Walkmen - Bows and Arrows and Everyone Who Pretended etc: some inspired moments but generally not as good as I thought it would be. Jonothan Fire Eater were a lot better.

Flaming Lips - Transmissions...: my favourtie album I have of theirs, a lot more raw sounding than the later stuff and tune after tune after tune.

Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone:
Slow burning, salty and sludgy. A real grower. Songs take time to establish themselves and impact on the listener. We've Been Had possibly their best song. Showcase of Leithauser's excellent lyrics throughout.

8/10

Bows + Arrows:
My favourite album of the 00's to date (along with TOTBL). Unfairly eclipsed by runaway success and undeniable brilliance of The Rat. Many great songs (Little House Of Savages, Thinking Of A Dream I Had, Bows + Arrows) gel into a fantastically coherent, taut whole; also notable is Matt Barrick's tremendous drumming - all toms, trebly snare and hi-hat flourishes. Evocative of hangovers, late-night Manhattan drinking dens and bitter break-ups. Superb

9/10

A Hundred Miles Off:
Some very good songs in there, but nowhere as consistently brilliant or coherent as an album as the earlier two. Best tracks; the Mariachi flavoured, upbeat single Louisiana, the hammer horror-meets-ABBA blast of All Hands And The Cook and the rockin' Lost In Boston. Again, great lyrics from Ham throughout, as well as a very trebly sound - more so than the other two.

7/10

Pussy Cats:
Cover of Nilsson and Lennon original. Occasionally fun, but an indulgence and also pretty hard work. For completists only

6/10
. . . . . . . . .
Can't speak for You & Me as I've not heard it, but it looks like its going to be a winner.

Chairs missing is their best. Brilliant post-punk album.

154 - bit more experimental and also excellent.

Get Pink flag as well.

are both wicked, I think my fav ever Flaming lips album is Clouds Taste Metallic. Its more guitar driven than newer stuff yet still has that mad sound to it, it's kinda a bridge between the early ruff guitar stuff and the Soft Buliten.

2. good
3. amazing
4. don't know
5. BOTH TOTALLY AWESOME
erm the rest no idea.

2: If you love Aeroplane you'll love this. It's wonderful.
3: Hmmm. A few nice little twee songs, but nothing essential, if I'm honest.
4: Are these your first Go-Betweens albums? If so, or if you haven't already, get 16 Lovers Lane as well. Although I've not actually got any of the new stuff myself...
5: Never actually got round to getting anything other than Pink Flag... Been on my list for about 6 years now... They're probably ace.
6: Never connected with any Lips apart from Yoshimi (not even Soft Bulletin, the shame, the shame!), but there are still a few great songs there. She Don't Use Jelly and This Here Giraffe being the most obvious two...

You could just listen to them though.