The Flaming Lips

Starts slow, but some interesting stuff today.

Coldplay, “Swallowed In The Sea”

Like I said last time, I’ll defend the first couple albums, but this album (X&Y), NOOOOPE. Too boring.

The Flaming Lips, “Okay, I’ll Admit That I Really Don’t Understand”

Well, I’m not sure what to do with this album. This is from Zaireeka, the transitional album between *Clouds Taste Metallic and The Soft Bulletin. So, what’s the problem? Well, at the time, the Flaming Lips were doing a lot of experimenting with how music is played back. They were doing “car stereo orchestras”, where they got a ton of cars together and gave each of them a specific tape, to be played in unison to produce a single piece. They decided, hey, that’s cool, and went for an at-home version of that with Zaireeka.

Another day of all bands we’ve had before. I think that’s fun! Here are your repeat offenders!

Napalm Death, “Moral Crusade”

Even though it sounds like it was recorded at the bottom of a murky pond, you can still hear what stunned people about Napalm Death’s debut. It sounds so extreme, so otherworldly, that it’s pretty hard to comprehend at first. Mick Harris’s drums, in particular, sound almost incomprehensibly fast.

Farside, “I Hope You’re Unhappy”

Farside here are operating in sort of a mid-tempo alternative rock mode, but I still find it enjoyable despite that. I also enjoy it when bands break the fourth wall like this.

Post-rock, rap, stoner rock, whatever the hell the Flaming Lips are…this is a good cross-section of the kind of music I listen to. Check it out!

M83, “Let Men Burn Stars”

Fitting alongside bands like Godspeed You Black Emperor in the “post-rock” bucket, M83 plays mostly instrumental music that always sounds like the soundtrack to something. In some ways, this stuff is kind of shameless emotional manipulation, but if you just ignore that and let yourself be manipulated, it can be fun. This is a bit of a throwaway track, though.

See, this batch of tunes is a good example of the kind of thing I wanted. Obscure Seattle ska band! Old-ass straight edge hardcore! More of that stuff! Here’s your eclectic bunch of tunes for today.

Easy Big Fella, “Joey & Ranma”

The third wave of ska even reached Seattle. There aren’t really any bands other than Easy Big Fella that I listened to back in the day that were part of that scene here, but they were a good one. The last two albums in particular, Eat At Joey’s and Tasty Bits and Spicy Flicks (both on Moon Ska) were very strong, and good examples of what the third wave could do well when it was on.