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The Soft Bulletin

The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin Audio CD

A fair review of the The Flaming Lips "The Soft Bulletin" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Flaming Lips reviews here, or go back to the The Flaming Lips tabs.

Band: The Flaming Lips
Title: The Soft Bulletin
Rating:

Release Date: 1999-06-22
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Race for the Prize 2: Spoonful Weighs a Ton 3: Spark That Bled 4: Spiderbite Song 5: Buggin' 6: What Is the Light? 7: Observer 8: Waitin' for a Superman 9: Suddenly Everything Has Changed 10: Gash 11: Feeling Yourself Disintegrate 12: Sleeping on the Roof 13: Race for the Prize 14: Waitin' for a Superman

Quixotic, sensitive, integrative, engrossing

Sounds in these songs which might otherwise jar me - injecting cold synth lines, booming drums or punchy bass out of the blue, for example - would soon become an expected blend in the mix of each song, proving to be terrific methods of conveying the right amount of impact intended. I'd previously known The Flaming Lips for their work with other bands, such as Thievery Corporation and The Chemical Brothers, so did some reading and "The Soft Bulletin" sounded like a turning point in their evolution - perhaps a good place to start. None of the initial quirkiness sounds like noise added for the heck of it, as everything gradually reveals intentional placement and even emotional conveyance quite implicitly.

That is - after I found it impossible to put this album down after the first two days of purchasing the MP3s - nuances, possible ideas and layers of implied meaning turned my impression of the work into something it was *not* after the first listen. And yet, both my initial experience and still-evolving impressions have felt complete and rewarding.

There was so much sincerity of spirit and craft thrown into this work, I'm simply aghast that it passed me by years ago - in this gaping omission to my prior music collection, I am completely humbled.

"The Soft Bulletin" is not just worth repeated listens, it may compel you to do so organically. Melodies and lyrics swirl within you naturally, days after the last listen. At least, they have for me. Some of it has become absolutely heavy in meaning to me now, despite the addictive, alluring and sometimes beautiful melodies. Yet still, I go back to it.

This is amazing work for what is ostensibly a form of pop music, and I now own four of their albums from this inspiration. I've now come to the impression that this feels like a Sgt. Pepper's in the context of their own growth path (i. e. , not directly compared to the Beatles' work), but without the sense that they've reached their final maturity at all. And, indeed, the next two albums have proven excellent in their own respects. But, the production and multilayered compositions, deceptively insightful lyrics, experimentation with sounds, etc. are quite impressive compared to their prior (very good) album.

The Soft Bulletin seemingly hits upon current themes in my own life, so perhaps that's why I have experienced this level of positive impact. Or, maybe it can relate to enough common areas in many people's lives, so I'm just one out of the larger crowd. Doesn't matter, really.

Terrifyly magnificent pop record.

A loud announcement
One thing is easily agreeable though- these Lips were as moisturized as they possibly ever will be on these two strongest products. Whether you prefer this or follow up Yoshimi really seems a matter of personal preference and mood, as they are both very strong and addictive in their own righteously trippy way, with the organic emphasis obviously on the former. .

Overrated
It has been called our times Pet Sounds and similar things, and declared as a unflawed masterpiece by many. Still, after many years being an owner of The Soft Bulletin album, I can`t understand what all the fuzz is about.

My opinion is however that this record is higly overrated, and not close even to others in the same genre from the same time, like f. ex The Mercury Rev - Deserter`s Songs or The Dandy Warhols. I have to admit though, there are some nice moments here, like the song "Race for the price", "Feeling yourself disintegrate" and "Sleeping on the roof". And that`s why I gave this record three stars. . But in total I think The Soft Bulletin is a mediocre case, which got more attention than it deserved.

