Album cover video:

The number 3000-21 in the title refers to the robotic main character of “One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21″. This robot has been programmed to have emotions and, as a result, it “learns to be/something more than a machine.”

The Flaming Lips tackle a number of science fiction themes in their turn of the millennium albums. What makes them work is that writer and singer Wayne Coyne finds an emotional center for the songs. They’re not just about a robot with emotions – at its core, this song invites us to ask “what does it mean to be human?” Perhaps the ability to empathize is a necessary component of humanity.