[Today: A concept-within-a-concept album...]
Hidden deep behind the shiny facade of giant robots, karate and burbling electronic noises is the simple concept at the heart of Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots – a concept that many critics have approached without ever precisely articulating. On its surface, The Flaming Lips’ 2002 album is a muddled story about a squadron of Japanese girls fighting invaders who possess artificial intelligence, but thankfully there’s much less to it than that.
The surface story makes for good sci-fi, prog-rock comparisons, and led many a reviewer to proclaim that Yoshimi‘s driving concept was ‘man vs. technology’ ‘synthetic vs. reality’ or practically any other William Gibson/Ray Bradbury plot-line you care to conjure up [choose your fave]. But its true meaning is as clear as the pimple on the end of your nose: this is an album about the confusing journey from childhood into adolescence.
Why all the smoke and mirrors? Put it this way: child-like innocence and rock were separated from one another by punk rock, and finally divorced when grunge went nuclear in the early 90′s. Engagement was replaced by detachment, and in place of wonder we were given irony, lots of it. For all their rhetorical nihilism, the punks were very earnest creatures, but wide-eyed enthusiasm is a stance that just don’t get around much anymore.
Thus Yoshimi covertly addresses many of the fundamental questions that a young person faces as they begin to morph into an adult. The fact that Wayne Coyne tackles them in a voice that’s constantly on the verge of cracking only adds icing to the conceptual cake. When is it okay to stand and fight? How can I hang on to my imagination? Why are feelings so complex? What does love mean? What does death mean? Those are the kind of questions I asked myself a lot between the ages of 10 and 15, and as much as I’d like to claim otherwise, they’re the same things I’m still asking myself, more than two decades later.
Listen: Fight Test
*****
Past Masters
The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds [17 Oct 07]
Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here [14 May 07]
20 May 2008 at 8:46 am |
Cool album. Cool review.
20 May 2008 at 2:11 pm |
it aint no hall & oats…!
21 May 2008 at 1:09 pm |
One of my favorite albums.
1 January 2010 at 11:04 am |
[...] The surface story makes for good sci-fi, prog-rock comparisons, and led many a reviewer to proclaim that Yoshimi’s driving concept was ‘man vs. technology’ ’synthetic vs. reality’ or practically any other William Gibson/Ray Bradbury plot-line you care to conjure up [choose your fave]. But its true meaning is as clear as the pimple on the end of your nose: this is an album about the confusing journey from childhood into adolescence. [Read Full Review] [...]
9 August 2010 at 12:44 am |
Love this album, in my top 10 of all time. Pretty damn insightful review too.
My wife and I used Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt.1 as one of the songs at our wedding.
Have seen them live a couple of times now, highly recommended, their gigs are the most fun and life affirming concerts you could ever go to.
Wayne Coyne just maybe the most beautiful human being on the planet.
15 September 2010 at 3:58 pm |
I knew it! I have thought about this for a long time now. This is the same exact explanation I came up with and I’m only fourteen. I’m so proud of myself.
15 November 2011 at 7:28 pm |
Great review of a great album… but it is still the second best Lips album. The Soft Bulletin being #1.