Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

Music for vegans who vape

Another great surprise that expelled any/all preconceived notions I had upon seeing today's entry. Apparently (obviously) I know/knew absolutely nothing about The Flaming Lips, but this was/is immediately right in my wheelhouse. Maybe a concept album....sign me up. Dreamy - melodic - mysterious - gorgeous - electronic loops mixed with organic elements - just great music which is simultaneously accessible yet not predictable. How have I missed this album all these years? I'm looking forward to repeat listens of this in headphones. I wonder if at some point I end up viewing this as a five.....this is awesome. ...screw it. 5 stars for an album I'd never heard of 24 hrs ago 9/10 5 stars.

One of my favourite albums, by one of my favourite artists, of all time. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots is brilliant and life affirming on many different levels. Individually, each track is excellent, but collectively they add up to a single piece that is even greater than its individual parts. It's accessible and catchy, yet a bit weird and experimental. It manages to combine being a sci-fi semi-concept album about pink robots and a vitamin-popping girl, with universal truths and philosophies that go straight to the heart of the uncertainty and unknowingness of life and our insignificance in the universe: "I don't know how a man decides what is right for his own life, it's all a mystery" (Fight Test), "The universe will have its way, too powerful to master" (In the Morning of the Magicians). At the end it helpfully provides the the answer of what to do about these overwhelming questions: "Instead of saying all of your goodbyes, let them know you realize that life goes fast, it's hard to make the good things last" (Do You Realize??). I.e. Sadness is inevitable, don't worry about the big things that we can't control. Be grateful for your life, enjoy it, and share it with others. That message, along with the journey to get there, is the main reason I love this very special album. Rating: 5/5 Playlist track: Do You Realize?? Date listened: 28/06/22

Yesssssss.... This is hands down one of my all-time favorites. A kitschy, fuzzy, psychedelic odyssey in the form of a sci-fi anime rock opera. Every song is cinematic, melodious, and fun. Covering topics like sentient robots and vitamin-eating Japanese schoolgirls.

Too slow and lifeless for me, literally brings my mood down. Better than Radiohead though.

Yoshimi is the sequel to The Soft Bulletin, except it's also a loosely organized allegorical concept album about the struggle of humanity to extricate itself from the technological disaster it's created, but lyricist Wayne Coyne concentrates on the human costs involved. I'm a sucker for these kinds of themes to begin with, but the Lips do something unique with it. Their lyrics are goofy, heartfelt, incisive, and utterly humane, which couldn't be more endearing. Musically, the Lips write fairly simple pop songs with pretty melodies, but they've come up with arrangements that complement and deepen their lyrical content beautifully. They adroitly mix warm analog guitars with digital drums, orchestral flourishes, blatantly artificial and sometimes silly synth patches, augmented with studio trickery and faux-documentary excerpts, all grounded by Wayne Coyne's tremulous, wistful voice. Numerous psychedelic touches reveal The Lips' devotion to Pink Floyd, but they sound nothing like them, really. Are there weak spots? Yes, but they are hard to find. I find Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Part II musically uninteresting and just plain silly. There is a preponderance of ballads. Nothing really rocks hard. But these are minor complaints. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots is a very strong album and well worth your time. 4 stars out of 5.

There are definite highlights, but the lack of variation in the synths means the whole album washes together into 40 minutes of monotony.

