The Soft Bulletin

Sometimes Indie is an excuse for bad singing

Definitely a The Flaming Lips fans. I'd probably prefer Yoshimi over The Soft Bulletin but this is my 2nd fav album of theirs. Also a huge fan of Wayne Coyne's vocals, although sometimes from live performances they sound a bit rough, recorded they have that perfect balance of normal-sounding-guy with a passionate vulnerability. Race for the Prize is ever so more relevant in our COVID world. The Flaming Lips whole vibe is happy melancholia; softly sad but smiling, dancing, and laughing while slowly letting tears fall. Their concerts always look like one big party, I'd love to go to one but a bit sad I missed out when they were in their prime. 4.5 to 5 for me.

Wow. I- I - I- This album was IMPECCABLE. Where to begin. How about with the horrendous arrangements? Some of them started off innocently, like the slow opening credits of an old Disney film, but then a swarm of whining metal wasps enter to help arrange these disasters - er, sorry, REmasters. Ha. The album began so obnoxiously with The Race for the Prize I actually LOLed! The drummer’s little “one, two, one” couldn’t prepare me for that woefully rambunctious not unpleasant whatsoever madness; at some point a car alarm went off outside and I didn’t notice for a good 20 seconds because I thought it was part of the song. The background vocals combined with the sporadic bursts of percussion, jeez, I couldn’t help BUT nod my head. Like yes, bang bang, give us nothing! And is it just me or did the lead vocalist sound like Paul McCartney, but STRAINED? Like he was forced to run a 10K while singing exceptionally hollow lyrics. For example, listen to the line “They lifted up the SUUUUUNNNNNNNN” in A Spoonful Weighs a Ton (before the song descends into literal turmoil). Speaking of - The lyrics were so astonishingly simplistic, I couldn’t tell whether the songwriters were just high or perhaps … literary genius? Maybe you can help, because, from
 The Spark that Bled ~ “I accidentally touched my he-ead And noticed that I had been blee-eeding For how long I didn’t knoooow” it’s almost as if they’re implying that the singer just discovered he’d been bleeding from his head for quite some time I don’t know though I think I might be overanalyzing this… Or The Spider Bite Song ~ “When you got that spider bite on your hand I thought we would have to break up the band To lose your arm would surely upset your brain The poison then could reach your heart from a vein” Clear, to the point and nostalgic - no, really, it takes me back to first grade when we learned about RHYMES for the first time, I think I came up with a poem just like this actually Or even better, Buggin ~ “All those bugs buzzing around your head Well, they fly in the air as you comb your hair And the summertime will make you itch the mosquito bites Well, they bite Yeah, they bite But you still tell they're there” Guys I think they’re onto something here! Bugs bite, oh they bite alright! I got a mosquito bite on my ankle yesterday, do you think they’re implying that this bite was in fact, from the mosquito that bit my ankle that was bitten by the mosquito who decided to bite my ankle that had a bite from the very same mosquito? Lastly, Feeling Yourself Disintegrate started off promising with some unsettling “brap-bap-bap-brrrap-bap-bap-bap-bap”s , then dissolved into another timeless drone devoid of any meaning. This is the ENTIRE song (don’t worry I don’t think I can get a copyright strike bc of how deliciously generic the lyrics are): “Love In our life Is just too valuable Oh, to feel For even a second Without it But life Without death Is just impossible Oh, to realize Something is ending Within us Feeling yourself disintegrate Feeling yourself disintegrate Feeling yourself disintegrate Feeling yourself disintegrate Feeling yourself disintegrate Feeling yourself disintegrate Feeling yourself disintegrate Feeling yourself disintegrate” At this point I really felt myself begin to disintegrate. And combust. And become one with the dead mosquitos on my window net. With all that being said (I hope it was comprehensive enough), I think I might have weakly enjoyed this if I was unwillingly under the influence of some mysterious psychedelic plant, maybe the Flaming Lips have some to spare? Look I appreciate profundity in simplicity, but this was uh … pretty bad. Except for the first two, the tracks melted into an indiscernible mass of misplaced drums and ridiculously elementary, LITERALLY the tackiest lyrics I’ve seen in a long time. Wait, don't be offended, it’s honestly refreshing! It could also be that I’m laughably wrong and the album is too sophisticated for my measly uncultured in the genre of reverby rock (or wtvr this is) mind to process. I can never tell. After all, the band somehow has over 1.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify????

I love the Lips. They make me proud to be American in the age of American decline. They tapped into something new with this album. Still raw like their early stuff, but dropped the guitars and picked up electro beats, glossy detuned disney synth strings. Still relentlessly optimistic. They started composing. Matt and I unintentionally saw the Lips a couple years after Soft Bulletin came out at the Seattle Pier with De La Soul, Kinky, and CAKE. At the time I didn't fully get what they were going for on stage. Random people in furry costumes danced around the stage. Glitter everywhere, splashing off the drums. shooting out from a hand cannon. Wayne sang through a microphone that blew out green smoke and crushed fake blood over his forehead. I untintentionally saw them a couple more times as they got bigger and Wayne started rolling over us all in the audience inside a giant clear balloon and convincing people from the crowd to jump onstage and dance naked. Digress. In the Climate Pledge Arena of America's greatest bands, there will one day be a Flaming Lips banner hanging proudly in the rafters, somewhere next to the Grateful Dead, the Mothers of Invention, and KISS. This is thier Revolver, or maybe thier Kid A. But dressed with a weird American glittery excess, self indulgence, and hope that seems out of touch with practical reality. A+

Kaleidoscopic musical experimentation, mostly inoffensive to the ears and thankfully ignored by the brain. the whiney echoey vocals remind me of Mr hankey and I can't shake it. Something about it doesn't latch with me and the lyrics are utterly nonsensical. Race for the prize is the only song worthy of a single release. In fact a release at all.

