Which is to say that putting together a follow-up is a tall order, though on Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots the Lips are up to the challenge. They've refined the Soft Bulletin aesthetic by scaling down slightly from that record's self-consciously epic and cinematic scope, but adding quirkier touches around the edges. There's even a bizarre left-field vamp, "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 2," involving a happy-go-lucky descending fuzz-synth line like some deranged video game soundtrack punctuated by manic cymbal crashes and full-throated screams from guest Yoshimi P-We of Japanoisers the Boredoms. The effect is so perverse and primal that it instinctively raises something between a smile and a grimace with each listen.

Yoshimi mixes aphoristic contemplations and sci-fi narratives that range from the mundane or murky to the fun or insightful. The lyrics are ultimately saved from generic affirmation or unwitting self-parody by the Lips' combination of sincerity and playfulness. Of course, there's also the beauty of the material itself, which could probably stand at the demo level and still connect. "Fight Test" and "Yoshimi...Pt. 1" are simply undeniable upbeat pop songs, each equipped with a glorious chorus. They sit alongside trippy, pretty, midtempo mood pieces buoyed by Michael Ivins' hypermelodic bass and the emotion Coyne milks from his Neil Youngish whinny. As the Flaming Lips continue to take well-crafted songs and apply a sound both innovative and wholly accessible, they're showing that some rock 'n' roll rules don't always apply, maybe enough to convince us all that things can get better over time.