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14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Driving At Dusk During The Winter In the Distant Future..., 9 Mar 2005
The Flaming Lips, if nothing else, write great liner notes and describe their and other bands' music with a rare verve. This is less a chillout mix than a well packaged and produced compilation of songs which the Lips would be proud to have released (while passing the time driving across the interior of the US). One can easily why as the compilers are blessed with fine taste. The album starts off brilliantly. The otherworldy strains of Bjork run into Faust via Miles Davis and Chris Bell who has been a staple of compilations and cover versions since This Mortal Coil in the late 1980s.The album finishes fantastically with probably the finest moments from both Nick Drake and Radiohead in "River Man" and "Pyramid Song" respectively. The only blip of the final tracks is 10CC's "I'm Not In Love" which I cannot stand (check out Talking Heads' unrelated song of the same name from their second album which would have been a better choice). However, quality control is restored with the beautiful "Another Green World" by Brian Eno concludes the album proper (save for a spoken word piece by David Shrigley of whom I had never heard previously - imagine Aidan Moffat speaking over the more industial elements of Bjork's latest offering). If there is a weakness to the compilation, it is in the middle which comprises songs by the like of the Chameleons, Love and Rockets and Psychedelic Furs which, while by no means bad songs, do not provide the same chill as the surrounding material. Despite the depth of musical riches, the highlights for me were two. In reverse order, the Aphex Twin's "Flim" serves as a reminder that, when Richard James wants to, he can create music of unsurpassed beauty. To my shame, "People" by Alfie was completely unknown to me. It is quite simply the best song Pulp and Belle and Sebastian never wrote and should be re-released and made number one. Meanwhile, this has whetted the appetite for the next Flaming Lips album properly. Enjoy.
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