Listened to this album a lot in 1999, together with Mercury Rev's Deserter's Songs. Band is operating in their own universe. A lot of these 1001 albums have a perfect song order and build up. Just like this album, which might take some time to grow. At some point, it gets a bit messy and crowded, with all these little noises, and then "What Is The Light" starts..

Dreamy; heartfelt; frankly spoken and delivered lyrics that sound like they're coming from the neighborhood kid. Ultra intricate layering worthy of the call out to Pet Sounds. Basically, this album is the blueprint for the indie art band sound that became such a hit by 2010.

Highlights: "The Spark That Bled," "Buggin," "Sleeping on the Roof" Props to the raw production on the drum and bass for trying to bring heat to one of the worst frontmen in the history of pop music. The weak, whining performance forces you to process the dumbest, most clumsily constructed lyrics you've ever heard. Right from the opener, a generous listener hearing about doomed scientists might think they're listening to an ode to the Curies. Nope! They're both explicitly men. After much searching, people conclude the scenario is totally made up because the band thought it seemed profound. Their juxtaposition of anodyne harmony and embarrassing childishness with stock morbidity is bankrupt, and it has to be shoehorned to fit the melody. And it's all like that. A superior form of this entire style was already created by Eels with Electroshock Blues, something that actually draws on life for its hard-won optimism and puts it into meter. Most of the psych elements here are ribbons and bows on something unsalvageable.

thought he'd die half the way

A surprisingly beautiful album. A rare album that I threw back on immediately after listening to it. It's weird, but also has some wonderfully sticky hooks in it, as well as some varied instrumentation and some interesting noise influences here and there. Could imagine enjoying a relaxing evening flying among the stars to this record. Favorite tracks: "A Spoonful Weighs a Ton", "Waitin' on a Superman", "Feeling Yourself Disintegrate"

A truly stunning album, by one of the weirdest bands that ever was. This is the 9th (!) studio album by the Oklahoma City trio and, after mussing around with all forms of garage-rock-meets-experimental in the decade+ before, The Soft Bulletin sets the bar for all Flaming Lips work after. It sets the bar for all psych rock work after, really. Which, ever since the year 2010, what with MGMT’s Congratulations and Tame Impala’s Innerspeaker, has been having a real lengthy revivalist moment. One that The Flaming Lips’ mid-career masterpiece(s) undeniably had a profound influence on some 10 years earlier. Sometime a year ago, autumn, this album had a profound influence on me too. That was a time when I was still sorting through the sands of depression after Covid’s fallout, working a job I hated, and feeling entirely purposeless. Then, when I first heard this album, Wayne Coyne quickly became one of my favorite lyricists. During those bad commutes, his simple, child-like musings on the smallest and largest of all things, delivered in that fragile, kermit-y way he sings, bolstered by the explosive, earth-shatteringly cosmic sound of the album gave me a second chance. That sound is in big part thanks to Steven Drozd’s drum work with the help of Michael Ivins engineering and David Fridmann’s production in addition to Wayne Coyne’s endlessly wandering mind. And it sounds, still, even post Yoshimi and all that psych rock revival that followed, like nothing I’ve ever heard. But back to the lyrics. Wayne Coyne’s ability to communicate the overbearing weight of depression in a slight, incidental bleed; his ability to communicate the power of togetherness and love in a “spoonful,” or in the biting, itching bugs splattered across your windshield in summer; the burst of existential terror you might face while putting away your vegetables; that a spider bite might destroy you the same way a broken heart will, is nothing short of humanizing. It’s looking at the stars at night. The connections he draws between the big and the small of everyday life, and how it all wraps up like some sort of recipe for the Universe…I want to live in there. And I try to. Another note on this theme: in the liner notes, each of these songs is given subtitles. And the subtitle for track 6—“What is the Light?”—is “An untested hypothesis suggesting that the chemical (in our brains) by which we are able to experience the sensation of being in love is the same chemical that caused the "Big Bang" that was the birth of the accelerating universe.” “Waiting For Superman” is perhaps the album’s centerpiece; it’s thematic core and second single. Coyne sings “Is it getting heavy? …Is it overwhelming to use a crane to crush a fly? …Tell everybody waitin’ for a superman that they should try to hold on best they can…” But what I love most is the more practical note this song ends on, “It’s just too heavy for a superman to lift.” And so what Coyne emphasizes is the “waiting” rather than the “superman” and I admire him a great deal for that. Because despite all the beauty and love he sees in the most minute and grand details of life, he recognizes the overwhelming weight and chaos that makes all that beauty possible. And how it’s not usually all that suited for human kinds. In closing, I have many albums that affected and influenced me in my adolescent life. But far fewer that I’ve clung to that same way in my adult life. This album is one of the few that has. Perhaps more so than any other. But even personal histories aside, I can attest to the musical and lyrical brilliance and innovation this album brought into the world. Whatever chemical caused that first Big Bang is in here too, and it’s accelerating on.

