The Flaming Lips have never shied away from life's unavoidable existential dramas — Death, Love, Depression, The Afterlife (or lack thereof). But The Lips have never made "depressing" music: Steven Drozd, the band's multi-instrumentalist and chief sonic architect, has a flair for melodic, rainbow-hued arrangements, and Wayne Coyne, their outsized frontman, plays the role of psychedelic jester, particularly on stage, where he crowd-surfs on inflatable bubbles, pours fake blood on his face, and preaches his… more »
May 23, 2011, was a small landmark for pop music. Lady Gaga had announced on New Year's Eve that her new album Born This Way would be released on that date, and the drumbeats heralding it kept building; it sold more than 1.1 million copies in its first week (partly thanks to massive discounting). It wasn't the biggest release date for any album ever, and it's not the last release date that will ever be… more »
The Grateful Dead are a peculiar entity, and tough to think about critically because they exist almost entirely as their own subculture. The Beatles and The Rolling Stones are similarly successful, massive revenue-generating groups, but they defined culture at large. Everyone can find ways to wrap themselves in the subtext of those bands or, in the least, find songs that they admire. The Dead are a different thing; with fans of the group comes a… more »
Formed in 1983, the Flaming Lips are fast approaching their third decade as one of the most inspired and creative bands in rock, on stage as well as in their distinctive recordings. As noted in the intro to my 2006 biography, Staring at Sound: The True Story of Oklahoma's Fabulous Flaming Lips, a band that produces an artistic triumph, as well as its most commercially successful release, on its 10th album (Yoshimi Battles the Pink… more »
Activity
05.24.13
UPDATED INFO: If you pre-order our winning shirt @threadless 100% of the net proceeds go to the OK Red Cross. Pls RT: http://t.co/44iPwOKiQN
