The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin

Back in 1999 when I thought I knew a lot about music one of the first heavy, new, albums for me was this one by The Flaming Lips, The Soft Bulletin. I had heard old records for the first time (stuff from the 60s and 70s) but I wasn’t too keen on knowing what to buy that was currently coming out at the time. All I would go off of was if it got above 4 stars in Rolling Stone or if it was commonly compared to Radiohead. I remember getting lost in the haziness of “The Spark that Bled” and being confused as to whether the wild noises were from the song or maybe the bad speaker system I had in my El Camino. And I remember getting lost in the way the music was equally pretty and stirring in a classical sense (big walls of horns, discord in the string and percussion sections) and forcefully beat-heavy in other parts. Their music sounds so large on this album and as grippingly different as it is, it’s an easy listen from front to back. And looking back, that’s what really enthralled me about the possibility of music outside of my comfort zone: that it could be different and still this amazing:


So at this point, the music purists and snobs start to think and wonder what’s so different about The Flaming Lips. They’ve been used in movies and TV before and they’ve got a pretty stellar following. I still feel guilty and ashamed for not seeing them at ACL last year – although that was to get a close spot for The National so not I’m necessarily regretful – but they’re not the most traditional band either. Midway through the album you get to “The Observer” and its wavy atmospherics; behind a propulsive beat the song blends strings, choral vocals and soaring dynamics to an outstanding peak. So while this is definitely a beautiful piece of music, it’s definitely not the most standard of sounds either.


It’s probably my favorite album by them – by a lot. It’s cohesive and its concept story about being lost in a new territory and waiting for your superman to come is entirely ambiguous and open to various interpretations. Even as epic as their music may seem, the personal ties that you can draw on your own are monstrous. With “Feeling Yourself Disintegrate” the song itself could have tons of meanings behind the absolutely gorgeous music. There’s only four lines and tons of repeating of the title, the guitar swirls behind all of the noise and the culmination of everything – the pieces of structure and all the instruments – is something out of this world. Personally, it’s about getting dumped and apprehending that ‘life without death is just impossible’ and so in life, relationships die. It’s inevitable but still, realizing that something or someone you dearly love is ending/dying is a dreadful sentiment to come to grips with. I hear this now and I think: how could someone not LOVE this? And well, there’s the snob in me again. – Bryan