It’s time to get weird once again with the fearless freaks. Today, The Flaming Lips debuted their 13th studio album,  The Terror, another highly anticipated effort from the Warner Brothers Records trip rockers. As with any new Flaming Lips release, brace for the unexpected before the first listen.  Sit down, grab a cup of coffe, maybe a beer or glass of wine, and transcend  into the weird unknown. Approach each Flaming Lips release with a clear head, and sense of adventure.

The Terror  enhances the melodic and gracefully grungy side of The Flaming Lips, which we’ve gotten to know very well on previous releases. The band takes this sound and runs with it for nine mood altering songs in a row.

Wayne Coyne’s vocals have never sounded more  erie  and  mesmerizing  as the album kicks off with “Look…The Sun is Rising”. It’s the perfect album open, a rising light that  illuminates  the  fearless  and enchanting world of The Flaming Lips.

Each orchestration  of the audio bizarre and beautiful  is a continuation of the pervious song, sometimes making the listener wonder which track he or she is curretly  engulfed  in. Title track, “The Terror”, is an example of the perfected wall of interesting noise that Flaming Lips fans have come to adore and expect. “Butterfly, How Long It Takes To Die” kicks off with a tribal drum line accompanied  by Wayne Coyne’s often imitated vocal style. “You Lust” and “Always There” could have been written on Mars (and probably were knowing Coyne). The Terror wraps up with “Always There, In Our Hearts”, a conclusion that forces an instant replay of the entire album.

If you’re looking for catchy distorted guitar riffs and lyrics that hook–this is not The Flaming Lips album for you. Try their early material first. Today, The Flaming Lips have transcended into a new universe, fearlessly and flawlessly.

Rating: 4/5