At this point in their amazing and improbable career, I'm not sure there's much that hasn't already been said as far as reviewing a concert by The Flaming Lips. Anyone that has seen them live in the last 10 years or so knows about the confetti canons and balloons, the crowd surfing inside a giant bubble, the costumed dancers pulled from the audience, the lighting setups and the various costumed mascots that pop up every now and then. You know that you're going to hear "Race For The Prize," "Yoshimi Part 1," "The WAND," "She Don't Use Jelly" and "Do You Realize" and a bunch of other songs. So it's a credit to the band (and the audience for that matter) that it can all seem so new and fun as it happens. Yes, you can nitpick at the setlist, but then you'd be missing the point. Just sit back, enjoy the show and sing along with everyone else. And if you weren't there, don't fret. Wayne Coyne told the audience they were recording last night's show -- so at some point in the future you might be able to hear what you missed. more ›

If you consider yourself a fan of The Fiery Furnaces, chances are, you’re the type of person who appreciates a good surprise. Though the siblings Friedberger debuted in 2003 with Gallowbird’s Bark, a fairly straightforward (if surprisingly literate) take on bluesy garage rock, things quickly took a turn for the weird. The band returned only a year later with the 76-minute Blueberry Boat, a delightfully overstuffed homage to the rock operas of the Who that crammed squelchy Moog lines, blues riffs, church organs and Broadway melodies into miniature epics about lost dogs, pirates and misplaced lockets. While the album’s sudden twists and turns felt like aural overload on first listen, many fans and critics found the makings of a masterwork in the record’s labyrinthine assembly and spiraling narratives. As if to prove that they are capable of producing great pop songs as well (on the rare occasion that they feel like it), the band followed with the terrific singles-collecting EP in 2005. more ›