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Caught the video for the Chemical Brothers' new single with the Flaming Lips (is it just with Wayne Coyne, or is this a full-on collaboration? Does it even matter?). Can't remember the title, but I came in after it had begun, so I was watching all the hippies twirling in a field in some office-drone's daydream and thought, "Oh, so this is the Polyphonic Spree."

This is one of the most misguided and worthless collaborations I've ever heard (worse than "Setting Sun," even). I've hated the Lips since they got all soft-rock blissy anyhow (right around record #3), but this is the final nail in the coffin. I mean, there's barely even a beat—what do the Chemical Brothers think people want from them, anyway? I know I can't be the only one who turns off their CDs at the end of track 4 or so (the minute they start to slow down and disappear up their own asses)...does anyone have a justification for this musical turd, that they'd like to post?

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 12:40 (twenty-two years ago)

I liked 'Setting Sun' fine. I still do, in fact, it's no 'Star Guitar' tho. Obviously I haven't heard this song, one might wonder why I bothered to post.

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 12:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Flaming Lips are the future of music, but they don't need Chemical Brothers to combine great melodic classic psychedelic pop songs with electronica in a brilliant way. They managed that themselves on their last album anyway

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 13:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh for fuck's sake.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 13:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I imagine sex with Geir is very boring. No rhythm, you see.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 13:39 (twenty-two years ago)

He will probably end up editor of Uncut.

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 1 October 2003 13:43 (twenty-two years ago)

>Flaming Lips are the future of music

If I didn't know for 100% sure that you were absolutely, completely wrong about this (for one thing, there's not a single aspect of the Flaming Lips that's even remotely futuristic—they're a headlong dive into a past that never was), I'd be filling my ears with molten metal right now.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 13:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh joy.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 13:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Molten Metal? Don't know them. Have they got any albums out?

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 1 October 2003 13:51 (twenty-two years ago)

sex with Geir

ew!

― Vic (Vic), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 13:52 (twenty-two years ago)

eh, i should say sorry..i'm thinking of the "Geir" who's on friendster. i should apologize...

― Vic (Vic), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 13:52 (twenty-two years ago)

as for the song/video anyway...It was on TV. Which was muted. I was busy doing something else and didn't bother to unmute it until 2 or 3 minutes in. Cringed. Then muted it again in 25 seconds...

...but then again, don't listen to me. I sold back that album from last year that contained the "future of music" after 1 cursory listen, so I wouldn't know anything about the electronica-laden genius inherent in this dulcet ditty

― Vic (Vic), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 13:55 (twenty-two years ago)

>Don't know them. Have they got any albums out?

Check out Destruction's Metal Discharge. It may be just what you're looking for.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 13:56 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't mind this song - it sounds like some old Julian Cope B-Side. Nonsense but harmless nonsense.

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 13:59 (twenty-two years ago)

I've hated the Lips since they got all soft-rock blissy anyhow (right around record #3),

Telepathic Surgery....?

― bizo dizo, Wednesday, 1 October 2003 14:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually, checking on AMG, it was the one right after that, In A Priest Driven Ambulance, that marked the descent into suck. (And it's not like they were very good in the beginning, either; they just got a whole hell of a lot worse.)

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 14:10 (twenty-two years ago)

you can sing 'where the streets have no name' to it. melody nicked wholesale. noel g obviously taught them a trick or 2.

― mark e (mark e), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 14:29 (twenty-two years ago)

does anyone have a justification for this musical turd, that they'd like to post?

It's called Ewan Pearson Extended Vocal.

― JoB (JoB), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 15:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Chemical Brothers + Flaming Lips = "Lips Like Sugar"

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 16:33 (twenty-two years ago)

just not as catchy. And I like these bands individually...

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 16:42 (twenty-two years ago)

"Yoshimi" was the first Flaming Lips album I heard that I didn't love all the way through on the first listen, and what's worse it had a lot of parts that I just plain couldn't stand to listen to (the ravey "One More Robot", the hella-boring "All We Have Is Now"). The b-sides were even better than the album, so perhaps there was the possibility that they could still do amazing "Zaireeka"-style recordings even working in a faux-electro mindset.

But since "Soft Bulletin" they've gotten more popular, the ticket prices have drastically jumped, and the new songs and videos really seem to be lacking in an inspiration they used to put into everything they did. A lapse in taste as bad as working with the Chemical Brothers is the final sign for me that they've totally and completely lost it.

