jfv wrote: Sun Jul 31, 2022 10:13 pm

rsmurphy wrote: Sun Jul 31, 2022 10:07 pm Radiohead sucks

LOL

Okay.

I was just being silly, but the parallels you mentioned are broad. By those metrics you could compare them to any band from that era, say, Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

happyman wrote:seeing the title of this thread angered me a little.

hahaha...I understand.

losthighway wrote:then somehow American Head turned out to be great.

The titles of the songs on this release annoy me. They are Coyne-esque what with the fantastical bugs and drug talk, like, they've become caricatures. I haven't taken a deep listen, but agree that the melodies are there.

Still not enough to crap them early records!

rsmurphy wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 8:43 am

jfv wrote: Sun Jul 31, 2022 10:13 pm

rsmurphy wrote: Sun Jul 31, 2022 10:07 pm Radiohead sucks

LOL

Okay.

I was just being silly, but the parallels you mentioned are broad. By those metrics you could compare them to any band from that era, say, Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

There are more parallels than what I mentioned, but I digress.

Flaming Lips are NC

I really miss loving the flaming lips, but haven't given a shit since soft bulletin. Now that it is more circus than band... I fucking couldn't give less of a shit about FL.

They had a solid run of great albums but Wayne Coyne at this stage in his life is insufferable.

Kniferide wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 10:12 pm I really miss loving the flaming lips, but haven't given a shit since soft bulletin.

They had a special quality and talent of letting their music connect with listeners. Whatever that indescribable attribute was they rammed it down the throats of a new generation of listeners, but with mawkish and forgettable pop songs. Technically, I held on until At War With the Mystics. Afterwards here and there I'd find a remarkable song - looking at the "You, Man? Human???" collaboration with Nick Cave, or bits and pieces of "7 Skies H3," and even reclaiming a stab at fizzy, sugary pop music like the "I Was Zapped by the Super Lucky Rainbow" from that awful Dane Cook romcom, but as noted WC became an insufferable hipster-celeb-prick and the music isn't as exciting.

Michael Ivins finally jumped ship, it's about time Steven did the same

I’ve checked out early Lips many times in the past simply based on Randall’s enthusiasm for it, and it’s never clicked. Maybe someday it will, but not yet.

What’s a good point of entry?

I really like Embryonic, and a few of the songs on the Heady Fwends album. The Soft Bulletin is....fine. I don't return to it much though.

I dipped my toe into their early records a while back, and it didn't catch on. Maybe I'll try again some other time.

Overall, N/C.

I would say Clouds Taste Metallic and Soft Bulletin are a good mix of their surreal, noisy, poppy and warbly tendencies. You can go back and get noisier/more experimental or forward for poppier stuff.

Annoying third option: Mercury Rev.

Everything I think about FL has been mentioned upstream.

rsmurphy wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 8:50 am

Michael Ivins finally jumped ship, it's about time Steven did the same

Wow, had not realized that Ivins was no longer in the band. If Steven left then Wayne would have to find someone else to write songs for him!

NC up through and including The Soft Bulletin, the Transmissions/Clouds/Zaireeka/TSB was huge for me back when. Honestly thought Yoshimi was kinda lame even when I bought it day it came out, and I've heard only a song or two of anything since. It all seems to have gotten too gimmicky to even keep up with since then.