The Flaming Lips

[u2popmofo]

I have similar feelings about Mystics as I do How to Dismantle Your Career An Atomic Bomb. The songs are all fine by themselves, they just don't really fit together on an album. Mystics in particular feels like it would have made 2 or 3 great EPs.

 

[david]

I don't have it, but there are two discs because it's a 180g pressing, if I'm not mistaken. Heavyweight vinyl more often than not results in two discs. Extra flips kind of suck, but extra quality definitely doesn't.

No, heavyweight vinyl can be delegated to 1 LP. Typically bands will spread out records on two 180 gram LPs because of the time limitations on each side of vinyl.

 

[Imperor]

No shit.

 

[david]

No shit.

I shit you not.

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

whats all this shit about?

 

[zooropop40]

I love the Flaming Lips. I think their best albums are Yoshimi and The Soft Bulletin, but this seems to be an almost unanimous opinion haha. I was telling a friend of mine that I was a fan of them only to find out his uncle is Michael Ivins, the bassist for the Flaming Lips. What a crazy surprise that was!

 

[LemonMelon]

A year on, and I'm still in awe of Embryonic. I've really found an awesome niche for it: late, late nights when I'm completely burned out, mind shut off while drifting closer to sleep one minute at a time. If it's raining outside, even better. I suggest shutting off the computer, lights, etc. Anything it takes to focus you in on the intricacies of the album, really, and you will be rewarded. It's an extraordinarily difficult album that sounds cool no matter what, but its impressive structure and the thought put into it aren't revealed until you spend some time with the album, preferably with no distractions. Wayne claims this album was created by pure happenstance, but I don't hear that at all. This is the closest they have come to creating an album-long composition, the closest most bands come to doing so.

Cooler yet is that the Flaming Lips are still capable of making an album that causes me to step back and rethink what the band is about, what they do best. It's impossible for me to ask one sound of these guys anymore, now that this album exists; they have succeeded all across the map. All I can ask for now is more of that inspiration exhibited here. I was getting worried about them, but it wasn't the sound they needed to adjust; they merely needed to loosen up and enjoy being weird again.

 

[cobl04]

fuck yes.

i love it, from start to finish, from the loud and scary noise blasts down to the barely audible, hushed moments.

my #1 lips album

 

[onebloodonelife]

The Lips are playing The Soft Bulletin in its entirety for NYE in OKC this year. Pretty fucking cool, if you ask me, although it'll probably be an über-mellow show because of that.

Pitchfork: Flaming Lips to Play The Soft Bulletin at New Years Show

 

[the tourist]

After listening to Embryonic again today, I really wish that was how the production was on Achtung Baby. I'd like Achtung Baby a lot more and I think it would probably have been a lot more alternative and mainstream-fucking-up. If only I had multitracks from that album.

 

[cobl04]

The Lips are playing The Soft Bulletin in its entirety for NYE in OKC this year. Pretty fucking cool, if you ask me, although it'll probably be an über-mellow show because of that.

Pitchfork: Flaming Lips to Play The Soft Bulletin at New Years Show

that's two years running they've done cool as fuck new year's shows in countries i'm not in

 

[onebloodonelife]

that's two years running they've done cool as fuck new year's shows in countries i'm not in

Awww, poor Cobbler...I guess you must move to the U.S., as their NYE show is always in Oklahoma City.

 

[cobl04]

yay

Pitchfork: Flaming Lips to Release New Songs Every Month

 

[MMP]

Gotta love'em.

 

[cobl04]

i'm still trying to get over the Watching the Planets video

 

[cobl04]

Maybe I'm late to the party, but:

You certainly can't say the Flaming Lips aren't creative:

Gummy Skulls & Tour Dates! | The Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips 2011 Gummy Song Skull includes 4 NEW Flaming Lips songs stored on a USB that comes INSIDE of the skull. A small quantity will be released every week until the skulls are completely sold out so be sure to check back often. Eat your way to the new music!!

Thankfully, the wonders of the internet means we don't have to pay to buy it.