Mostly fine apart from the plagiarism

20 years ago, I probably would have written the most hyperbolic review for this record, likely proclaiming it one of the greatest records ever released, a true milestone achievement in human history, etc, etc, ad nauseam. It was an easy 5 for me and if you were in central New Jersey for a week in the back half of 2002, you probably would’ve seen me wearing the tan Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots comic strip t-shirt that I got when I saw them the month after this record was released. Man, I fucking loved this band. Over the years I’ve soured on them for a number of reasons, but mostly it’s just because I’ve changed and this record in particular is one that I associate with a not-so-great time in my life. It’s funny how that happens, isn’t it? Music is very powerful in that it’ll make you think about things you haven’t thought of in decades, temporarily reopening old wounds or re-igniting old flames - occasionally, it does both simultaneously, which is an especially shitty feeling, for sure. So yeah, I don’t really come back to this one because of that. …but enough sentimentalism. The other reason I don’t come back to this record very often is that honestly, I don’t think it’s that great as a whole. Somewhere around or after “Are You a Hypnotist?”, I usually start checking out. …and, Jesus Christ, if I never hear “Do You Realize?” again, I’d be so cool with that. These are words that, in the early aughts, I never thought I’d type out. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy the Flaming Lips, but the three albums that precede this one, (Clouds Taste Metallic, Zaireeka and The Soft Bulletin) are the band’s high-water mark for me - I don’t think they topped those records before or since. The Flaming Lips were untouchable for those few years. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, just by virtue of following those classics, is mostly in the same league and shares some similarities with The Soft Bulletin, but it’s where the cracks begin to show, in my opinion. I guess what I’m getting at is, it’s not the Flaming Lips record with an orange cover I’d put on this list…Clouds Taste Metallic is the one you need to hear before you die. God, that album is amazing.

This album is a masterwork of an end-to-end experience. Every song is meticuously layered and arranged, creating an expansive and enveloping sound. I think "Fight Test", "Are You a Hypnotist??" and "In the Morning of the Magicians" are good examples of this. But breaking up the album and considering it song by song, undermines the value of the ablum, which is at it's highest as a whole. Although the creators have insisted this is not a concept album, there is a unifying feel and an arch to that I continuously enjoy experiencing end-to-end.

I loved this album, although I knew about The Flaming Lips I've never listened to them. This album specifically has a lot of experimental electronic and progressive sounds but just enough to be a pleasant experience

A modern classic. The Flaming Lips take an unusual storyline (really only apparent in the first few songs) and explore themes of mortality and love. The music is dreamlike and uses both analog and digital instrumentation to create a lush backdrop.

An incredibly unique and pleasurable listening experience.

It's super vibey, and I love it. The lyrics/voice are engaging and fit extremely well with the backing track. I especially liked the keyboard in the songs it was featured in, but each instrument had it's time in spotlight. In addition, no instrument overpowered another. This is an album that I could put in the background while I'm just thinking as it's pretty relaxing. Favorite track: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1

A weird experience, definitely. It mixes in stuff that sounds like early-2000s pop with some alternative music things that I can now see that have even affected some other more modern music that I've heard. The whole album works wonderfully together and it has a solid musical theme throughout, but no one specific song jumps out to me as outstanding. A good listen, which I'd recommend to _most_ people, though.

Great album, was already in my favourites list. Cohesive, tells a story without being too blatant, and I love the mix of folky warble with some electronics influence.

Amazing album, so rich and weird. The melodrama and soaring instrumentals are fantastic.

It started off ok, and it has a few songs in there that stand out a bit, but I don't really like his vocals, and plenty of the album just comes across as a bit soft and wanky.

Boring hipster music

The Flaming Lips play it safe, too safe. It feels like their Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots is them outsourcing a record to a group of untalented and unmotivated born-again Christians. The Flaming Lips gave these Christians the assignment to create an uninspired piece of dream pop, without any edge, with the most dumbed-down cartoonish lyrics, and extremely awkwardly awful sounding vocal effects. I am happy to report that these Christians succeeded in creating one of the dumbest pieces of Rock/Dream-Pop that I have ever listened to. Their only mistake was the okayish Do You Realize, which is way too catchy for my taste. Well done, 1/5.

This is the first album that I've been suggested that I'm intimately familiar with. There a several titanic songs on this album, including Fight Test, Yoshimi part 1, and Do You Realize. In between these songs is a psychedelic soundscape that guides you dreamily through the album. The instrumentals on this album are incredible. No two songs sound alike, and yet the album has a cohesive feel. 5/5

This album is one that holds an incredibly special place to me. It’s been one of my absolute favorites of all time for a while now, I’ve seen it performed in full live, and it was my introduction to the Flaming Lips, who are now one of my all time favorite bands and whose discography I could give you my full detailed thoughts on for hours on end. I very rarely consider any album to be perfect, but this is one of the few that I would say are practically on that level. Right now more than ever, a relisten to this album was what I needed. With how my mind and life has been lately, the message of this album, enjoying the present instead of fearing the future, is one that hit harder than ever. I will always love this album with all my heart.

