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The Flaming Lips are Go Manifesto

Anybody catch The Flaming Lips on CBS's Late Late Show last night, playing their single "Do You Realize?" (from their current album "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots")? How about the same song being featured in a new Hewlett-Packard TV commercial? Anybody see one of these who's never heard The Lips before? If so, what did you think?

IMO The Lips are, bar none, the finest rock band - artistically speaking - in the world right now, and the only currently-active group or artist still in their prime (and maybe just entering it their case) whose best work I would classify as being up there near the cream of the all-time greats. And it's funny to think that they came out of Oklahoma City, of all places, over fifteen years ago as a charmingly amatuerish and noisily raw poppish hardcore band with a humorous streak, and have steadily evolved (what other band or artist in the field can you name who has put out ten albums, each one a clear advancement beyond the last?) into the sublimely tuneful and powerfully lyrical art-pop group they are today, seamlessly mixing equal parts experimentalism and classicism in a sound that's uniquely original and yet timeless in its sheer creativity.

They are lauded around the globe as The Best Band In The World by the international rock press (surpassing even Radiohead I think), yet when they're not touring with Beck as they are now, I can still see them play in a reasonably-sized club gig in their own country. Maybe this will be changing now, I don't know, but if they do finally move up the rock food chain, they will have deserved it long ago (their only semi-hit came back in '93 with the hilarious "She Don't Use Jelly").

To me, it's The Flaming Lips, not Nirvana or The Smashing Pumpkins, who in the end truly represent the possibility for the ultimate triumph to be secretly carried out on behalf of America's seminal underground 'indie-rock' explosion of the 80's. Nirvana signaled the movement's artistic death at the same time that it hailed its commercial breakthrough, while The Lips - there before Nirvana, still here (and growing) after - continue as the genuine surviving spawn and blossoming link to Rock's continuum (now reduced as it is to the desicated thread of an art form whose golden age was in twilight even long prior to today's utter [and utterly disgusting] industry/market squelching or co-opting of any remaining original artisitc impulse that kids raised on MTV and video games can possibly muster) of dynamic creative expressionism that exploded for the second time in the 60's and then again (and for the last time, but mostly underground) a decade later.

Whereas Nirvana exuded the youthful (even if realistic) rage of nihilism, and the frustration of (and eventual defeat by) unavoidable compromise, The Pumpkins the fascination of mere narcissism, and bands like Pearl Jam the comforts of conventional arena-rock (oops, better make that 'alt-rock' nowadays) career-mongering, The Flaming Lips have quietly metamorphosed from their earlier ironist and obscurist leanings into an encouraging exultation of optimism and celebration of universiality not seen at this level since the early days of U2, but without the preachiness, humorlessness, or social-commentary pomposity. In fact, the bands whose unfulfilled larger-market promise I see The Lips as potentially inheriting more successfully than they could manage in their time - and with more artistic integrity than the grunge cohort - are the original casualties of indie-rock's doomed flirtation with the big-time, bands such as Sonic Youth, The Replacements, Husker Du, and Dinosaur Jr.

Can I get a witness from any members who are fans? I know that perhaps not many audiophools have this kind of taste in music (and none of The Lips' recordings are audiophilic aurally), but anybody who loves the legacy Rock at its best has given us as a truly modern art form and has a yearning for the adventurous and the expressive, could definitely do worse than to bend an ear to this most accomplished yet promising group of middle-aged bubbling-unders we have on Earth today. For the curious uninitiated, good places to start are either their present release mentioned at the top, their previous album (and breakthrough record, sound- and approach-wise) "The Soft Bulletin", or for those with a good tolerance for guitar-noise, 1995's great "Clouds Taste Metallic".
zaikesman