Always a pleasure to listen to this brilliant collection of music. The Flaming Lips' brand of highly experimental pop rock often borders on the inaccessible, but they hit the perfect mix of avant garde creativity and beautifully melodic on 'The Soft Bulletin'; it's like taking The Beatles at their prime and throwing in late 20th century studio magic with just the right amount of weird. Not only is this album an accomplishment musically, but the lyrics are also often incredibly poignant and powerful. Songs like 'Waitin' for a Superman' or 'Suddenly Everything Has Changed' do such an amazing job at capturing and conveying emotionally heavy and profound ideas in such beautifully simple ways. An absolutely perfect album and worth many, many listens.

Pff really? Keep this to yourself please...

Whiny indie-pop skip-divers respectfully plunder pop history as far as their moderate talents allow. At their best, that's far enough for a couple of songs (The Spiderbite Song, for example) to get within kissing distance of the hem of Peter Stampfel's ragged gown.

One of my favorite albums ever.

Genius, really lush and diverse, with lyrics that tell a story and work as a whole piece. Loved it.

Here's the perfect blend of dream pop and trippy indie rock that I didn't know I was waiting for. Must have been pretty far ahead of its time, so much so that it still sounds better than the majority of indie rock bands that got popular with exactly this kind of sound more than 10 years later.

It was groundbreaking at the time, and it's still excellent now. Love the crunchy drums and Fridmann production.

Seems to be a surprisingly divisive album. I have enjoyed worse singers and more abrasive songs so that really didn't bother me. I've always wanted to get into Flaming Lips after hearing the yeah yeah yeah song and the golden path but never did. This seems like as good an album as any to start on. The goofy lyrics didnt really bother me.

The lyrics are so painfully simplistic the album sounds like a children's music album. The singing and musical arrangements are similarly underwhelming. The songs are just...there. I wouldn't call this a bad album, but it seemed overall uninspired and boring. I fail to see what makes this album something one should listen to before they die - it's mid at best.

Perhaps we had better start a little closer to the beginning… Following the success of “She Don’t Use Jelly” from their 1993 record “Transmissions for the Satellite Heart”, The Flaming Lips released “Clouds Taste Metallic” a fuzzed-out, acid-damaged affair that plays like it’s Pet Sounds from an alternate reality. It’s one of the best (and maybe most under-appreciated) alternative albums of the 90’s, with excellent songs, otherworldly guitar playing and a reckless, experimental abandon that is uncommon for a band who had just had a massive hit on a major label. I’m not sure who was supposed to be minding the shop over at Warner Brothers in 1995, but thank god they weren’t paying too close attention to what these weirdos from Oklahoma City were doing….or, maybe, they were smart enough to know not to interfere with brilliance. Clouds Taste Metallic was released to critical fanfare, but little commercial success and a year later, guitarist Ronald Jones, who was responsible for the absolutely amazing guitar work on Clouds, would leave the band, due in part to drummer/multi-instrumentalist Steven Drozd’s increasing heroin use. With the loss of Jones and an increasing sense that they had gone as far they could as a “guitar rock” band, the band began experimenting: they would take fragments of their song ideas and record the various parts on to different cassettes. The idea, then, was to play these cassettes simultaneously from different cassette players to achieve a symphonic sound collage from the music on the tapes. Initially, they would perform these symphonies in parking garages with the cassette decks of their fans cars playing back the music. Later, for their next tour, they scaled back and used Boomboxes for these concerts, dubbing them “The Boombox Experiments”. In 1997, they translated these experiments to CD form on their 4-Disc follow up to Clouds Taste Metallic, “Zaireeka”. The idea was simple in theory, in order to hear the full album, each of the four CD’s was meant to be played simultaneously, from four different CD players. Requiring four CD players for this experiment, however, was probably not the most practical way of getting your album heard, even if the end result was an album designed for multi-channel stereo surround sound insanity. It’s worth pointing out that Zaireeka was also put out by Warner Brothers. They were apprehensive about this one, however, stipulating that Zaireeka would not count against the 7 album deal that the Lips had signed and agreed to release it when the band’s manager discovered that if the album was sold as a box set, Warners would break even after only 12,000 copies were sold. If Clouds Taste Metallic was the catalyst for The Flaming Lips moving past “guitar rock” into more avant-garde and experimental territory, Zaireeka was the point of no return. The music on Zaireeka is light years away from where the Flaming Lips were just four years earlier with “She Don’t Use Jelly”. Zaireeka is a heady, psychedelic work, with symphonic grandeur and occasionally odd, experimental compositions. By and large, however, the songs are good. Very good, in fact…I rate “Riding to Work in the Year 2025” as one of my all time favorite Flaming Lips songs. (If you’re inclined, there are four and five disc mixes of Zaireeka you can listen to, check YouTube). While recording Zaireeka, the band was simultaneously working on The Soft Bulletin, a more “traditional” album, comprised of some of the songs from the Zaireeka sessions that did not work in the 4 CD format: most notably The Soft Bulletin’s opening track, “Race for the Prize”. Think of The Soft Bulletin as the third act in this story: the first is Clouds Taste Metallic; a fuzzed-out psych rock headphone album for the ages. Zaireeka is the second; a symphonic, avant-garde exercise challenging the concept of what the “album” is. The third act, The Soft Bulletin, takes these two ideas and successfully melds them into one; a symphonic, psychedelic rock headphone masterpiece. For me, the Flaming Lips have never topped these three records and The Soft Bulletin is the pinnacle of their creative output, a true masterpiece. From start to finish, it is a perfect record and should be considered as one of the greatest albums of the 90’s, if not all time.

