8:39 PM: Oh my Gawd...it's the W.A.N.D!

he Flaming Lips released the first single for At War with the Mystics, The W.A.N.D., on iTunes earlier today.



download here

The distorted guitar riff holding the song together sounds vaguely Sabbath-ian, and it sounds like they're having a lot of fun experimenting with a vocoder, layering and looping their vocals to give the non-sensical lyrics (something about finding a wand in the desert and using it to save the world) a weight they wouldn't otherwise have.

You've got their knife!

I think it's pretty great, a much better fit for the band than Mr. Ambulance Driver. They had to leave The Soft Bulletin behind eventually, and it looks like the Lips are finally getting back to a more guitar oriented sound. Great production, as always.

What do you think?