THE FLAMING LIPS

LateNight Tales

Azuli

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The Flaming Lips have spent so much time at the top of tastemakers' lists that it was inevitable they would be asked to play the role of tastemakers themselves. On LateNight Tales, a 20-track mix CD compiled by the Lips, the psychedelic Oklahoma band provides a personal playlist of their favorite acts. Beginning with Björk's "Unravel," the mix immediately jumps to Miles Davis, Big Star's doomed Chris Bell, Krautrock pioneer Faust and Roxy Music before bouncing back to the present with "People," a track by the recent Manchester band Alfie. It's a suitably eclectic mix, a non-surprise considering the Lips' reputation and willful weirdness. Aphex Twin's "Flim" and the Chameleons' "Up the Down Escalator" are accorded as much reverence as "Sleep Comes Down" by the Psychedelic Furs, while tracks by Lush and Love and Rockets spotlight two sadly underrated artists. The Lips even manage to weave themselves into this sonic tapestry with their cover of the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army," curiously subtitled "The Harry Potter and George Bush's Severed Head Army Mix." A recent staple at live shows, the Lips' cover is even more menacing than the original, adding extra fuzz and a squadron of air-raid sirens. Admittedly, the value of a celebrity mix CD is negligible in the downloading age. At times, LateNight Tales plays like someone's iPod set on random, and nothing on the compilation is so obscure that a remotely Internet-savvy music fan couldn't piece it together with minimal effort. But as a token of instant hipness, LateNight Tales will brighten up your party for an hour and maybe inspire you to seek out some new bands.

-- Joshua Klein