The Flaming Lips - The Dark Side Of The Moon

The (often over-rated) Flaming Lips have fulfilled his threat and present their version of one of the Pink Floyd's masterpieces. Signed in conjunction with Stardeath and White Dwarfs, Wayne Coyne's nephew band, and with the participation of Peaches and the iconic punk Henry Rollins, who practically opens the album (perhaps some kind of reconciliation between the punks and Floyd?). Somehow Wayne Coyne and company shown them selves conservative and in a general way they respects almost entirely the original version changing just some things that "lighten" the sound of the work. So, the relaxed and trippy tone of "Speak To Me / Breathe" is now presented as an accelerated introduction with a frenetic bass and spectral guitars, "Time", with the unforgivable omission of gilmourean solo, becomes a sweetened interlude between "On The Run" and a reprise of "Breathe" which follows "The Great Gig In The Sky" in which Peaches, keep the hot style of Clare Torris, but adds a gritty, visceral tone. It is from "Any Color You Like" when the Lips take a little "risk" to close the album with flashes of psychedelia and funk touches. Without the trippy sound of "Dub Side Of The Moon" or the originality of "Dark Side Of The Moon A Capella", this "Dark Side ..." sounds too cautious and is saved more by greatness of the original version than by the Coyne and company work. A plain good version. -CORANNIEIT-

The Flaming Lips, The Dark Side Of The Moon
Warner Music, 2009

Links:
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Crippled Black Phoenix - 200 Tons Of Bad Luck

In what moment the sound of a band change from have influences of to it's a copy of? Is it "bad" to copy the sound of a band if the result is pretty good? This kind of questions come to mind after listen "200 Tons Of Bad Luck" the second album from Crippled Black Phoenix, the British collective group founded by Justin Graves (Electric Wizard, Iron Monkey) and its membership includes Mogwai bassist Dominic Aitchison. Covered all the way by an evident and permanent floydian shadow "200 Tons Of Bad Luck" is a good album in which we will not find an original sound, but high-level music ranging from post-rock to progressive rock. Music with long instrumental passages, peppered with incidental sounds and voices, mostly of it relaxed but also with moments full of enthusiasts Gilmourean guitars. While the first part of the album have a complete and shameless Pink Floyd sound, with songs like "Burnt Reynolds, with an introduction very close to "Shine On You ...", "Rise Up And Fight", almost a "One Of These Days" clone and "Time Of Yer Life / Born For Nothing / Paranoid Narcoleptic Arm Of Empire ", a long suite of 18 minutes with noticeable evocations to "Wish You Were Here" and "Dark Side Of The Moon" albums, towards the middle it tends more to Mogwai sound playing a little bit more obscure and aggressive songs like "444" and "Whissendine" just to close with the ethereal and instrumental "I Am Free Today I Perish." A very good album that could make happy to any Pink Floyd fan. -CORANNIEIT-

Crippled Black Phoenix, 200 Tons Of Bad Luck
Invada Records, 2009

Links:
Official Website
My Space site