This is not a record, it's a state of mind. Perfect soundtrack for sunny Sunday mornings, it's the pinnacle where all what is the Lips -experimentation, melodies, sonic creativity- reaches its maximum height. Even better than 'The Soft Bulletin', they had never been that good, never were again

Fun!

killer album art. i loved this, it was fun in concept & catchy (even the instrumentals) & just the right amount of upbeat + melancholy

Strange and wonderful alternative music that is everything you would expect from the band. A lovely complementary piece to the Soft Bulletin.

Musical theatre like sometimes.

Funny, beautiful, and moving, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots finds the Flaming Lips continuing to grow and challenge themselves in not-so-obvious ways after delivering their obvious masterpiece.

I’m a sucker for a space adventure and this one was a pleasant one at that. Within seconds of hitting play we’re grabbed into the space aesthetic. I thought this was an early 2010’s album and I was shocked to find out this album is from 02. I’m not sure I really like any songs on their own. The whole album flows very well and does an exceptional job of painting the space atmosphere. It’s Summertime is very beatlesque but definitely not the highlight of the album. The best is not a single track found in the middle or the end of the album. Most of the fun is found in the first five songs and scattered in small parts in the back half of the album. I was looking forward to Yoshimi’s battle with cancer over the course of the album. The greatness of the album both lyrically and musically is mostly only present in the front half. The saying "it’s not about the destination it's about the journey" applies to all 47 minutes of this album. You will definitely find me playing this song on repeat from time to time.

Do You Realize that this is a great album? I feel like I'm floating through space. It's a nice album to chill out and maybe bob your head here and there to the beat.

I’ve always loved Do You Realize, the rest is fine. Perfectly enjoyable in the background but I wouldn’t put it on deliberately.

Enjoyed this...though did not attempt to complete the 100-song, 7+ hour "deluxe" version.

A couple of WEIRD songs on this one. But I enjoyed it more than I expected - the tunes and singer were actually kind of soothing, wistful, and dreamy. And then there were space lasers (?) I wonder how the musical was. 3.4 stars.

This one is a hard one to rate. It feels ambitious, and lots of interesting stuff going on. I'm a fan of some of the later songs like "Do you realize", and overall I enjoyed the album. But I would also say it feels rough around the edges, and I think that comes from its age. I listened on youtube and maybe it would have been better listened to without the inherent compression. But anyways, I like it and I think I'll check out some of The Flaming Lips' other stuff.

The flaming shits.

I liked the first song — almost felt like cat stevens. The rest felt like someone did drugs and said “you know what would be cool….”

I have never understood the TFL hype, sloppy and ill recorded in an uncharming way.

I listened to this album before from a recommendation. Wasnt a fan then and still not really a fan. Sort of boring, I get what they were going for though.

One of my favorite albums of all time. I listen to this at least once a week.

Muito bom! Não conhecia! Fiquei encantada!

Glad I finally got around to listening to the Flaming Lips. Such a fun album, even the campy tracks.

i was gonna give this 4 stars but that's only relative to soft bulletin so i'll give this 5 too.

4.7 + What a delight revisiting this album that was a mainstay of my early 20s. It centers around an epic battle between a Dragonball-esque superhero (Yoshimi) and a villainous robot army, set against an interstellar Japanimé backdrop. By the middle of the album good has prevailed over evil and the hero is seemingly pondering her place in the universe and the nature of existence. At least that's my take. This album has the most vastly cinematic and philosophical sweep of any other record of recent memory. So many terrific tracks here: "Fight Test", "Yoshimi Battles...Pt. 1", "In the Morning of the Magicians", "Do You Realize??" My only nitpick is with "One More Robot" - such a terrific song made worse with too much noise and blip-blurp-gurgles.