I've seen the Flaming Lips at music festivals three times (I wouldn't call myself a huge fan of theirs, it just so happened that their set times made it easy for me to catch them, and plus, their live shows are an absolute trip), but this was my first time listening to this album. I've listened to Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots several times, and I'm familiar with "Race for the Prize," so I had a pretty good idea of what I was in for with this album. The Soft Bulletin was absolutely amazing from start to finish. Musically, it was incredibly fun to listen to. There was a lot going on, but it never felt busy or convoluted, and the overall sound was just very pleasant. The keyboards and theremin kept things weird and experimental, but they complimented the great guitar playing and drumming really well. The booming drums were great, especially on "Buggin.'" Wayne Coyne isn't what I'd consider an exceptional vocalist, but he plays to his strengths, and that helps the overall experimental and psychedelic sound of the band. Lyrically, I loved that some of the songs were deep and existential, while others were somewhat goofy and nonsensical. Overall, this was a fantastic album, and it's one that I plan to listen to again.

a band reaching the peak of their powers here. glorious.

After hearing the follow-up to this album "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" and giving it a 5 upon first listen I was hoping this one wouldn't disappoint... and it does not. Honestly I have no idea how I missed out on these guys when these albums were released - it has everything I love about music; detailed harmonies, gorgeous melodies, dramatic arrangements, interesting instrumentation, and just a little imperfection here and there (e.g. vocals - which work perfectly with their music). All the while having accessible songs. Another 5 - this is becoming a favourite act of mine. 9/10 5 stars

the boldness and creativity from the flaming lips never ceases to amaze me. what a fun and fearless group. the wry innovation within their compositions should be an industry standard.

Had heard this many times, an all-time classic in my opinion.

WOW. This album is even better than Yoshimi! A Spoonful Weighs a Ton & The Spark that Bled go so hard

Love this album, love them. Think I'd use the term earnest for this one.

Never listened to flaming lips but this has notes of YES, Neil Young and Radiohead.

One that I’d missed, though ‘Race for the Prize’ is correctly unavoidable. Heard mostly on a rental car stereo on the way to drop off said Toyota Yaris hybrid back at Curries Motors, last three songs on headphones walking through Waltham Abbey. Sunny morning , appropriately. Curries wouldn’t refund the replacement tire I had put on after a blow out on the A41, but I was expecting that so was not too disappointed. First time I’ve changed a car tire, one more point in the dad column. Listened to the last two songs while eating fish cake and chips from a Greek chippy in Waltham Cross - I knew they were Greek from the inclusion of souvlaki and “Greek side dishes” on the menu in a sort of faux-ancient Greek lettering in contrast to the bog standard font of the rest of the menu. Context can be important sometimes, Simon. Yeah, I like this, would happily ask it out for dinner to get better acquainted, maybe over flirtinis, who knows? The drums stood out for me on first listen - in places, a very effective “there’s a loud and flashy drummer living next door” effect, just enough remove to prevent them from being overpowering, but acting as rowdy interlopers to the dreamy, orchestral stuff in the front. Beautiful to listen to, but little lingered in my consciousness on first two go rounds, as if hooks are too crude for such a crafted object. The delicate vocals cleave closer to twee than I usually tolerate, but work for what surrounds them - the voice very occasionally breaks a little, which I like. It’s a mood piece on the first couple of listens.

3.5 + I always skip to tracks 6-8 - a wonderful stretch that gets deeply philosophic, especially on “Feeling Yourself Disintegrate.” In theory, I appreciate the rest as a cinematic rock opera but most of the songs don’t come together for me. Wayne Coyne sings like Kermit the Frog and the arrangements sound equally goofy.

boring and kind of nothing. "Sing, brothers! Sing! SING!" - The Bullet Farmer

I actually fell asleep listening to this.

Bit boring and the vocalist has an annoying voice. Just annoyed me

Aimless, disjointed, nothing "catchy". Album never should have been cut.

Absolute perfection

Another great album. One that defined an era for me and that I always come back to with joy. Love the great use of synth and ultra deep bass in parts, echo in others. And just a fun vibe all the way through. Not like anything else I've heard.