― Adam Bruneau, Wednesday, 1 October 2003 16:56 (twenty-two years ago)

i kinda lost interest once i realized wayne stopped writing songs and became the andy warhol of his own band.

― donut bitch (donut), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 17:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Phil, what do you find soft-rock about "In A Priest"?

― donut bitch (donut), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 18:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Haven't listened to it in about a decade, so hard to make a specific critique. I do remember it as being the first step in the downward slide to their present state of abject shit-ness, though. (And remember from an earlier post, I never liked 'em much even when they were a poor man's Butthole Surfers.)

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 18:29 (twenty-two years ago)

kinda lost interest once i realized wayne stopped writing songs and became the andy warhol of his own band.

DB, Coyne had that tendency ever since he decided to escape the indie-poppiness of "She Don't Like Jelly".

For the record,

"Setting Sun" kicked ass (but then, I loved Noel Gallagher, as well). Can't blame the Chems for trying to improve on "The Test", as that song was a sonic masterpiece.

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 18:30 (twenty-two years ago)

ELECTRONIC BATTLE WEAPONS SIX MOTHERFUCKERS!

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 20:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Everything else the Chems have done in the last four years is an irrelevence, but that one tune is utter, utter glory.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 20:41 (twenty-two years ago)

it's not all that, nor is 'Nude Nights' or any of their recent micro-acid. 'Golden Path's pretty weak/too minimal and Coyne's lyrics are just irritating more than anything else. i don't hate the song tho.

i downloaded an mp3 of the Chems at some festival in Europe and at least it appears they're still fantastic live.

i've just rediscovered 'My Mercury Mouth' (again)

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 22:05 (twenty-two years ago)

you can sing 'where the streets have no name' to it

fucking ON the money.

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 22:07 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah, i don't care for the song. but the video has some major highlights, such as
the coffee volcano, the xerox light flashing over their faces, the girl holding a sign that says ''come with us'', and 'the hippies twirling in a field.'

― reo fordecor, Wednesday, 1 October 2003 22:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I bought this single then realised the song sounds better on TV. I'm liking it more now - Wayne Coyne doesn't sing on this track enough for it to annoy me, given how much he reminds me of Bryan Adams on Yoshimi blabla.

― Damian (Damian), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 23:34 (twenty-two years ago)

theres an extraneous 'chemical brothers' in this thread title

― trife (simon_tr), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 23:56 (twenty-two years ago)

wait a minute, maybe this is the Chems/Outkast collab that was supposed to have been on the last album but then got shelved (arf)

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 23:58 (twenty-two years ago)

'Golden Path' obviously shit, but certainly not comparable to 'Setting Sun'. "rave sirens + hoary old beatles sample + hoary young beatles imitator = genius" is an equation i thought would be obvious to all.

― Dave M. (rotten03), Thursday, 2 October 2003 03:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Dave M. otm. Besides, the Chemical hate on ILM always confuses me (and no, not because I can't understand anyone hating them, I just haven't gotten around it yet). FWIW, 'The Golden Path' is actually growing on me-shocker! It would be a nice 2 minute instrumental/album 'lude, that's for sure. I do agree that 'The Test' was pretty weak.

― Barima (Barima), Thursday, 2 October 2003 06:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Golden Path is fucking dreadful. The Test was too.

I love the Chemical Brothers, but god the Golden Path is the worst thing they've ever done. Even buying into Wayne Coyne's fucking nonsense is bad enough.

Nude Night the b-side is great though, really good and a justification possibly. I liked Come With Us a bit, Denmark is close to being my favourite Chems song, and their most under-praised I'd say.

I think it's a bit harsh to say anything in the last 4 years has been rubbish, cos Starguitar also is close to their best. I like the way they now make subtly weird tracks like Nude Night, Star Guitar, My Elastic Eye, Denmark, and they all float into the night quietly.

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 2 October 2003 07:06 (twenty-two years ago)

i like Hoops

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 2 October 2003 08:09 (twenty-two years ago)

I love the Golden path, it reminds me of Saturn Strip by Alan Vega in his Giorgio Moroder phase (yes, I know it was Ric Ocasek), even down to the yelps. In fact only way to improve it would be to get Vega in to do the vocals and make it about 18 minutes'33 long.

