrative running through the songs, opening with the brightly cheerful Fight Test, and the bland but inoffensive One More Robot before we pile into Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt 1, a silly yet lovely song, and its synth noise Pt 2. It’s down a notch for the gentle In The Morning Of The Magicians, and Ego Tripping At The Gates Of Hell, both pleasant enough but not particularly memorable. Similarly, Are You A Hypnotist and It’s Summertime float by, gently tickling the ears, but refusing to trouble the brain. However, Do You Realise perks this listener up, a simple tune with an existential message, and from there it’s quietly towards the end, All We Have Is Now, slower and gentler before the instrumental finale, Approaching Pavonis Mons By Balloon.
It’s a lovely album, sadly with only a few real crackers and a lot of pleasant songs which don’t leave a massive impression. But certainly not 45 minutes wasted.
3* - a relatively easy listen, but much of it just washes over.
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