Yep another perfect record. Do I love it as much as Yoshimi? Hell no. Is it still great? correct. I remember in a documentary how they wrote "Sleeping on a roof" and did something weird thematically with the album where they flipped the music upside down to continue playing the notes and how it thematically ties with the record or something. Regardless the main singles (race for the prize, waiting on superman and a spoonful weighs a ton) are amazing. The deeper cuts (spiderbite song, feeling yourself disintegrate, Buggin, suddenly everything has changed) are all amazing cuts. No bad songs. Just some great psychedelic rock.

this album raised me. this was my mother

Unique, idiosyncratic, delightful. Also great live.

11/6/24. I need to really dive into the Flaming Lips more. This is the second album I've listened to of theirs and I love their psychedelic sound and songwriting. Addicting to me (lol).

Love. Many loves. The voice makes it, this would be quite diminished if not for Mark Coyne's voice.

Emotional vocals, soaring melodies, poignant lyrics. A revelation.

In my opinion, this is the best Flaming Lips album. Yoshimi et al that followed The Soft Bulletin were extensions of this album. The Soft Bulletin is deeply rooted in the Beatles most psychedelic--most apparent on "Suddenly Everything Has Changed" and "The Gash" but this album is no mere imitation of The Beatles. Like any good psychedelic album, there's an overarching theme: the band and its maturation, the harrowing experience of almost losing a member to a spider bite, and the emergence from the experience improved and strengthened. Now strong enough to fight alongside Yoshimi against the Pink Robots.

This album is such an experience! I love the touches of orchestral music throughout this work. In combination with the raw sound of the instruments, it's completely my taste. Production wise, I think this is a really well-executed album. side note: buggin' is such a goofy song lmaaoo favorite track: The Spiderbite Song

I’m a big Flaming Lips fan now because of the two albums I’ve heard from this list so far. The emotion they are able to evoke with their music is incredible. It’s refreshing!

Ended up listening 3-4 times. The song Race for the Prize had this feeling like it was out of a video game in a cool way.

Wow the first song blew me away. I can hear so much influence from this album, Tame Impala, The Gorillaz, Sure there is more but man this sound is just the kinda thing you hear all 2000s onward. Every song on this album stood out to me and I can hear so much passion behind everything that comes out. I can not believe I have never heard of any of these guys before, I loved all of this. 5/5 and I feel confident in that.

Melodic, catchy, and dreamy. A very complete album in my opinion, I also get the feeling of them being similar to The Butthole Surfers but their music is not very similar, I think it must be that they were on the same drugs at the time.

Favorite album of all time

True alternative! Weird for weird sake in the best way.

Shitttt i got Flaming Lips again LETS GOOOO. that's 2 in like 3 weeks. This album is amazing, tracks 2-4 aren't my favourite but they are still solid, but once What is the Light? starts playing I'm hooked again. Not to mention that Race for the Prize is brilliant and Feeling Yourself Disintegrate is a masterpiece. The live version is even better. Fav songs: - Race for the Prize - The Spiderbite Song - Buggin' - What is the Light? - The Observer - Waitin' For a Superman - Suddenly Everything Has Changed - The Gash - Feeling Yourself Disintegrate

It took me a while to get into The Flaming Lips outside of Yoshime, which is a masterpiece of an album. After being obsessed with Yoshime, The Soft Bulletin was the second album I listened to from them and it just didn't hit as hard. I'm glad I got to revisit this years later, now that I can truly appreciate FL because this is an incredible album. So much going on as far as instrumentation and production, and melodically it's some of their best work ever. There are grand moments followed by cathartic, introspective passages. Weirdly my favorite moment was the closing track "Sleeping on the Roof" which sounds like it could have been the starting point for countless YouTube lo-fi channels. Masterpiece of an album from a band who, to this day, continues to put out stellar work.

Amazing!!!

Awesome album, not quite their best but this is where The Flaming Lips moved up a gear.

A phenomenal piece of work. Lovely stuff. I wish I had the time to write articulately about how much I enjoyed it.

It’s kind of like a being in a swimming pool—an immersive but gentle cacophony of noise, but organized into the shape of a more traditional pop/rock songs, all held afloat but the earnesty of Wayne Cohen’s vocals. Sometimes playful, sometimes heart-wrenching, always a good listen.

An album is great when you and your six-year-old daughter sing along song after song.

I always love The Flaining Lips!

An incredible offering from The Lips! Might be on of my favorite albums of there's and if not, #1 without a doubt #2. This is the epitome of a Lips album to me. Standout Tracks: Race for the Prize, A Spoonful Weighs a Ton, Waitin' For a Superman, Suddenly Everything Has Changed

One of the most underrated album ever. It has science, love, sex, death, insects and joy. Imagine Pink Floyd if they were nicer, poppier and had less studio time and cocaine. It's actually that good. If you can listen to Waitin for a Superman without crying you're made of stone.

Ein überraschendes, melodisches und kitschiges Album von Flaming Lips ist entstanden. Die Stimme des Leadsängers gefällt mir sehr gut. Sie ist in jeder Hinsicht einzigartig, individuell. Aber so passend für die Kompositionen. Der Ton des Albums ist durchaus melancholisch und kitschig. Aber das eine ich positiv. Der Ton trifft genau meinen Geschmack. Ein sehr empfehlenswertes Album.