Can't understand how you can like Star guitar but not this Ronan, they seem to be cut from the same cloth.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Thursday, 2 October 2003 08:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Star Guitar is lovely and > Golden Path because it doesn't have Coyne's cloying lyrics triting it up - more interesting beat too (always a sucker for double-snare/clap attacks)

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 2 October 2003 08:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Robert Palmer sings "Where the streets have no name" while the rest of his band continue to play "Johnny and Mary". In heaven, obviously.

But in a good way.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 2 October 2003 09:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Golden Path is ace. Not a big Chem Bros fan usually, and the last Flips album wasn't up to much (apart from Do You Realize?? which is one of the greatest singles in history, certainyl in terms of the amount it forced me to play it on repeat).

As for the Coyne = thief deabte: I'm sure you've all realised but Fight Test vs Father and Son by Cat Stevens.

― Jim Robinson (Original Miscreant), Friday, 3 October 2003 23:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Saying you dislike Wayne Coyne's nonsense is like saying, "I hate Santa's red jumpsuit." The nonsense is part of him. And I'm assuming here that Santa's jumpsuit is melted to his body.

Point is, the Flaming Lips are 50% music, 50% ridiculous crap, and 100% awesome.

― David Allen, Saturday, 4 October 2003 04:52 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought that song was okay. I mean basically it's annoying that it's not profound but it's barely audible anyway so who cares.

― Laura, Saturday, 4 October 2003 05:31 (twenty-two years ago)

It's just "Hoops" with Wayne doing a bad Beck impersonation over the top. I said it elsewhere, and I'll say it here: how can you collaborate with the Flaming Lips and not, say, get Steve Drozd to lay down some big fuck-off huge drum breaks and then sample them?

Also, most of the "previously unreleased" bonus disc rarities on Singles 93-03 (as in "stuff that isn't remixed/original/live versions of stuff Chem Bros dorx already know and love") are pretty dreg. "Otter Rock"? "The Duke"? Guh? Fah? "Delik" is a total slaughter though, even if it's mostly (well, 60%) just a greatest-beats megamix.

― nate detritus (natedetritus), Saturday, 4 October 2003 05:42 (twenty-two years ago)

this thread's title would be the best Slipknot song ever.

― Al (sitcom), Saturday, 4 October 2003 05:55 (twenty-two years ago)

but a comparatively boring Anal Cunt song.

― nate detritus (natedetritus), Saturday, 4 October 2003 06:07 (twenty-two years ago)

"Electronic Battleweapon 6" is on the latest Mixmag covermount, and it is utterly, utterly "they still make them like this?" glorious.

Mixed into "Acperience" too, which is nice.

― Mike (mratford), Saturday, 4 October 2003 08:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Okay that single looks fucking awesome. I'm off to buy Mixmag...

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Saturday, 4 October 2003 13:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Single=CD even.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Saturday, 4 October 2003 13:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Shame Carter plays prog now! I might buy that too.

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 4 October 2003 15:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Gah! Nowhere in my area sells Mixmag at all! But they all sell NME, Kerrang, Q, Mojo, The Wire and even cockfarming Bang. Maybe dance is dead after all...

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Sunday, 5 October 2003 12:00 (twenty-two years ago)

The great thing about the Ewan Pearson mix is that not only is it great but it also half-resurrects Wayne Coyne's vocal.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Sunday, 5 October 2003 12:43 (twenty-two years ago)

This is OK, but it doesn't feel much like a Chemical Brothers thing. I'd like to see both go much further out together. It feels very b-sidey, kind of one-take style. I like that Steve Drozd does the vocal though, his voice is cool enough. I mean, when your bar for maniac collabos is set by "The Private Psychedelic Reel," this just seems a little lazy. Nothing terribly wrong with that.

― rob geary (rgeary), Sunday, 5 October 2003 17:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Though, given that the Chems tend to collaborate a couple of times with anyone they like, is it safe to say that they'll probably try with the Lips again? (maybe your dream of Drozd-sampled-drums will come true this time Nate! They're just making you wait for it!)

― rob geary (rgeary), Sunday, 5 October 2003 17:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Wait, that was Drozd's voice? I thought that was Wayne's normal speaking voice.

― nate detritus (natedetritus), Sunday, 5 October 2003 17:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, I'm not sure now. I thought I read that somewhere. I don't know the Flaming Lips all that well so it seemed just as plausible that it was two different voices. Maybe it's all Wayne.

― rob geary (rgeary), Monday, 6 October 2003 04:49 (twenty-two years ago)

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Chemical Brothers + Flaming Lips = Shit

ELECTRONIC BATTLE WEAPONS SIX MOTHERFUCKERS!