The Flaming Lips - The Terror

There are very few bands who can handle the trip in the way Flaming Lips can. They don’t seem to have ever come back in fact. The Terror represents the thirteenth studio release for the band and it is just as heavy-lidded and encapsulating as anything they have released before. If anything the album is too ambient, it isn’t until the fourth track on the album that any kind of fathomable tune is identified. Up until then it feels like a lull before the big drop into the album. That song is You Lust. For a nine track album that’s a pretty wild gesture to make, even by Flaming Lips standard. The problem is the overworking of reverberation. Each track sounds as though it is being heard while dangling from a helicopter.

The Terror is a notable step away from the joyous celebration of their recent releases. Frontman Wayne Coyne has stated it is a much bleaker album, which may explain the absence of an obvious single. He described it as concerning the fear the world continues without the idea of love. The title track follows You Lust and springs a wide range of electronica. If possible The Flaming Lips have made a more experimental album than what they appeared to be settling into, an impressive feat for a band celebrating their thirtieth anniversary.

You Are Alone ambles like a nightmare Pink Floyd may have had. There is a clear feeling on desolation on the album and it’s a hard thing to break through and enjoy in any capacity when entirely sober. Butterfly (How Long It Takes To Die) is a similarly bleak track, almost attempting to be dance in places, but being pegged down by a change in stark chords.Turning Violent almost has a repeatable lyric to its chorus but beyond that is another blunt soundscape. While everything on the album sounds rich and complex, it isn’t easy listening by any degree, but when have The Flaming Lips ever been easy to listen to. It takes a certain person and a certain state of mind to enjoy. I’m sure they will be present and correct when it comes to festival season and when it comes to their sensational stage props and hi-jynx the new songs won’t fail to disappoint but as a purely aural experience it falls slightly short of the high tide mark they previously hit.

6

Paul Schiernecker 

Parklife 2012 - Review / Murkage Interview

So over the past weekend, whilst the heavy metal kids got their kicks at Download, Manchester played host to the Parklife Weekender, offering a completely different experience for the festivalgoer. Whilst the wellies were still on full force on a quite damp weekend, the spirits of many dance music enthusiasts weren’t dampened (get it?!). Amongst the churned mud were DJs and artists such as Julio Bashmore, Bicep, the Rapture and Buraka Som Sistema joined headliners the Flaming Lips and Dizzee Rascal. Parklife themselves have quite an easy festival to organise with many labels and organisers wishing to curate stages themselves. Drum & Bass label Hospitality took advantage of this as did deep house troupe Crosstown Rebels to help provide a wild and eclectic range of performers to keep everyone happy overall.

Our writer Robbie conducted interviews with both The Rapture and Murkage whilst at Parklife last Sunday. Below is his interview with Murkage, conducted after their slot at Reebok Radio which launched at the festival! 

So, Manchester, this like a home festival for you anyway, but how did it feel opening? Murkage Dave: Yeah, yeah, yeah! It felt fucking good, man. The last time we played this festival, we played in a fucking tree house that doubled for the silent disco. But y’know, we still smashed it! It feels like a cliché, you know “from zero to hero” and it’s not like that ‘cause we’re still on a journey but it feels good to play on the main stage to a home crowd. We saw so many people wearing the t-shirts and knew the lyrics. 

Gaika: Yeah, we know so many people that have supported us from the start and yeah, it was dope. It just went off with everyone jumping at the end. 

MD: that’s the way we look at it, we want to be the first stadium rap group from the UK, there isn’t really anyone out there doing that. 

So that’s the ambition then, you want to be a stadium group rather than staying in the underground like a lot of other rap groups do?
MD: I just let the secret out of the bag, but yes!
G: The thing about us is that we’re very humble, but we’re not modest. Our ambition is to win. MD: We said before, it’s all about the deconstruction of the old. We’re breaking down old ideas, bringing new energy, new people, whatever you want to do. Like, why not? Why indoctrinate yourself? 

Especially with such a big group yourselves, with the whole cartel; it must be emphasis on the group things around at the moment. The ASAP mob and Odd Future are all doing their own thing, so is there more of an onus on it?
G: it’s to do with the world changing. People have to make their own structures, their own barriers, they have to it themselves; that’s the one thing you take from us, it’s within you. 

MD: From the online presence, the blogging, the videos, the merchandise, not everyone is doing the same thing. Everyone’s bringing a different thing. It makes you feel closer and more connected, it’s good. 

G: we were all friends before this and we’ll all be friends after it. So it’s an amazing feeling being with your mates.
MD: it’s just fucking good. I’ve got my brother here with me, my good friends, it’s a privilege to be doing this with the people you actually love. 

In your set, you also mentioned the other Manchester MC’s that are coming through such as Virus Syndicate. 

MD: Definitely! They paved the way for us y’know? They were the first ones big in Europe 

G: Broken English and Fallacy! 

MD: Especially Fallacy, he did it his own way. He didn’t have to rap in an American accent, he didn’t have to be a backpacker or mimic the Brooklyn sound but above all, he’s just fucking sick. 

G: and when no one was fucking with us, he was! So shout-outs to him.

As well as the Manchester scene, there are sites such as Don’t Flop, do you feel the genre is going to begin getting over saturated?

MD: Nah, nah, nah! Chronicle and Roman have started something. I’ve been in Manchester for 9 years now and this is the first time there’s something exciting going on. From Wu Lyf, to Illum Sphere to Blizzard even Dub Phizix jumping on that track with Strategy, there’s an explosion waiting to happen and people just need to understand it. 

G: We should work together ‘cause there’s a lot of good music coming out of the city at the minute 

So finally, for Murkage, what are the main summer plans? 

MD: we’re in Europe a lot, European Festivals. We’re looking at trying to get to as many festivals as possible. Sweden is gonna be peak and Belgium! 

G: Yeah, we’re going to France with Xzibit! 

MD: We’re doing EuroRockenes so it’s just crazy. We’re doing about 5/6 festivals in France, we’re in Belgium and Germany. 

G: We’re doing Bestival and Secret Garden and Lattitude and Isle of Wight, everyone from the crew is doing something!

Robbie Baxendale

Parklife Festival 2012 - Preview

One of Britain’s quickest growing festivals, the Parklife Weekender based in Plat Fields Manchester, has announced its return with yet another bunch of eclectic artists from the dance world. With confirmed acts ranging from likes of The Flaming Lips to Kelis and Buraka Som Sistema to Tempa T, 2012 proves that this year will be the festival's most diverse range of acts. Other acts also confirmed to be playing this year are fellow headliner Dizzee Rascal, Justice, Nero and rising hype star Azealia Banks, Parklife is guaranteed to suit everyone’s needs when it comes to the electronic side of the music world. Whilst these big names dazzle the passing customer, it’s the smaller acts billed on the festival which makes the festival so special. Sets from Joy Orbison, the Field, Fred V & Graffix will be sure to entertain everyone from minimalists to drum’n’bass heads back to the dubsteppers. For a price of £64.50 for the weekend (day tickets are available for both the 9th and the 10th), this Manchester based festival is the steal of the summer.

For full line-up details and for further announcements, visit http://www.parklife.uk.com/ 

Robbie Baxendale