Seriously. Like a real live WTF? Flaming Lips have already sold out of their new 24 hour single (as yet, and possibly untitled) which is embedded in a genuine human skull. For those who haven’t been lucky, or rich enough to purchase one of the five $5000 skulls will be able to stream the song beginning at midnight (Oklahoma time) on Halloween. Here’s their site for it with a handy little countdown clock. There will also be a download or some other way to get it onto your iPod. I’m predicting a cool app for your phone or iPad.
Flaming Lips’ most outrageous and ambitious pieces began sprouting up when they became affiliated with a major label (Warner Brothers.) The groundbreaking Zaireeka had fans gathering 4 (or more) CD players to sync up the four CD set. Then there was the USB buried in a Gummy Skull and rumors of a Fetus version. Most recently, the band has released a 6 hour song, “Found A Star On The Ground” which is supposed to be paired with a spinning toy top called a “Strobo Trip” and sounds a bit like Velvet Underground meets Dungen. It’s actually pretty engaging, at least the first hour I’ve listened to!
Gimmicky is the word of the day, and Flaming Lips have it down pat. As Warner Brothers further await the demise of the proper record album (which hopefully won’t happen,) word is we can expect more of this sort of behavior from Flaming Lips, and other acts. Check out this article about a new platform called Bronze which will take a composition specifically designed to be different at any given time as it is “updated” by the artist. It’s heavy, but check it out as my mini description does it no justice. It’s a huge step from the “cassingle” or the 3″ CD and possibly the inception of the future of music. I’m personally looking forward to it.
Have you experienced any unusual sound installation or other unique compositions? We’d like to hear about them in our comments section. Fascinating stuff, indeed.
An explanation of “Found A Star On The Ground” and how the Strobo Trip works and part one of three of “Found” after the jump.
The Flaming Lips – Found a Star on the Ground [Part One of Three] by Slow•Nerve•Action 3