Brainville

Of all the Lips' sleeve designs (and this includes the disco mirror sleeve of the Unconsciously Screamin' 12", the gelatin squeeze pack, and the star-shaped disc of the two-part This Here Giraffe), Brainville is possibly the coolest. Its flexible PVC plastic sleeve is a honeycomb of transparent bubbles, with a depth of field that's quite astounding. Creating new optical illusions with every bend and turn, it's an ideal complement to the music inside. And that's pretty cool, too: The live, seven-minute version of the title cut recorded for famed Santa Monica public radio outlet KCRW is in many aspects superior to the original, especially in its long, eerie instrumental intro. A cover of the Bacharach/David chestnut "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" is equally wonderful, its cockeyed optimism so perfectly suited to the Lips that you'd swear it was written with them in mind. ~ Jason Ankeny