Review Summary: A perfect moment of pure honesty from Wayne and the gang
The new decade has been rough on the Flaming Lips. Their insane antics, 24 hour long songs, Miley Cyrus collaborations, and in-band feuding has overshadowed not only their excellent and ever innovative musical output, but also their legacy: The Flaming Lips are now that band with the old dude who sang a song about robots with that blonde disney chick, not legends who constantly push their music to new extremes. An album like the Soft Bulletin, however, defies context. It doesn’t require an intricate backstory to appreciate (even though a backstory does exist). It doesn’t need to have a monumental legacy in the indie community and an influence on musicians to this day. Everything that you need to know about the Soft Bulletin exist in the span of 12 songs.
The first thing that needs to be said about the Soft Bulletin is that it sounds absolutely flawless. There are no massive guitar riffs, no feedback trickery, nothing that would categorize this album as rock music. Instead there is a lush synthetic orchestra; harps, strings, brass, drums, and clean guitar swirl seamlessly together, creating an effect that is just as, if not more, emotive than any distorted guitar wankery. The drums fills at the beginning of ‘The Spiderbite Song’ or the pitch-shifted gang vocals ‘The Gash’ could appear like pointless experimentalism, but work perfectly with their respective songs. If nothing else, The Soft Bulletin is an absolutely stunning record from a sonic standpoint, creating a dense, mesmerizing, and beautiful atmosphere.
The songwriting and composing also shines through on almost every track. Sudden mood swings, massive choruses, and glorious crescendos keep the album an interesting and exciting listen from one end to the next. However, the crowning jewel of the Soft Bulletin are the lyrics. Now, I understand that some people could be turned off by the lyrics and vocal delivery here. They change from completely insane and couched in metaphor to entirely un-ironic and straight faced at the drop of a hat. ‘A Spoonful Weighs a Ton’ has Wayne Coyne gleeful yelling about people lifting up the sun and opening trap doors, while he barely can hit the notes on ‘The Spiderbite Song,’ a vulnerable and heartfelt ballad about various events in the band members lives.
Don’t think that this is a silly or light hearted album. Coyne pulls no punches, singing about joy, love, despair, aging, and overcoming insurmountable odds with disarming frankness. ‘Race for Prize’ is a perfect opener, with a pounding drum beat and inspirational lyrics. However, it’s songs like ‘Waiting for Superman’ and ‘Feeling Yourself Disintegrate’ that pack the massive emotional punch. It almost feels like Wayne is in the room talking to you, spilling his guts about his grief and agony. There aren’t any life affirming anthems like ‘Do You Realize’ here to finish things off. The album’s only goal is to express, not to encourage or uplift.
‘The Soft Bulletin’ is far more than the sum of its parts. It’s more than well composed and well produced. It’s more than simply honest. By the time ‘Sleeping on the Roof’ ends, the listener has run the complete circuit of emotion. You feel Wayne’s joy, his determination, and his pain. You relate with him, you empathize with him. It feels as though the band has truly and profoundly communicated with you.
I think that it’s easy to review albums in hindsight; Certain factors influenced musicians to make a specific piece of music, people loved that music, and future generations imitated the sounds that they had heard. We analyze the background, the artistic motivations, and the consequences of an album, but we can forget to truly listen to the actual music and enjoy it for what it is. ‘The Soft Bulletin’ doesn’t require a background or a retrospective; It can stand alone. You don’t come away thinking about its legacy or impact, you come away feeling like something beautiful, profound and intimate has happened. You feel like you truly understand another human being, and that maybe you weren’t as alone as you might have thought. And that, my friends, is a truly praiseworthy accomplishment.
