Album: The Soft Bulletin
Artist: The Flaming Lips
Artist: The Flaming Lips
Born: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Released: May 1999
Genre: Dream Pop
There's something serendipitous about the fact that The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev, two bands whose path and sound are so obviously interlinked, both released their best albums within just months of each other. The Soft Bulletin was The Lips' ninth album and saw the band move away from its noisy, psychedelic beginnings and more experimental recordings (like the four-disc 1997 LP, Zaireeka) into dreamy, orchestrated pop. In fact, Zaireeka and The Soft Bulletin were recorded at almost the same time, part of a deal with label Warner Bros to follow the far-out sound of Zaireeka with a more radio-friendly record. I was lucky enough to have a friend who was into the Lips in the late 90s, while I was on my year abroad in France, and that was my introduction to The Soft Bulletin. I also got to see the band play the album live at Alexandra Palace in 2011 (my review's here), but for me nothing beats the sonic experience of listening to this album on a good pair of headphones. It's something I like to do at least once or twice a year, focusing just on the music with no distractions. The Soft Bulletin is easily one of my favourite albums ever made.
Dave Fridmann produced this album, as well as Deserter's Songs, while R&B remix specialist Peter Mokran was brought in to make Race For The Prize and Waitin' For A Superman more radio-friendly. Amazingly, Race For The Prize was a Top 40 UK hit. What puts The Soft Bulletin on a par with truly great albums, like Pet Sounds and Hounds Of Love, is that it's the perfect blend of experimental art and pop music. Although the harmonies and orchestral flourishes give it a dreamy, otherworldly feel, the lyrics reveal Wayne Coyne at his most personal. Race For The Prize makes for a thrilling start, telling the tale of two scientists "locked in heated battle for the cure that is the prize", against a backdrop of soaring synths and twinkly piano chords. A Spoonful Weighs For A Ton is the most dreamy of all the tracks and reminiscent of Mercury Rev, featuring a brilliant vocal performance from Coyne. If the album's about anything, it's that eternal balance between innocence and experience, our thirst for knowledge about the world that can make us unhappy too. Waitin' For A Superman is also intensely emotional because it's about the death of Coyne's father. There's so much to recommend about this album, it's a wonderful life-affirming collection of songs that works brilliantly as a whole, but some of my highlights are What Is The Light?, The Gash (Steven Drozd's drumming is phenomenal) and Feeling Yourself Disintegrate. Few albums make me so glad to be alive.
There's something serendipitous about the fact that The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev, two bands whose path and sound are so obviously interlinked, both released their best albums within just months of each other. The Soft Bulletin was The Lips' ninth album and saw the band move away from its noisy, psychedelic beginnings and more experimental recordings (like the four-disc 1997 LP, Zaireeka) into dreamy, orchestrated pop. In fact, Zaireeka and The Soft Bulletin were recorded at almost the same time, part of a deal with label Warner Bros to follow the far-out sound of Zaireeka with a more radio-friendly record. I was lucky enough to have a friend who was into the Lips in the late 90s, while I was on my year abroad in France, and that was my introduction to The Soft Bulletin. I also got to see the band play the album live at Alexandra Palace in 2011 (my review's here), but for me nothing beats the sonic experience of listening to this album on a good pair of headphones. It's something I like to do at least once or twice a year, focusing just on the music with no distractions. The Soft Bulletin is easily one of my favourite albums ever made.
Dave Fridmann produced this album, as well as Deserter's Songs, while R&B remix specialist Peter Mokran was brought in to make Race For The Prize and Waitin' For A Superman more radio-friendly. Amazingly, Race For The Prize was a Top 40 UK hit. What puts The Soft Bulletin on a par with truly great albums, like Pet Sounds and Hounds Of Love, is that it's the perfect blend of experimental art and pop music. Although the harmonies and orchestral flourishes give it a dreamy, otherworldly feel, the lyrics reveal Wayne Coyne at his most personal. Race For The Prize makes for a thrilling start, telling the tale of two scientists "locked in heated battle for the cure that is the prize", against a backdrop of soaring synths and twinkly piano chords. A Spoonful Weighs For A Ton is the most dreamy of all the tracks and reminiscent of Mercury Rev, featuring a brilliant vocal performance from Coyne. If the album's about anything, it's that eternal balance between innocence and experience, our thirst for knowledge about the world that can make us unhappy too. Waitin' For A Superman is also intensely emotional because it's about the death of Coyne's father. There's so much to recommend about this album, it's a wonderful life-affirming collection of songs that works brilliantly as a whole, but some of my highlights are What Is The Light?, The Gash (Steven Drozd's drumming is phenomenal) and Feeling Yourself Disintegrate. Few albums make me so glad to be alive.
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