I have already written quite a long article about my love of the Flaming Lips in a previous TOTW. needless to say I’m a great believer in their artistic flourishes no matter where they go I will always respect what they do even when it doesn’t work.

The CD version of 7 Skies H3 is the condensed form of a 24 hour-long live recording they released on flash drives encased in real human skulls for Halloween 2011. It is far more raw than most of the flaming lips other work in many ways from its recording to its arranging and the opening track is all the better for it.

In (Can’t Shut Off My Head) were treated to something more morose than most of the flaming lips catalogue of music up to this point. Sounds we hear in their later album entitled The Terror seem to have grown from the seeds of 7 Skies H3. Vocals of loss and morning by Wayne Coyne cry out with little upside or hope and are accompanied by detuning instrumentation, dark synth pads and a slightly distorted guitar as the main instrumental focus. Between verses a simple yet dominating lead synth line wafts into the track with elements of despair and regret. The whole track completely opposes the silver lining elements that had existed in previous flaming lips music, wether it be lyrically or in production for over a decade.

It may be darker and rough around the edges but I still find the album and this track captivating. The Flaming Lips have always managed to push in directions you would never expect them to and I look forward to being surprised by them again in the future: