The Flaming Lips

Couldn't find a dedicated thread for this, so feel free to dump all your thoughts, vibes, and recs right here... 😁

Man, they used to be actually interesting, but nowadays? They’re boring as hell. Honestly, from the time they dropped The Flaming Lips until now, they’ve probably only put out like five decent songs total.

Well, it’s a decent enough choice for a brighter day than this one... I wouldn't say it's particularly gripping, but it has a certain cheerfulness to it that makes it easy to listen to... I don't own their entire discography, though I suppose The Flaming Lips and The Flaming Lips serve their purpose well enough... personally, I find Yoshimi Battles The pink Robots to be one of the more underwhelming albums in my collection...
They’re fine, I guess... they just pass by... 🙂
p.s. And yeah, most people seem to really dig them, so whenever someone asks if I can burn them a quick CD of MP3s, I usually lead with The Flaming Lips just to keep everyone happy...

The Flaming Lips i The Flaming Lips are absolute masterpieces... incredibly heavy late-spring and early-summer albums... just genius guitars, melodies, psychedelia... fast, breezy... perfect for riding a bike through the sun, wind, and air... kept me hooked for several summers... woah.

The Flaming Lips... that was the weirdest record for me back then.. as a crusty Nirvana-Big Black-Joy Division listener.. I put on this green disc after hearing them in a half-dream, and when all that stuff starts whistling, ping, fiew, bells, scraping.. and those guitars.. distorted to the max... incredible onomatopoeic orchestration.. or whatever! It’s all just whistling, buzzing, and melodic at once, and somehow warm.. with those sudden guitar outbursts.. it was a total culture shock. 👍
Only later did I pick up those two albums mentioned above, and man, did I enjoy them... and then BOOM, not massive, but The Flaming Lips... what even is that.. where did the energy go.. no guitars.. no breeze.. nothing.. damn... I didn't even want to buy it until the concert.. at the show they were phenomenal and I finally realized the substance of The Flaming Lips, so I bought it immediately. Some of the songs up there are really expensive... but live, they are ten times better.
The last one is pretty much just nice pop...
but.. check out The Flaming Lips and the rest... you will be blown away... and you should be.

I honestly think Yoshimi Battles The pink Robots is such an incredible album. To me, the whole thing just feels so breezy and light, but at the same time, it hits you with this deep emotional wave—you know, that specific kind of psychedelic, trippy vibe that stays with you? It’s hard to put into words, but man, it just works.🤔 I know I probably didn't say anything super brilliant there, but honestly, my brain is just totally fried today. I guess I'm running on empty.😲

Her name is Yoshimi
she’s got a black belt in karate
on the job for the city council
staying sharp, keeping herself in shape

Because she understands
how much it takes
to take down those wicked machines
I just know she'll win

Oh Yoshimi, nobody listens to me
but I know you won't let those robots get me
Yoshimi, they won't believe me
but you won't let those robots beat me

👍

man..

you could be my head, because I think I actually need one right about now.. just be my head... and.. I'll be yours.. be my head
😉 😁 👍

Or my absolute favorite
The Flaming Lips

man
has she always been around?

(Pretty sure she has)

man
has she always looked this way?

(Pretty sure she has)

man
did she just forget about me?

(Pretty sure she has)

man
did she enlist?

(Pretty sure she has)

man
is she gone?

(Pretty sure she has)

during her adult years
back in her pilot days

(yeah, she has)

it's like she fell from the stars
man
did she go queer?

(yeah, she has)

through her adult years
in a pilot's dream

(yeah, she has)

like she drifted in from deep space
and now she's running helicopters

(yeah, she has)

I honestly didn't give a damn when that guy scammed us
we basically grabbed a piece just to hunt him down
man, we were so livid, we actually ended up shooting him in the leg
I mean, he was a total jerk regardless
it felt amazing to let it all out—total Hollywood movie vibes
just holding onto this chaotic, slippery headspace
give me a kiss on the forehead

the whole summer, we were just refusing to kick the bucket
just living fast, getting messy, and staying high
and anything we managed to swipe, we just burned through on the Ferris wheel
it felt incredible to let loose, like I was some big-time movie star
with my mind feeling all slippery and wild
just kiss my forehead

and all those dreams of yours—man, God bless your soul
I watched you clutching your head in pain
but there was no way we were gone for good
because you stood right back up, let out a moan, and told us,
"I wasn't waving goodbye, I was saying hello."