‪Flaming Lips Gummy Skull #1 "Drug Chart"‬‏ - YouTube

‪Flaming Lips Gummy Skull #2 ""In Our Bodies Out of Our Heads"‬‏ - YouTube

‪Flaming Lips Gummy Skull #3 "Walk With Me" (with Wayne Coyne's lyric sheet)‬‏ - YouTube

‪Flaming Lips Gummy Skull #4 "Hillary's Time Machine Machine"‬‏ - YouTube

 

[BVS]

I'm a big FL fan, but I would have been hugely disappointed if I ate that whole gummy skull and this was the only thing to ease my indigestion.

 

[Imperor]

The gummy fetus has better tunes. And fortunately all of their wacky releases from this year (gummies, collaboration 12"s, "Two Blobs Fucking," the upcoming song stompbox, etc) are going to be compiled at some point and released all together.

 

[cobl04]

Oh really? I'm relieved to hear that. It's hard to keep up.

 

[LemonMelon]

A few comments after hearing The Soft Bulletin for the billionth time:

• The lyrics are so thoughtful and weighty that the feather-soft music is always perfectly complemented
• The drums are unbelievable, providing grit wherever necessary thanks to awesome overdriven miking.
• What Is The Light is criminally underrated; that ascending bass line in the chorus is heaven
• Suddenly Everything Has Changed is one of the most well-observed and quietly powerful songs in their catalog
• I much prefer the remix version of Race For The Prize to the bonus track version, which sounds like a crappy demo in comparison
• I much prefer the remixed bonus track version of Waitin' For A Superman to the original; I like the added synth strings and the more modest drum mix

 

[Imperor]

Funny this gets bumped on the day I finally nab a Lightning Bolt 12". Photo going up in the vinyl thread soon.

 

[u2popmofo]

I was very bummed to realize earlier today that I won't be able to attend their show here next month, as I'll be working that weekend. I will cry myself to sleep tonight.

 

[canedge]

"The Flaming Lips 2011"
Release #1: Two Blobs Fucking (Digital Single)
Release #2: The Flaming Lips With Neon Indian 12 in.
Release #3: Gummy Song Skull
Release #4: The Flaming Lips With Prefuse 73 12 in.
Release #5: Gummy Song Skull: The Soft Bulletin Live La Fantastique De Institution 2011
Release #6: Gummy Song Fetus
Release #7: The Flaming Lips With Lightning Bolt 12 in.
Upcoming, with release dates TBA: Flaming Lips Strobo Trip Light & Audio Phase Illusions Toy, Gummy Song Frog, Flaming Lips Songs Stomp Box, Flaming Lips With Panda Bear EP, Flaming Lips With Tobacco Collaboration, Flaming Lips With Nick Cave Collaboration, Gummy Skull with Fetus Compilation of all 2011 Material (TBA 2012)

My favourite song is "Is David Bowie Dying?", Steven plays an iPhone. "I want to get high but dont want brain damage" is pretty cool too.

 

[canedge]

here is the first ever mp3 lobotomy.

WTF - Gummy Skull Brain Surgery - YouTube

 

[Imperor]

I purposely held out on listening to the vinyl rip of the Lightning Bolt 12", and now I'm glad I did. "I'm Working at NASA on Acid" is rad.

 

[canedge]

did you get your copy at Waterloo? Mine is on order from Indiana. They are being really strict with these release.

 

[Imperor]

Yeah, I got both Prefuse 73 and Lightning Bolt at Waterloo. Had to mail order Neon Indian from Guestroom in Norman.

I'm going to lose my shit if next month's 12" is the Panda one.

 

[canedge]

I saw Lightning Bolt two years ago but only later made the connection. The Bowie track was the song of the summer for me. Incredible live.

 

[cobl04]

The Flaming Lips recording 6 hour song on FasterLouder.com.au

 

[nirniva]

I am pumped for the Panda Bear and Death Cab EPs.

Spoiler

Oh, and apparently they're trying to collaborate with Ke$ha. I have no idea what that would sound like.