The Flaming Lips
The Soft Bulletin (1999)

Review by: Chelan David
Date: 7/15/03

It’s hard to believe the Flaming Lips formed and still reside in Oklahoma City. Mars would be a more suitable locale for the Lips. A truly strange band, they assembled in 1983, when lead-singer Wayne Coyne supposedly stole musical instruments from an area church hall. They played their first gig at a local transvestite club – who knew such a place existed in Oklahoma? Their nonsensical name has been variously attributed to everything from a porn flick, to an obscure drug reference to a dream in which Virgin Mary seduced Coyne.

A few years ago a friend invited me to a Flaming Lips concert and I hesitated. At the time, only vaguely familiar with the Lips from the old MTV staple "She Don’t Use Jelly," I pegged them as a peculiar one-hit wonder band.

I ended up attending the concert and enjoyed it; mainly due to the bizarre stage spectacle rather than the music. Stagehands dressed in furry pink bunny outfits hopped amidst the crowd while a clip from the Wizard of Oz continuously looped on the projection screen, a fitting backdrop for Coyne’s imaginative lyrics.

After the show, I purchased The Soft Bulletin in order to fulfill a music club obligation and expected to listen to it a few times before it collected dust.

On the first listen, a couple of songs stood out among the rest: "A Spoonful Weighs a Ton" and "Waiting for a Superman," both soaring, majestical sonic masterpieces. Upon each subsequent listen, a different song piqued my interest. The lush psychedelic arrangements, the dreamily ambient vocals and the amazing texture of each song are only truly appreciated after repeated listenings.

Needless to say this CD has never collected dust and each time I play it, I appreciate it more; a sure sign of a great album.