A baby’s smile. A litter of sleeping puppies. Your lover’s heart. Years ago, solely on the basis of Radiohead vocalist and lyricist Thom Yorke’s raving recommendation, I gave a listen to the Icelandic group, Sigur Ros. In addition to being every bit as wonderful as he had suggested, it also touched something much deeper in me than almost anything else I had ever heard before or since… until now. This is rarified air for me, reserved for the music of the Taize monastery in France, Russian Orthodox liturgical chants, John Lennon’s first two solo albums. These are works of musical art to whom I open my heart- no small thing. They always find me, and not the other way around, because they are looking for a heart too, to endure. ‘Joy is in the ear that hears, not the mouth that speaks,’ claim the race of giants in author Stephen Donaldson’s magnificent Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series. When the student is ready the teacher will come, say the Buddhists. The Flaming Lips’ 'Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots' have found me like a grace. “Do you realize that everyone you know someday will die? And instead of saying all of your goodbyes, let them know you realize that life goes fast. It’s hard to make the good things last. You realize the sun doesn’t go down, it’s just an illusion caused by the world spinning round.” Ok, I’m not going to quote anymore lyrics, because they really need to be heard with the music: tender, trippy, soulful, lovely. Just three of ‘em, these Lips: guitar (often acoustic), minimalist drum kit, bass and synth (incidentally, I have never heard a bass ‘flutter,’ until ‘Summertime.’ And then it gently, mysteriously just transformed into something synthesized. I’d call it remarkable if it wasn’t so… effortless? No, screw it, it’s remarkable. Just something that simple. Ok, I just said I wasn’t going to do this, but I changed my mind. Kindness, please. I’m still somewhat in a state of rapture. The lyrics conclude on the second to last song (the closer is an instrumental): “As logic stands, you couldn’t met a man who’s from the future. But logic broke; as he appeared, he spoke about the future: ‘We’re not going to make it,’ he explained how the end will come... I noticed that he had a watch and hat that looked familiar. He was me, from a dimension torn free of the future… ‘You and me were never meant to be part of the future.’ All we have is now. All we’ve ever had is now. All we have is now. All we’ll ever have is now.” ‘Ego Tripping From The Gates Of Hell’ (the title of the 6th track and, incidentally, sounding like a title ELP would’ve been comfortable with on any of their LPs)- the consequence of missing all the other gifted moments of life because of one’s desperate search for the one moment they want so badly to control. Or, surrendering victoriously into the eternal now, the eternal here, and being given every moment, out of control. This is the choice offered on 'Yoshimi.' This is music getting close to beyond music. This LP has no use for stars (rating). It lives among the stars already. But for our purposes, I’m giving it five. Five squared. Five to the fifth power. Add five more to that.

In the morning of the magicians is my favorite song on the album

Great album

Loved it, very melancholy

Large Air 24/7

Fight test, yoshimi battles the pink robots part 1, do you realize??, are you a hypnotist??

This album was a constant companion freshman year of college. It helped ease my angst especially with my shyness and awkwardness around cute girls. I could not get enough of "Fight Test" and "Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell." Lots of other great songs here, "Yoshimi" (obviously), "Are You a Hypnotist", " Do You Realize"... This album is really a gem.

I am digging this two sings in. I have heard of this previously but didn't know much about it other than it existed. Continued to really like it. It is a very cohesive and the songs really tell a story. Would definitely listen to it more. Final verdict is it is a cool album ahead of its time, it sound like it could have come out this year and I definitely dig it.

Very decent album from very decent band

trippy but sounds incredible

Love this album, find the music so otherworldly and hypnotic. Yoshimi pt 1 is a Jam

Bangs

Excellent album! I definitely need to pay more attention to The Flaming Lips, and will sure do.

Loved this album - love a theme love the sound

A beautiful and weird album. You obviously have the hits, and while that's often enough to carry any album, this album not only delivers on the above but makes sure every track is a fun and unique journey.

