Review Summary: Miley Cyrus Explores her Weirder side with The Flaming Lips.
Miley Cyrus. What can you say about her that hasn't already been said before? From Disney channel star, to mainstream pop icon, she's controversial, in your face, and "doesn't give a ***". As you can tell, her face is pretty much everywhere, sparking attention in the media with her crazy antics and now here comes a surprise collaborative album with Wayne Coyne and The Flaming Lips. It obviously hasn't been a secret that Miley has been buddies with Wayne for a while now, as shes was doing collaborative work on the Flaming Lips recent album With a Little Help from My Fwends (2014), and this album shows the inspiration that Wayne put on her, because Flaming Lips influences are all throughout this album. That's all good and everything but how does it sound?
The first track "Dooo it!" comes blowing towards you with the first lines "Yeah I smoke pot" which isn't really a good first impression on what's to come, and sadly the lyrics on this are the main problem with the album. Miley really wants to let you know that "SHE'S DIFFERENT" and "Smokes Marijuana" with all her forced edgy greatness. I'm not sure if she's trying to be ironic or something, but every single lyric is just her pushing her image on everyone and showing that she's not the ordinary girl. Aside from the lyrics, the production is actually very good. From The Flaming Lips to Mike Will Made It, a lot of the songs have great psychedelic sound which is pretty unique for a mainstream pop star like Miley to be doing. Her singing on this album also sounds very raw, With one of the tracks "BB Talk" shows Miley's capable singing ability without auto-tune and she really doesn't sing that bad. I believe that her voice does carry along with the production on this album, and makes it very cohesive. Even Ariel pink (which is famous in underground scenes) is also on this album which is another surprise on the track "Tiger Dreams". He makes a decent effort on here, showcasing his usual stuff that is reminiscent on his album Pom Pom (2014). Unfortunately, there is a lot of filler tracks on this album which isn't very surprising because Miley isn't used to making a 90 minute record like this. With tracks like "Tangerine" (featuring Big Sean), "Lighter", and "I'm So Drunk", it doesn't really sound like she's trying as much and just wanted to make bangers but even the production lacks on these tracks, sounding like a trap music which has became all too redundant nowadays. The good thing is that towards the end the album it does pick up, with Miley even screaming on some tracks.
In conclusion, this is a great effort by Miley and this album doesn't really quite sound like anything that is happening in pop music right now, as she is finally finding a sound to call it hers. The big reason why this album is good is because of the production By The Flaming Lips, really helping the album to find its own place. This album is definitely not for everyone, as the lyrics and even the vocals by Miley can put off some people as well as the production that her fans wouldn't be used to. It's a polarizing and controversial album, by a polarizing and controversial person. If you're looking for something different in mainstream pop, I'd say check this album out, because Miley Cyrus is just only beginning to cement her place in pop music.