For better or worse, the Flaming Lips grow up
"The Pet Sounds of the '90s," they say. Well, this has sure become a lot of people's favorite Flaming Lips album. I won't argue one thing: it is a good album. When done properly, I love lush, psychedelic symphonic pop. The sound of the album on a whole is big, grand, and sweeping. Which makes sense, since the Lips had originally intended this to be their last album (though that didn't happen, thankfully - what would the world be without "Do You Realize??"). So, once more, the band decided to create their own genre for themselves by fusing elements of the aforementioned lush, psychedelic, symphonic pop (something that never seems to go out of style) and electronica. The result is an album at least as daring as anything else they've done, if not more, because it also represents a total shift in priorities for them. Loud, fuzzy guitars and white noise experiments are out; strings are in.
The album has a lot going for it. The intricate arrangements are fascinating. A lot of attention was paid to getting all the details right. For instance, you have the overdubbed strings and overdubbed vocals on the beautiful "Race for the Prize," the Arabic-influenced strings on the first half of "The Spark that Bled" (before it turns to country-rock for no good reason), and the piano-synthesizer interplay stuff on "Spiderbite Song," the most overtly techno-ish song on the album and probably the most complicated, to the point of annoyance - it's otherwise a great song, but it's dragged down by overly busy drum machine fills. The melodies are gorgeous, like on "A Spoonful Weighs a Ton," which also has an interestingly weird arrangement. The sound of the whole album is quite lovely.
And there are a lot of fantastic songs here. "Race for the Prize" is 100% pure gorgeous. "The Spark that Bled" has a lovably strange arrangement that flies in the face of genre conventions. "What is the Light?" has a huge, orchestral conclusion and a creepy, echoing low piano loop. And since I'm a total sucker for cool sequencing tricks, I'm a big fan of how "What is the Light?" flows right into "The Observer" with the wonder of a "thud-thud-thud" rhythm that carries through both songs and gives "The Observer" a foundation to build upon, and build it does, adding quiet guitar passages, layers of synthesizers, and strings. The leadoff single "Waitin' on a Superman" is one of the group's strongest, with the chimes, the piano, and the treated vocals combining to create a gorgeous effect. I'm surprised it wasn't a bit hit. It should've been, because on top of all the other good stuff about it, it also has a very strong melody. I still prefer "Race for the Price" in terms of sheer sonic soothingness, though.
But I have two major problems with The Soft Bulletin, and wouldn't you know it, both of them go hand-in-hand. Problem a: the album is way too long. Problem dos: all the songs sound the same. I'd be all for (okay, maybe a bit hesitant about) a fifty-six minute album that was really diverse, but when you stay in one bag for almost an hour, it kind of tries my patience, which admittedly wasn't much to begin with. Objectively there's nothing really wrong with "Feeling Yourself Disintegrate" and "Suddenly Everything Has Changed. " The problem I have with them is that there are so many other, superior songs like them on this album they just feel warmed-over and inferior. No way either of these are as good as "Waitin' on a Superman" or "Race for the Prize. " "The Gash" admirably tries to break formation by using a symphony of vocal effects, but it, um. . . un-admirably does so by applying a symphony of vocal effects. Terrible-sounding vocal effects, too. It's one of the few unlistenable Flaming Lips songs I'm aware of. It might even be the only one.
A lot of people consider this the band's masterpiece. And hey, I'm not gonna mess with them for it or anything. But in this opinionated reviewer's opinion, discussions of the band's best work are not complete without Transmissions from the Satellite Heart and Clouds Taste Metallic. I also kind of miss the cool song titles from earlier albums ("Guy Who Got Headache and Accidentally Saves the World" comes to mind. So does "The Big Ol' Bug is the New Baby Now"), but that's such a minor thing to quibble about I just won't quibble about it. And this is an enjoyable album. It's hard not to love "Race for the Prize" or "Waitin' on a Superman. " But I think this record's maturity in comparison to old records actually hurts it in a way, just because there's nothing adorable like "Christmas at the Zoo" or "She Don't Use Jelly. " But I'm sweating the small stuff. Time to stop it now.
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Sparkling musical escapade
Moving past the interesting but sometimes trying experimental work embodied by Zaireeka, the group unleashed a nearly perfect recording. 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. 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.
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You can see a complete list of all The Flaming Lips discography, or go back to the The Flaming Lips tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.