The Flaming Lips made an absolutely legendary cover of this one.
(rhymes like 🙂)

That thing from The Flaming Lips... incredible vocals, those melodies, everything just feels so high... wow. And that’s actually a ballad to them 🙂))

I can only picture stuff like felt good to burn, summer, etc... and I guess that song is about The Flaming Lips

So, indirectly, you can trace the roots of Mercury Rev back to The Flaming Lips... if you don't believe me, just give YERSELF is steam a spin...👍 Another total masterpiece... haven't listened to it in ages...

slylynx8 said:I think 🤔 is an incredible record—it feels airy and light, yet it hits you with this intense emotional weight through that signature psychedelic, trippy vibe... I know I'm probably not making any profound observations here, but my brain is just feeling a bit foggy today.😲

Personally, I find their last two albums to be top-tier...

Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell and Do You Realize 👍 👍

slylynx8 said:psychedelicmaniacnoide

Yeah, exactly. I need to really lean into it for it to actually land. If I just play it in the background while doing other stuff, it's just annoying. I was listening to them quite a bit for a while, but lately... they feel way too upbeat 😁 I can't deal with them right now. Maybe I just need to wait a bit longer.

shadowgardener12 said:The Flaming Lips I'm ready. Send over the text you need me to rework. The Flaming Lips These are absolute masterpieces. They hit that sweet spot between late spring and early summer perfectly. The guitar work is pure genius—just incredible melodies and psychedelic vibes. It’s fast, breezy, and upbeat. These are exactly the kind of tracks you put on while riding your bike through the sunshine, feeling the wind and the air. They've carried me through several summers now. Woah.

The Flaming Lips was easily the weirdest album I’d ever heard up to that point. I was already an old-school listener, deep into stuff like Nirvana, Big Black, and Joy Division, but then I sat down and just let this one play. green I was floored after hearing them live for the first time. One minute everything is just swirling around—whistles, pops, bells, crackles—and then suddenly the guitars kick in, distorted to hell and back. It’s this incredible orchestration of pure onomatopoeia, or whatever you want to call it. Everything is whistling, humming, and melting together into this massive wall of sound, but it still feels warm. Then, out of nowhere, these sudden explosions of guitar hit you. It was a total cultural shock. 👍
I picked up those two albums mentioned above and was absolutely loving them. Then BAM—I hit The Flaming Lips' Soft Bulletin. What even is that? Where did all the energy go? No guitars, no drive, nothing. Honestly, I wasn't even going to bother buying it before seeing them live. But they were phenomenal at the show, and that's when the whole substance of Soft Bulletin finally clicked for me. I bought it on the spot. There are some seriously beautiful tracks on there, but man, they are ten times better in person.
The last one is just a beautiful pop record.
Seriously... go listen to The Flaming Lips and the rest. You’ll be absolutely blown away. That's exactly how it should be.

I mean, come on... it’s practically a crime if you aren't selling something by The Flaming Lips!

I dig it. I finally picked up The Flaming Lips' Soft Bulletin—it’s okay, but honestly, it didn't quite hit the mark for me. Yoshimi Battles The pink Robots, though? That one is delicious. Still, nothing earth-shattering. 😁

Nah... I don't just sell everything I own! Where on earth did you get that impression? 😁...especially regarding The Flaming Lips. They're one of my absolute favorites... right up there with Yo La Tengo.

That Priest Driven Ambulance double release isn't really my thing. The earlier stuff, before The Flaming Lips, is just okay for me... but I'm still hunting for Zaireek. 😉 🙂

The Flaming Lips release consists of 4 CDs that all need to drop at once...🙂)) my buddy told me, and he's usually right

Oh, and there’s a mixed version on one of The Flaming Lips' CDs. For the losers who don't own a four-player setup. 😁

coastalpanther43 said:There's also a remix version on one of The Flaming Lips' CDs. For the losers who don't own four different players. 😁

Whatever... what if they messed up the mix? whatever.

jimmy said:Zaireeka is basically just four CDs that you have to play all at once...🙂)) my buddy mentioned it and it sounds pretty cool

iiiii.... I guess that's just one of those weird musical oddities....
anyway, where can I actually find this loser version? 😁

slsk

...it’s really just a matter of finding the right person 😉

for instance, Pedro the Lion - The Bells

better than The Beach Boys—they have that Lemonheads vibe, but they actually sing about... GOD!!!!! 😁