Showing 5 responses by ben_campbell

ben_campbell
1,169 posts
 
Zaikesman I am going to give you an alternative viewpoint on what little I've heard of The Flaming Lips-I don't like them.
I heard all of The Soft Bulletin and found it vastly overrated.
The new one what I've heard so far just makes me laugh-it sounds like Styx circa Mr Roboto.
The Lips that I've heard are well overblown in production,highly derivative and oddly represent (at present) a musical form that critics used to despise-to me they are in vogue and "the band of the moment" but I do wonder how well their present record will stand the test of time.
They are a bit more "out there" in comparison to some of their contempories who are highly rated but I neither see the discipline nor cohesion in their work that justifies the plaudits.
I appreciate your argument for them but as a guy who buys and checks out a lot of music they don't do it for me and frankly do not deserve to be compared (on any level)with some of the artists you mention.
Just my 50p worth.
ben_campbell
1,169 posts
 
Zaikesman I think you've taken me slightly wrong-I do think my criticism of the Lips is justified,the fact it's not the reason you like them then I accept that.
The list you mentioned seemed to indicate to me you were maybe brought up in that Punk/NME/no hippies/John Peel attitude that still prevails.
Your list of artists seemed to fall into this category to some extent in my mind-not to dismiss some of the great artists you mentioned-but there is a "critical" snobbery which pisses me off-especially here in the UK.
Actually we agree on a lot I 'm very close to your opinions in a positive on Radiohead and The Strokes who are way above their contempories imho.
Likewise I respect and admire Beck rather than love his music.
Sure their was even bigger hyperbole surrounding Springsteen my very simple point is that he pretty much deserved it -his style was pretty simple but direct and again imho he represented in his day a new link in the chain of contemporary songwriters.
He has made clunkers over his career but my point is that at the core of his work is pure art based on a tradition not (imho) music trying hard to be art.
I think it's much harder to do the crafted,direct and "simple" type of music he does.
I give you lots of credit Zaikesman because you are clearly very passionate about music just like myself.
We simply disagree on this band but you put a good argument forward for them.
ben_campbell
1,169 posts
 
I think the last Wilco record was pretty good-I think it was a much better marriage of their alt-country roots and new technology/sounds than their previous record Summerteeth which I really didn't like.
I admire your stance Zaikesman because you are an enthuasiast and fair minded and I'll set you straight Springsteen is still capable of writing great songs he has a few on his new record which I do think is overrated imho.
Whilst I think there are some major problems with The Rising I do think if you've read what Springsteen was trying to achieve in terms of the music and concept he has pretty much achieved that.
And for me that level of talent,vision and discipline is beyond the talents of The Flaming Lips.
Sure they are trying to achieve different things but you can get too much credit sometimes for being "far out".
Wherever it is in your opinion Bruce lost it you can be sure The Flaming Lips will never even make a modicum of that impact-musically,emotionally and intellectually.
ben_campbell
1,169 posts
 
Zaikesman I think it would be fair to say you like a fair amount of "critics" artist such as Chilton's Big Star and your attitude tends more towards the NME hip type scenario they started in 1976 where there are clear dividing lines between what is in and relevant and authentic and what is not.
I grew up in that era and didn't care much for that attitude-I'll love a lot of bands you hate for sure but I have the first two Big Star records and I find them brilliant in parts but not overly important in my collection.
I don't mind liking things that are uncool or even populist but I do laugh at the notion that the Lips are doing their own thing and how hip it is now because in the 70's it would have been laughed out of court,parts of what I've heard DOES sound like Styx and that surely proves how much more it is about being hip rather than the music.
Individuality is great and I'll give you my list of artists who imho surpass those you mention (with the exception of Hendrix)-Bob Dylan,Nick Drake,Mark Eitzel,The Doors,Bowie,Miles Davis.
I should also mention in terms of current music both the new God Speed You Black Emperor record an the new Sigur Ros sound miles more interesting and simply musically better than what I've of the Lips...
ben_campbell
1,169 posts
 
Zaikesman yeah I'm still here but I am busy sewing a complicated Rush logo on the back of my denim jacket.
The Lips played the UK a lot this year and as such they were on TV a lot,last time I saw them they made King Crimson look like the Sex Pistols such was the pompous drivel that Wayne whatshisface was singing way off-key about.
I haven't changed my mind a bit-they still sound like Styx doing Mr Roboto and I try to kick to my TV screen in every time they appear...
:-)
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