Customer Reviews

Soft Bulletin

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The tension between gaining mass appeal versus critical acclaim is aptly illustrated by the Soft Bulletin, the sparkling musical escapade that was the ninth recording by the Flaming Lips. Moving past the interesting but sometimes trying experimental work embodied by Zaireeka, the group unleashed a nearly perfect recording. Soaring melodies, swirling, layered psychedelic hooks, cool subject matter, stellar playing, and the contrasting almost twangy vocals of Wayne Coyne yield a heady mix, one to be played loudly and shared with friends.

This one is highly recommended for those who grew up with the first wave of psychedelic and those who appreciate the aftershocks from those seminal recordings.

"The Soft Bulletin" marks the point at which the Flaming Lips ceased to be endearingly wayward oddballs to become the best band on the planet for while they've been excellent ever since 1990's "In a Priest Driven Ambulance" now they make music to sit beside, or more likely to surpass any of rock's classics by sheer sonic prowess and melodic exhuberance.

Every song here is not only great but trully stellar tieing together inventiveness, classicism, intelligence, vulnerability, innocence and an eye opening sense of experimentation.

Forget everything else, this is the album the 90's will be remembered fo

With every truly good rock band, they hit their peak in a stunning, magnificent album that leaves people breathless. For the Flaming Lips, that album is "The Soft Bulletin," their 1999 opus -- a trippy, epic, ingeniously strange collection compiled of only good songs. It's not musical perfection, but close to it.

It opens with a glorious Mellotron wave, which is deliberately just a little off, at the start of "Race For The Prize (Sacrifice Of The New Scientists)." "Two scientists were racing/For the good of all mankind/Both of them side by side/So determined," Wayne Coyne croons. With, of course, offbeat echoes and electronic wavers and whispers layered over the indierock melody.

Without sounding overpolished, the songs that follow seem very carefully structured and polished; not a single note is out of place. Coyne sings above smooth, flowing pop songs with a catchy edge. And what songs he sings -- about supermen, debilitating spider bites, buzzin' bugs, scientists trying to cure terminal diseases, and wounded mathematicians.

"Soft Bulletin" also touches on some more uplifting topics -- "What Is The Light" is a purely enchanting variation on the typical love song: "What is the light/That you have/Shining all around you?" And "A Spoonful Weighs A Ton" is a soaring number about how "they" saved the world with the power of love. "And though they were sad/They rescued everyone/They lifted up the sun..."

Not that "uplifting" means cheesy or sappy. The Flaming Lips seem to be completely in earnest. What's more, they add a space-acid flavor to their music which keeps it from ever getting too... well, ordinary. The best description I can come up with is: it's like a big inspirational show on another planet, complete with a celestial pop orchestra. There. If that doesn't make sense, nothing will.

It's hard to find a given album that is entirely made out of excellent, listenable songs. There's usually at least one bad (or mediocre) apple -- including on most other Lips albums. "Soft Bulletin" has none. It has a unique kaleidoscope effect, with shimmering psychedelic music and hopeful, philosophical songwriting.

Wayne Coyne's somewhat nasal vocals actually sound good over this offbeat music, especially when they are echoed and layered. The music itself is wildly complex: flowing basslines and rather muffled drumming, with strings and orchestration. Laid over it all are layers and washes of synth and blips, which add the spacey final touch.

"Soft Bulletin" is probably the best album the Flaming Lips have ever made -- musically rich, lyrically uplifting, and thoroughly enjoyable to listen to. A modern classic.

The Soft Bulletin's U.S. version was easily the best album since Nick Cave's Tender Prey, and this version only improves things. The most beautiful, perfect little slice of joy gets a little tweak on the import version, dropping the Spiderbite Song (which was good, but not a favorite) for Slow Motion, which makes me happy just thinking about it. Pay the import price, it's completely worth every cent.