In a Priest Driven Ambulance
ranks as the first truly brilliant
Flaming Lips
album; the first effort to feature guitarist
Jonathan "Dingus" Donahue
, it's a loose concept record that brings
Wayne Coyne
's long-standing obsessions with religion bubbling to the surface. The thematic glue creates a structural framework unlike anything found on previous albums, resulting in a newfound sense of cohesion and depth: songs like
"Rainin' Babies"
and
"Five-Stop Mother Superior Rain"
offer unforeseen levels of poignancy, while guitar freak-outs such as
"Unconsciously Screamin'"
"Mountain Side"
slash and burn with remarkable potency. For
the Lips
, the future begins here. ~ Jason Ankeny