**Album Review: The Soft Bulletin by The Flaming Lips** *Introduction:* The Flaming Lips' 1999 album, "The Soft Bulletin," is a seminal work in the realm of alternative rock. With its intricate blend of psychedelic experimentation, heartfelt lyricism, and lush production, the album stands as a testament to the band's creative genius. In this review, we'll delve into the various aspects of the album, including its lyrics, music, production, themes, and influence, while also discussing its pros and cons. *Lyrics:* The lyrics of "The Soft Bulletin" are a poignant exploration of human emotions, existentialism, and the complexities of life. Wayne Coyne's songwriting is both introspective and poetic, inviting listeners into a world of introspection and wonder. Tracks like "Waitin' for a Superman" and "Feeling Yourself Disintegrate" explore themes of loss, redemption, and the fragility of existence with a profound sense of vulnerability. Coyne's ability to blend abstract imagery with raw emotion creates a deeply resonant listening experience, drawing listeners into a world of existential contemplation. *Music:* Musically, "The Soft Bulletin" is a tour de force of sonic experimentation and innovation. The album blends elements of rock, pop, and electronica to create a sound that is both expansive and immersive. From the lush orchestration of tracks like "Race for the Prize" to the ethereal ambience of "The Spark That Bled," each song is a sonic journey unto itself. The Flaming Lips' willingness to push the boundaries of conventional song structures and instrumentation results in a truly unique listening experience that rewards repeated listens. *Production:* The production on "The Soft Bulletin" is nothing short of spectacular. Produced by Dave Fridmann and the band themselves, the album is a masterclass in sonic layering and texture. The lush orchestration, intricate arrangements, and psychedelic flourishes are all brought to life with a clarity and depth that is truly awe-inspiring. Fridmann's use of studio manipulation and experimentation adds an extra dimension to the album, creating a sense of otherworldliness that perfectly complements the lyrical themes. *Themes:* Thematically, "The Soft Bulletin" is a meditation on the human condition and the search for meaning in an increasingly chaotic world. The album grapples with existential questions of mortality, love, and the nature of reality, offering both introspective reflection and moments of transcendent beauty. Themes of hope and redemption run throughout the album, serving as a beacon of light amidst the darkness. "The Soft Bulletin" is ultimately a celebration of life's inherent contradictions and complexities, urging listeners to embrace the chaos and find solace in the beauty of the unknown. *Influence:* "The Soft Bulletin" has had a profound influence on the alternative rock landscape, inspiring countless artists with its innovative sound and introspective lyricism. The album's experimental approach to songwriting and production paved the way for a new generation of musicians to push the boundaries of genre and convention. Its impact can be felt across a wide range of genres, from indie rock to electronica, with artists like Animal Collective, Tame Impala, and Arcade Fire citing The Flaming Lips as a major influence on their work. *Pros:* 1. **Innovative Sound:** "The Soft Bulletin" pushes the boundaries of conventional rock music, incorporating elements of electronica, psychedelia, and orchestration to create a truly unique sonic landscape. 2. **Poetic Lyricism:** Wayne Coyne's introspective and poetic lyrics invite listeners into a world of existential contemplation and emotional depth. 3. **Lush Production:** The album's production is top-notch, with Dave Fridmann's expert handling of studio manipulation and experimentation adding an extra layer of depth and texture to the music. 4. **Transcendent Themes:** "The Soft Bulletin" grapples with existential themes of mortality, love, and the nature of reality, offering both introspective reflection and moments of transcendent beauty. 5. **Lasting Influence:** The album's innovative sound and introspective lyricism have had a profound influence on the alternative rock landscape, inspiring countless artists across a wide range of genres. *Cons:* 1. **Complexity:** Some listeners may find the album's experimental approach to songwriting and production to be overly complex or inaccessible. 2. **Length:** At 12 tracks and over 50 minutes in length, "The Soft Bulletin" can feel somewhat sprawling and indulgent at times, potentially testing the patience of more casual listeners. 3. **Lyrical Ambiguity:** While Wayne Coyne's poetic lyricism adds depth to the album, some listeners may find the abstract imagery and symbolism to be overly ambiguous or difficult to decipher. *Conclusion:* In conclusion, "The Soft Bulletin" stands as a towering achievement in the realm of alternative rock. With its innovative sound, poetic lyricism, and transcendent themes, the album invites listeners on a journey of introspection and wonder. While its complexity and length may be off-putting to some, those willing to dive into its sonic depths will find a rich and rewarding listening experience that continues to inspire and captivate audiences to this day.

I stood up and I said yeah! Unqualified monster of an album and one of my favorites of the 90s. Wayne Coyne's broken tenor always sounds so tender and sweet, Steven Drozd pulling double duty as a truly inspired drummer and guitarist at the same time...and Michael Ivins' bass definitely had a breakthrough on this and Yoshimi. Not to mention a celebrated producer in Dave Fridmann really shooting the gap by both helping a band yearning to experiment and helping them sound their best while doing it. I've commented that it's a shame bands like The Flaming Lips could hardly ever exist anymore — to be given five albums' worth of leash by a major label (and nine albums total) before everyone could agree they'd truly hit their stride. Love this album.

