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Believe it or not, there was once a time when The Flaming Lips did not sound the way they did since their 1999 masterpiece, The Soft Bulletin. Before it, they had Clouds Taste Metallic and the acclaimed Transmissions from the Satellite Heart, which had little else besides indie rock running through their veins. Then came Zaireeka, and though it was a critical darling – for the most part – and was favourably acknowledged by hardcore Flaming Lips fans, it did very little for the band but put them in the same spot that the Magnetic Fields were put in since their magnus opus 69 Love Songs. In other words, they were respected for trying something different, but if their next record did little more than what they conjured for Clouds and Transmissions, then the Lips would surely be replaced by more interesting acts. Their drastic change in style was probably inspired by the predicament that they put themselves in since Zaireeka. There was certainly a lot of pressure for the band, especially from its label, and especially after Roland Jones left the band, but fortunately for all of us the Lips are a band that seems to work better under pressure. Re-introducing The Soft Bulletin: At once the The Flaming Lip’s Achtung Baby and Pet Sounds, and thus the band’s definitive effort. If you have yet to listen to the record, beyond are a number of reasons why you should discard all other activities and proceed to do so.
If you are familiar with the history of the record, you might also know that there were a number of different versions released of it, with different playlists and remixes defining each package. This was a result of Warner Bros. hoping to make the record more accessible to different audiences. There was the US release with a drastically different playlist than the UK release, and then there was the vinyl playlist and the 5.1 Surround Sound re-release. I would recommend the UK release over all the others, if only for the fact that this particular playlist makes the most sense to me. For one, the vinyl and US releases do not conclude with Buggin’ which is, through-and-through, an album closer. It ends the record with bang, and comes perfectly after the album re-sets the mood with the Race for the Prize and Waitin’ for a Superman [Mokran] remixes. The problem with the US release is that it concludes the record with the two aforementioned remixes (albeit from different entities), skipping the sense of closure that the listener is supposed to feel after devoting their time to the album. The vinyl release does not have the remixes, which, for once in my life, I feel actually enhance the album that they are associated with. I also prefer Slow Motion to The Spiderbite Song, but that’s just a matter of taste. You might disagree with my decision, for it really depends on what album you have grown accustomed to, but for the sake of continuity I prefer the UK release.
That said, onto the record itself. Many people take the 90s for granted. Many say that the 60s and 70s were the eras when all the classic records came out, from all the classic bands, but the 90s should not be discarded. The era experienced Loveless, the most acclaimed record by shoegazing pioneers My Bloody Valentine; grunge/pop masters Nirvana released Nevermind; Radiohead with their stunning triumvirate of records; indie superstars Neutral Milk Hotel went out with In the Aeroplane Over the Sea; the ambitious Smashing Pumpkins had Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness to please fans, and, of-course, The Flaming Lips’ The Soft Bulletinin was released by the end of the decade. Granted, these records aren’t immediate in their genius, not in the same way that, say Led Zeppelin IV, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Paranoid were immediately ground-breaking, but they still deserve their due. Perhaps most of us rather forget the 90s, due in part to Grunge’s domination and the disgrace that were the boy/girl bands of the late decade, but all of these things make The Soft Bulletin all the more special. In a decade where mainstream music seemed to be on a downward spiral, whilst the underground boomed with life, The Soft Bulletin successfully merged the two scenes. Being released by Warner Bros. but not nearly as commercial as the re-releases would make you believe, The Soft Bulletin is certainly an oddity. In-fact, it is a paradox onto itself. Wayne Coyne’s lyrics are not the deepest – they are certainly lacking in vocabulary, but they are perfect for the bright and dream-like soundescapes that litter the album and their timing within each song propel them to impossible heights. It is a perfect example of syntax and context over vocabulary. The paradox is thus that the record shouldn’t feel as deep as it does, considering the lyrical quality, yet it does. Then we have Coyne’s vocals, which at times seem to crack as he struggles to hit a higher note. At first, the listener might be inclined to point out how hilariously terrible his voice is in songs like A Spoonful Weighs a Ton and The Spiderbite Song, but just like Billie Corgan’s [with the Smashing Pumpkins] and Jeff Mangum’s voice [in Neutral Milk Hotel] before him, the struggles are a motif, and should be addressed alongside the context of the lyrics sung about. That said, what exactly do the Lips sing about this time around? They sing about alienation, absurdity, nostalgia, pain, and on the flip-side: hope, bliss, affection, and not giving up while struggling with the will to live. So, it is about a lot of things that you may or may not have considered before, but most likely will after giving this album a few listens. It is humbling, to say the least, and for some it might be life-changing. Stylistically, the album differentiates from its predecessors by focusing on bells and effects rather than guitars and reverb. The bombastic drumming returns, but it serves a different purpose this time around. In short, the instrument that drives the music this time around is Coyne’s vocals.
The Flaming Lips did for the new millennium what U2 did for the start of the 90s. Both bands re-invented their sound, making traditionalists scoff, but in the process they became more relevant and successful. No album list is complete without The Soft Bulletin, and more specifically, its UK release. It is an album about the end of the world, or the coming of some sort of apocalypse, but it is also about how we as individuals can live through it all, together or apart, in physical form or in our minds and through our ideas. Such is the reason why the record is timeless, and in a few decades it will get its due where it deserves. Let’s just hope it happens sooner than later.
- Eugenio’s first Flaming Lips record was Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.
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