The Flaming Lips have done it again. Riding high off of their critical acclaim “Embryonic,” their newest album, pushes the Lips in a new direction: the double album.

To help create “Embryonic,” The Flaming Lips have enlisted help from the band MGMT, Karen O (of Yeah Yeah Yeah’s fame) and Dr. Thorsten Wormann to assist their traditional line-up. The result of this collaborative effort is a beautiful piece of music.

“Embryonic” is available in two editions. A standard edition featuring a normal jewel case, disc and booklet and a deluxe edition featuring a fur case, two discs, an audio DVD and a high-quality copy of the album’s artwork contain the same songs, and the deluxe edition is honestly just something for serious fans of The Flaming Lips.

The 18-track opus starts with the dreamlike “Convinced of the Hex” drifting into a fully psychedelic assault within two minutes. The rest of the album continues this trend creating an incredible, head- nodding experience.

Standout tracks on this album include “Watching The Planet,” the final track, featuring a steady beat with a repetitive guitar part backed by singer Wayne Coyne’s voice and a playful series of bells that seems to be created to be played at the highest volume you can tolerate.

The ballad “I Can Be a Frog,” featuring guest vocals by Karen O, is one of the most strangely absurd yet intimate songs I’ve heard in quite some time. “See The Leaves” features a heavy, grinding bassline with Coyne’s voice before breaking down into a very gentle melancholy experience halfway through the track.

The album does seem to drag on in certain spots, with tracks blending together too well in some cases, causing them to feel as if they are just one long track, but that has more to do with the cohesive nature of the album rather than the songs being repetitive.

There are stretches of the album where it becomes very slow, quiet and gentle, and that can feel boring on repeated listens, but I wasn’t very bothered by them.

I can’t think of any song that was particularly weak; the entire album works well together, so what may seem to be a pointless boring song when heard out of context is a key component in what makes the album work so well. “Embryonic” is also well produced, adding to the aural experience.

With over 25 years of experience, The Flaming Lips have managed to defy the fate of many artists and improve with age.

Currently working on their next album, a remake of the classic “The Dark Side of the Moon,” I can’t wait to hear what the next 25 years have in store for The Flaming Lips.

I would recommend that any fan of rock music at the very least listen to this album.

Although it does have some minor problems, they’re completely overshadowed by the many strengths of the album.