Great album, possibly their best along with Yoshimi. They have a perfect mix of psychedelic and pop and it is easy listening for me. Upbeat and easy to get lost in.

+1 to the list of bands that had only existed as a name on the fringes of my perception [trailing off] It's now some time later, after the previous sentence - this is becoming a thing in my reviews? - in which I have spent some more time with the album, and The Flaming Lips' work, like their, what? cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band? the whole thing?, with huh?? Miley Cyrus on Lucy In The Sky!? I'm awed by how this here is my introduction to this band! But hey, it's never too late. I... love this, I think? I'm firmly in the second half of my life, so this being new to me, it reminds me of a lot of other music - much of which is eligible for a good part of my all-time favourites list: do I sense Spiritualized, Pink Floyd, bits of Radiohead? German ~post-rockers The Notwist in the - well, not conventially great but endearing - vocals, especially in Waitin' for a Superman? Yes to all. It's quite gorgeous, really. Not sure if a 20 year younger me would have liked this, but I've been developing a soft spot for dreamy, shoegazy, psychy rock/pop and this fits *right* in. Thank you, 1001AYMHBYD. (the inclusion of those Mokran mixes at the end is wtf, though)

Fantastic. I had never heard of them before I saw them at Joe Walsh’ VETSAID concert a few months ago. They are worth the ticket on their own.

I really enjoyed this one.

Another great intriguing concept record about science, the heaviness of space coinciding with the weight of living, and existentialism. The instrumentation was really dense at times, and I loved the orchestral feel of certain tracks and the cohesion of the full album. A little more rock-based and less experimental than Yoshimi, but still had its moments to shine and stray from the norm, especially in the instrumental tracks.

I think this album is a masterpiece. The orchestral sound belies simple and melancholy lyrics. Sometimes, the lyrics border on the inane, but I think that’s kind of why it’s brilliant. The album applies an epic scale to the trivialities of everyday life and its basic questions. There is nothing quite like this album.

Yoshimi was my gateway into the Flaming Lips discography, and this is just a lush sound that really ended the 90s on a high. I hate that I never got to hear it when it came out as summer 1999 was a transition for me from college to "working adult" and this really captures my vibe perfectly.

un 5.

Really great.

A classic! My number 5 album of 1999, I might rank it higher today. Here’s what I said then: They've come a long way, baby. Who'd have guessed a few years ago that the Lips were capable of putting out an album as lush and orchestral as this one. But here it is. They're still the Flaming Lips, if perhaps a bit (gulp) kinder and gentler. Downright impressive.

My previous self apologizes profusely for writing this record off. This is a god damned masterpiece. I need to get some LSD and trip out with this.

alternate reality neil young that decided to make experimental psych rock with his friends instead of folk music.

Around these parts, The Flaming Lips get 5 stars. 😎 For my second play through, gonna listen to the live version with the Colorado Symphony, why not. Fave tracks - "Race For the Prize" is an absolutely cracking opener - that first sound effect immediately whisks you into another world. "The Gash" also stood out to me this time around....

I love this album.

Such a beautiful record. Ambitious, sweeping, progressive. I love the quirky production. Huge drum sounds and enormous low end at times. Wayne's voice is so weird and quirky, but also compelling. Great to go back and spend some time with this record again.

Texture Titans. I understand why fans say this is their favorite album. A band I occasionally dive into and am glad to come back around to them. They are sonic decorators/soundscape travelers. Wayne expresses it all so simply. Great work

Really lovable album, a trip that begins with the firsr riff and takes me on an indie voyage

I stood up and I said, "Yeah!" One of my favorite albums of all time - I'm literally wearing the shirt right now. Put on headphones and feel yourself disintegrate.

Enjoyable every time I listen to it. Standout songs: Waiting for Superman Spiderbite song Race for the Prize

Outstanding. Truly enjoyed every song.

These guys are so cool.

Been meaning to give this and its successor a listen for a while. I love the dense, orchestral arrangements and dramatic mood, and like that it stuck to more accessible melodies and structures while still being pretty out-there in style and production. 4.5 leaning 5.

The Flaming Lips are a band I have been interested in for a little while now. Simply because any group that is willing to push their own boundaries and try new things without fear of it not working or not being friendly for commercial success has my upmost respect. This album is probably the best place to start. And if you have any curiosity for this band, please give this a listen. This is by far one of the most unique listening experiences I’ve had of any album on this list, and really of any album ever. This is so wildly its own thing, and sporadically so many different things at the same time. So many textures. So many sound profiles. It takes effects created digitally and through guitar pedals and pushes them to their absolute limit. But they still come out sounding massive, and not very muddy in the mix. I urge you, if you listen to this, to experience it with the best set of headphones or earbuds you can. It’s important to take a step back at some points, and really envelope yourself in this sound. Although it can be hard and make it feel like your head is spinning, try to focus on individual elements of the meticulously constructed music. They also absolutely mastered the fuzz and distortion effects. I don’t know if any album uses it better than they do here, except for maybe Siamese Dream. Listen to songs like Race for the Prize or A Spoonful Weighs a Ton and try to tell me that ridiculously full and crushing mix isn’t incredible. This album is also beautiful. There are so many awe-inspiring moments of gorgeous orchestral strings or vocal harmonies, or even electronic drum beats. This is a melting pot of modern progressive psychedelic music at its absolute best. Rating: 9/10

Love The Flaming Lips.

great album.

