The Flaming Lips

At War With the Mystics (Warner Bros.)

Today, children, we're going to learn about the Flaming Lips. They're from Oklahoma City, and they're really fun, like a puppet show. Now, you'll like the very first track, "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song." When Mr. Wayne asks about whether you'd use your powers for good or evil, it might remind you of Sunday school. Those farty sounds and the guy with the deeeeeeeeeep voice on "It Overtakes Me" are called "bells and whistles." That's what bands do when they don't have anything to say. Your parents might act the same way when you play this for them. They might get grumpy and say something like "The air in that plastic bubble must be pretty thin!" They're just mad because the Flaming Lips used to be even more fun. There might be a few moments when your dad stops acting like the troll under the bridge and actually smiles; "Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung" sounds like the kind of music he used to listen to in college when his dorm room would fill up with funny-smelling smoke. But the Flaming Lips didn't make this CD for them. This one's yours to keep. At least until you're old enough to appreciate The Soft Bulletin.