The Flaming Lips' 1999 album was probably their most critically acclaimed. After the band finished it's brooding experimentation for their 4-cd project "Zaireeka", the band was going through turmoil. Wayne Coyne's father was sick, Steven Drozd's hand was nearly amputated because of a poisonous spiderbite, and bassist Michael Ivins was nearly killed in a car crash. These events were an inspiration to the molding of The Soft Bulletin, an album that tales of hope, love loss, the fate of mankind and the questions about life and death. This album shies away from The Lips' signature guitar pop weirdness, and paves way to beautifully arranged, pop music that only the same band can make. The music is adventurous, moving yet still has the playful and earnest nature of the bands previous records.
01 Race For The Prize
Hardly any better opener possible. The song is so immediately gorgeous, with soaring melodies, Stevens signature huge drums and Wayne's unique expressive vocals. It basically tells the tale about two scientists that lay their life on the line, to save humankind, regardless of their own humanity. Every note and every word is perfect about this song. Wayne sings "Upwards to vanguard where the pressure is too high, under the microscope. Hope against hope." just signifies the whole feel of the song. 5/5
02 A Spoonful Weighs A Ton
Such an uplifting track...it starts with a very uplifting melody with piano's, flutes, harps, clarinets, choirs and strings....just fabulous. It sort of continues the theme of "Race For The Prize", about finding hope within your own personal struggles. Wayne will never be a great singer, but there is something about his voice that I just like. Steven really likes to pound his skins hard in this one. At one point, Wayne sings the intro lyrics onto a very cheesey beat you would find on a cheap keyboard...along with some great piano work. The song ends just as gorgeously as it began. 4/5
03 The Spark That Bled
This songs just one big epic tale of hope and despair. It starts with a nice melancholic atmosphere...some subtle guitar work and a synthesized hi-hat. When Wayne sings "I accidently touched my head and noticed that I have been bleeding. For how long I didn't know" it's just really touching. A very mighty horn and organ come in halfway the intro...instantly changing the mood of the song to a more depressing level. It's just amazing when the backing vocals come in. Then this majestic part comes in...very epic, almost middle eastern melodies, heavy percussion, violins, vibraphones and piano chords...until the uplifting chorus comes to change the mood again. I love the lyric "I stood up and I said 'YEAH'!" it just catches the mood very well. It eventually goes into the amazing part in 3/4 with great backing vocals. Suddenly the song becomes more uplifting and uptempo, with a great bassline and and nifty guitar work...and very subtlely sinks back into the music and lyrics from the intro. Awesome...anything less than 5/5 wouldn't do this track justice. A sonic journey. 5/5
The 04 track can be either of the following depending on the version you have got:
The Spiderbite Song
In this track, Wayne describes the turmoil the band has to go through before the recording of "Soft Bulletin". He describes Steven's and Michaels accidents, and sings "I'm glad that it didn't destroy you. How sad that would be. Cause if it destroyed you, it would destroy me." It such a beautiful raw, warm hearted song with a very simple message. It's very moving when Wayne sings "love is the greatest thing a heart can know, but the hole that it leaves in it's absence can make you feel so low" and the music briefly joins Wayne in this short moment of sadness, before floating back up to a beautiful one of a kind climax. 4.5/5
Slow Motion
A really nice dubby song, just so uplifting. Wayne's voice sounds really nice and outgoing in this song. Just a great feel good song all around. 4/5
05 Buggin'
Another feel good song. It describes the feeling of being in love in a very touchy, almost childlike way. Wayne sings "and they bite, and they bite.", as if he's singing about a kid who had his first crush in junior high. The buzz of love has been buggin' you. 4/5
06 What Is The Light?
This is one of the weaker tracks, but I love the imagery of Wayne's lyrics. "What Is The Light that you have shining all around you. is it chemically derived?". The song has a very hopeful overtone, that fits well with Wayne's searching lyrical delivery. 4/5
07 The Observer
The bassdrum from What Is The Light? carries on into this amazing semi instrumental. This sounds like a combination of Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead....especially when those eerie vocals come in. It's amazing...this shouldn't be overlooked. Just hauntingly beautiful 4.5/5
08 Waitin' For A Superman
A great, more conventional straight uppop-song driven around piano chords. The song can be interpretated as despressing, but it also has this feeling of trying to hold on a best you can during a time of struggles and turmoil. It's just a beautiful, moving song. 4.5/5
09 Suddenly Everything Has Changed
It starts out with some fuzzy samples and comes in with a catchy beat and a solid bassline. After Wayne sings "suddenly everything has changed" this gorgeous almost ambient part comes in...with strings, beautiful light guitar melodies and vocals. It's amazing. Then bluesy beat comes in and the song immediately changes from peaceful to quirky. It reminds me of The Beatles very much. Wayne sings about doing routine things, as you are "putting all the vegetables away" and "folding up the shirts" you hesitate, and realize you can't catch a moment in time when you escape from reality. 5/5
10 The Gash
The amazing, epic, grotesquely arranged intro of this song immediately reminds me of King Crimsons "In The Court Of The Crimson King"-album. The cool piano riff comes in some crazy vocals that have this weird echo-ing effect. It's just as bizarre as it's perfect. Wayne's lyrics seem to want to unfold the mystery what keeps everybody from coninuing to grasp the reigns of life. Another great track. 4.5/5
11 Feeling Yourself Disintegrate
It starts with Wayne doing some strange whispering rythmic vocals...and the song unveils layers of strings and guitars that ooze with beauty...for a moment Wayne's vocals are the main focus. This is another incredible emotional song. The lyrics "Love in a life, is just too valuable, oh to feel for even a second, without it. But life without death is just impossible, oh to realize, something has ended within us. Feeling Yourself Disintegrate." are sung with such raw and naked emotion, that its nearly impossible not to be moved. This song is so universal, not really analyzing anything, but just as a signification of a thought anyone can relate to. This is such a climactic track, and really underlines the whole feel of The Soft Bulletin, a quest to seek hope within struggle. The nice guitar solo just is the icing on the cake, just playful and quirky in it's divinity. Perfect song. 5/5
12 Sleeping On The Roof
This is an awesome instrumental driven around piano's and keys...perfect album closer. The sound effects of crickets are awesome. The melodies are perfect...they kinda ping-pong around between uplifting and depressed moods. It's repetitive...but not in a bothersome way. This should've been the albums closer. Divine. 4.5/5
There are two inferior remixes of "Race For The Prize" and "Waitin' For A Superman" that really should've never been on there, if you want my two cents. That still doesn't keep this album from being my favorite. Call me fanboyant.
If you like Yoshimi and don't own this...you are missing out. It's an amazing, consistent cd with lots of incredible musical moments. It just strikes you from the first note on: Musically it's adventurous and infectious, emotionally it's earnest and moving, and it's message is thought provoking and universal. A true masterpiece of it's era.
Rating: 5/5
Yes it was. Oldschool style.