Fuck. Yeah

2/03/22

Creative poppy brilliance!

Fantastic experience, can’t wait for more Flaming Lips

This is one of my favorite albums of all time. Unfortunately I never got into any of the other Flaming Lips releases as strongly as this one. But this one is just incredible.

Love this album. Fun, creative, quirky.

A personal favorite. All tracks are interesting, distinct, full of emotive lyrics, and the overall sound is upbeat, electronic-tinged rock.

That was a beautiful story phenomenal band and instruments overall

Own. Thanks for reminding me I have this on CD and not listened to it in its entirety in ages.

this was the album that made me like the flaming lips...starts out so beautiful with fight test

My favorite The Flaming Lips album. This feels like the perfect encapsulation of their style: an interesting narrative concept (whether intentional or not), melancholia but whimsical sounds/lyrics, and a lust for life. I remember first hearing this my junior year in college and just being filled with hope for both the world's and my own future. I may be ignorant, but there still isn't much out there like this. I could type out things about every track on this album; they are all good which is also a rare feat. I'd say the highlight is Do You Realize?? which most people likely already know. It's still extremely pure and beautiful and I've prob heard it over 100 times. It's very impressive that this is also the 10th album for them, most bands start produce shit at this point but the fact that they could make this after so long is a testament to their artistic acumen, not to mention the really great production work here. One of the most human albums of the 00s. A rare straight 5 for me.

Listened to it just a couple weeks ago, what a fun trip. Such an interesting story that coincides some great production.

Amazing. One more Robot/ Simpathe 3000-21 Is my favorite song now.

Whoa my second 5 album of the week. The best Flaming Lips album.

Classic

Delightful

i've never heard about this band before, to be honest. anyways the album is nice, sometimes chilly, sometimes a bit weird. AND i love their album covers favs: yoshimi battles....pt.1, do you realize?

Dug it. Dug it real good.

Really liked the technical fusion sound.

Dope! Really liked the titular songs and "Do You Realize??"

Love this spacey/trippy album. Own it on red vinyl.

Love this album. Psychedelic, Nostalgic, and a hell of a time.

Euphoric loveliness

Love this album. Was in Japan when it was released and it felt the perfect place to listen to it.

Pleasent surprise and unique. I felt so good listening to this album.

Glad I had time to listen to this!

Classic

Гениально

A long time favourite.

Great album, listened about 4 times, will be returning to this. Some familiar songs.

Nunca había escuchado este disco completo, pero qué bueno haberlo hecho ahora. Me dio mucha paz (?), con un toque de ternura, incluso aunque a veces las letras tiendan más hacia la depresión. Supongo que tuvo un efecto relajante, por así decirlo. Y me conmovió. No tengo skips en este disco, pero diría que "In the Morning of the Magicians" fue mi canción preferida, quizá le sigan "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1" y "Are You a Hypnotist?", pero todas tienen algo que me gusta, el cierre instrumental también está padre. ¿Es una actualización de lo psicodélico? Asumo que sí y sobre todo porque los Flaming Lips siempre son asociado a eso, lo que sí sé es que para mí todo está en su punto. 10/10

Loved it

One of my all time favourites. Amazing live band too. Easy 5

Aw h*ck yeah

Long time favorite!

How is this only from 2002?! This album is so cool. psychedelic, indie, odyssey, experimental fusion. "Do You Realize" was the only song I really knew from them and it's so cool to hear how it fit into the rest of the album.

So good. Took a couple listens to understand the world they built :)

One of my favorite psychedelic albums of all time. The drumming is excellent as usual for Flaming Lips, and the lyrics and themes still feel futuristic to this day. Highlights: 1, 3, 6, 7, and 9.

This is the first album that was generated that I already have. I love this album.

Fucking brilliant

such a magnificent album. the lush production, beautiful vocals, and overall sound just make this project very enjoyable for myself (not an avid flaming lips listener). i highly recommend this album. will be purchasing vinyl.