The same extraordinary madness that infected the best work of {$Brian Wilson} rears its head on the shimmering and melodic {^Clouds Taste Metallic}, a masterful collection which completes {$the Flaming Lips}' odyssey into the {\pop} stratosphere. The {^Pet Sounds} comparisons are obvious -- two of the highlights are titled {&"This Here Giraffe"} and {&"Christmas at the Zoo"} -- yet not unfair; like {$Brian Wilson}, {$Wayne Coyne} has refined his unique vision into something both highly personal and powerfully universal. Similarly, while {$Coyne}'s lyrics remain as acid-damaged and inscrutable as ever, his densely constructed songs convey emotional complexities far beyond the scope of their head-case titles ({&"Psychiatric Explorations of the Fetus With Needles,"} {&"Guy Who Got a Headache and Accidentally Saves the World"}); galvanized by equal parts newfound maturity and childlike wonderment, {^Clouds Taste Metallic} is both {$the Flaming Lips}' most intricate and most irresistible work. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide