Pitchfork

Rob Mackey & Ryan Schreiber report:
Those wacky Flaming Lips are at it again! Just one week after performing live on England's Top of the Pops with Justin Timberlake-- who, as previously reported by Pitchfork, played bass for the band's hit single "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Vol. 1", disguised as a furry dolphin-- they have now announced that they're collaborating with those block-rockin' Chemical Brothers. Dig your own hole, indeed!

Brother Tom Rowlands recently revealed to the Chemical Brothers fansite Planet Dust that much progress is being in the way of their forthcoming full-length, and that, yes, The Flaming Lips will be appearing on at least one of the album's songs. At what capacity and to what extent the band is to be involved was not disclosed in the statement. However, a Flaming-Lips-for-Dummies manual was: "The Flaming Lips are from Oklahoma, in the US," the website revealed. "They have won a reputation in the 80s and 90s for their discordant, psychedelia-tinged garage rock, and have recorded a fine body of off-kilter and unpredictable work. There [sic] most recent albums The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots have been acclaimed by many music lovers. This will be the first time Tom and Ed have teamed up with The Flaming Lips, and the collaboration is a very exciting prospect for fans of both groups."

Now, we don't know what any of you kids are thinking, but if anyone can make a Chemical Brothers track worth listening to, it's that psychedelia-tinged garage rock band from Oklahoma, in the US. No word yet on what other supercelebs might put in a guest appearance on the album, but if you're thinking in terms of previous Chemiguests-- members of Oasis, New Order, The Verve, etc.-- Planet Dust would like you to know that the duo is "considering using unknown vocalists for their new project" for this outing. But hey, if by "unknown" they mean more bands like The Flaming Lips, they could end up with a worthwhile release. Shut up. Don't look at me like that.