Love this album Enjoyed the drums

Simply an incredible band. If you have the chance to go see the Flaming Lips in concert, DO IT. It's impossible for me to objectively rate this band's music anymore because of the time I saw them. The fact that this is universally seen as the album that launched their career to a new dimension makes it automatically one of my favorites. But all the elements that make people love the Flaming Lips are overly present here: high degree of creativity in arrangements, very high production value, poignant lyrics that never take themselves too seriously, unpredictable songwriting. Favorite track: Race for the Prize

very good.

The Soft Bulletin is a musical masterpiece that effortlessly transports me back to my university days, enveloping me in a warm embrace of nostalgia. The familiarity of hearing two songs repeated only adds to the excitement, creating a sense of anticipation and joy each time. The album's expertly layered fusion of rock and electronic beats, often considered conceptual, is a testament to its artistic brilliance. With each listen, I find myself drifting off into the beauty of its soundscapes, and I can't help but feel a profound sense of happiness for having such a remarkable piece of music in my life. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 14 STAND OUT TRACK - Waitin' For a Superman

It is very nice and soft album.

So good.

In “The Soft Bulletin”, The Flaming Lips tell us that life is heavy (“Waitin’ For a Superman”) and hard (“The Gash”). It’s a fleeting flash before we aren’t here any more, and death is the only certainty (“Feeling Yourself Disintegrate”). So what should we do? We should find the beauty. See that beauty in every single bug flying through the air (“Buggin’”)… in recognising how far we’ve come through everyday life (“Suddenly Everything Has Changed”)… in helping each other through trying times (“The Spiderbite Song”, “A Spoonful Weighs a Ton”). If that all sounds like schmaltzy nonsense and something you need to be stoned to appreciate, then what a shame the music alone can’t work its magic on you. Musically, “The Soft Bulletin” feels every bit as symphonic as “Pet Sounds”, to which it often draws comparisons. There are perfect pop choruses, catchy and accessible: “Buggin’”, “Race for the Prize”and “What Is The Light” all glow with euphoria. There’s bombastic, epic drama: “The Gash” plays like a lost Queen song, and there’s the world-ending guitar solo at the end of “Feeling Yourself Disintegrate”. There are heartfelt and beautiful moments: “The Spiderbite Song” is a tender tribute to a precious relationship, and “Waitin’ For A Superman” is a plea to hold a broken world together. And there are more complex compositions which unravel like handheld symphonies: “The Spark that Bled” and “Suddenly Everything Has Changed” are ambitious, prog-psych suites trapped inside four minute indie-pop songs. Rounding off the set are two serene instrumentals, “The Observer” and “Sleeping on the Roof”: far from needless padding, their atmospherics enrich the surrounding material. The band make use of an extended sonic palette using strings, brass, woodwind, glockenspiel, harp, bells and more. Most of it is synthesised, but that doesn’t take away from the intricacy of the arrangements: it’s lush, sweeping and varied enough to always hold a listener’s interest. On vocals, Wayne Coyne sounds a little like a frayed Jon Anderson (especially in the beautiful chorus of “The Spark That Bled” and all of “Slow Motion”, a soaring ballad only on the UK release). His vocals are often fragile or strained, but it never bothers me once. It’s just another layer of “The Soft Bulletin”’s delicate beauty: everyday life projected onto a galactic scale. Like most of my favourite albums, there’s a heavy personal note here. In 2019, I experienced one of the most euphoric gigs of my life watching the Flaming Lips play “The Soft Bulletin” in full. About a year later, I was listening to the album again on a walk through a deserted quay… and it stopped me in my tracks. Through the last eight months of lockdown, we’d all been waiting for Superman, and suddenly everything had changed. It blew me apart like only the most powerful music does, and has been putting me back together ever since. Beautiful.

ДА. вот это сильная хуйня, гениальное дерьмо. такое я люблю. не так часто слушаю такую неопсиходелику или дрим поп, но это прям хорошо. ебанутейший звук, свойственный подобной музыке, простые но цепляющие тексты, меня особенно тронула Suddenly Everything Has Changed, это ж как из за такой простой мысли я в астрал ушёл. в целом очень приятный голос, но инструментальные треки слушаются ничуть не хуже, музыка реально вполне самодостаточная, от чего треки в 5 минут не кажутся душными. к тому же большинство треков тут имеет мощное развитие или кульминацию, так что некоторая медитативность иногда наоборот играет на руку эмоциональному взрыву. короче пиздато, гениально, кайфово, секс проще говоря оценка - 9/10

So trippy and unusual

Banger

What an album! It seems crazy that this album came out so long ago, when it still feels so relevant today. Every song is good, and several of them are great. Beautiful, heartfelt songs, some of which you can dance to, some of which you can cry to 5/5