On his May 31, 2020 instalment of Guy Garvey’s Finest Hour on BBC 6 Music, Garvey spun a few songs in particular that really grabbed me by the scruff of the neck. One of these was The Flaming Lips’ “Are You a Hypnotist?” from their tenth studio album, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002). It may have been my first time hearing the band, which formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, though I think I’ve heard of the band name before.
The drumming in the song is incredible and reminds me of the kit-pounding on “The Rat,” by the Walkmen. (Another kick-arse song.)
The UK’s Q magazine included The Flaming Lips as one of the “50 Bands to See Before You Die.” Well… they may have to do something about that list in light of the lingering effects of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic on large gatherings of people.
Now you know a little about why this is my song of the day for today. Thanks for joining me here, and please enjoy.
A warning: The official video for the song contains a lot of flashing lights and image juddering, so you may want to stick with the first YouTube video below, which is the studio version with a static image of the album cover.
Here’s the audio for the song from The Flaming Lips Music YouTube channel:
And, for those who want to brave it to see the band performing the song, the official video from the band’s official YouTube channel:
Song of the Day for Today 