- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
![](/../../../../brain/images/ingram_marshall-ikon.jpg)
Read More
The Flaming Lips, "Finally, The Punk Rockers Are Taking ACID" & "The Day They Shot A Hole In The Jes
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
Withall the attention and surgence of popularity of Flaming Lips, it'sunsurprising that their older, pre-Warner Bros. material (which hasbecome increasingly harder to find) has been reissued through Restlessand Rykodisc. The good news is that there is a fairly large amount puremusical gold in the older material, and that these releases bring someattention to that. The bad news is that the early collection, Finally, The Punk Rockers Are Taking ACID, is pretty much fans-only material. It's not bad, but it's probably not what casual fans are going expect or even grow to like.
![](/../../../../brain/images/flaminglipsacid.jpg)
Samples:
The Day They Shot A Hole In The Jesus EGG on the other hand, is a 2-disc set made up of the In A Priest Driven Ambulance album (and some extras) and a CD version of the often-bootlegged Mushroom Tapes (demos and outtakes from the In A Priest Driven Ambulanceperiod). The album itself is the first truly great Flaming Lips recordand the last before they went to Warner Bros. and is in many ways, thepinnacle of the Flaming Lips' pre-Warner/punk days. It included theaddition of another guitarist, Jonathan Donahue (later in Mercury Rev)and it was also the first time they worked with Dave Fridman, who wouldhelp the band sculpt itself into what it has become (this album was hissenior year thesis in college.) There are moments of brilliancescattered casually all over the album: the ambient cricket sounds andpassing cars on "There You Are" are because the band recorded theacoustic guitars in the middle of the night in a grocery store parkinglot near a highway; Wayne's off-key singing which give the songs anearnest feel they would otherwise lack; and the use of Jesus as a"something to believe in" stand-in rather than as a religioussignifier. The original In A Priest Driven Ambulance albumclosed off with a lopsided, but very (unintentionally) sweet cover of"What A Wonderful World," but this expanded version has a few moreextras, including a medley of The Sonics' "Strychnine," and "(What's SoFunny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding." The second disc has afair amount of really cool outtakes, including a slide guitar jam thatlater became "There You Are." Also included are the two versions of oneof Priest Driven Ambulance's highlights, "Five Stop MotherSuperior Rain." One is made up of three minutes of feedback drones, theother twice as long and with a lovely piano line, while the original onthe first disc has melodic guitar lines instead of the piano. For abonus disc, it fulfils its purpose remarkably well—alongside the"Priest Driven Ambulance," the discs compliment each other beautifullyin a way that they couldn't alone.
- Five Stop Mother Superior Rain (original)
- Five Stop Mother Superior Rain (alternate)
- (What A) Wonderful World
Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
![](/../../../../brain/images/californiaorangesandpineapples.jpg)
Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
![](/brain/images/alienberlinette.jpg)
From the beginning, there's no time wasted. Crushing dancefloor beats are introduced, and before long are finely matched with shimmering multi-instrumental instrumentation and Ellen's almost magical voice: never obtrusive, never rubbing off the wrong way, and never lacking in the catchy tune department. A dance record to take home is an uncommon concept from a label which is known for its heavy singles output, but the ample usage of differing tempos, sprinklings of guitar work, instrumental and acapella songs, makes this a great album for home, car, or work situations. With every listen, there's new things to notice, as the songs rarely take predictable, overused routes. Fear not the high brow, however, as there's plenty of ass shaking and tush pushing with the higher energy dance cuts.
Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
![](/../../../../brain/images/papam1.jpg)
Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
![](/../../../../brain/images/myerzspecial.jpg)
A Special Album, although it sounds very sample-based, isprimarily played live. The second track, "Nikita," the single thatbroke the band and was quickly snapped up by Volkswagen execs for usein an advertisement, contains a sample of "Sexy Girls" from GertWilden's score to Maedchen die nach Muenchen kommern that isused to maximum dreamy effect. RM&JH are indeed impressivemusicians in their own right, and play a variety of keyboards,synthesizers, and an assortment of percussive instruments. Assistingthem on a few of the tracks are two female vocalists who provide anextra sexy punch to songs like "Casino" and "Think Twice," which areamong the strongest on the album. At times, the sound recalls thelaid-back funk of Monk & Canatella, while "You Never Come Closer"is an ethereal nod to trip hop on a film noir bender.
Perhaps A Special Album'sonly weak spot lies in the fact that, by the time the last three songsroll around, the band seem to be running out of ideas. By all means,it's still extremely listenable, but as the record winds down, theear-catching quality that it opened with begins to evaporate. Thatsaid, RM&JH are without doubt one of the most entertaining newbands of the year. All in all, their debut is not exactlygroundbreaking, but is nonetheless a fun, upbeat listen. -
Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
![](/../../../../brain/images/mullhistoricalsocietyus.jpg)
Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
![](/../../../../brain/images/cabvoltmethodolgy.jpg)
Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
![](/../../../../brain/images/ifthousandslullaby.jpg)
Read More
- Michael Patrick Brady
- Albums and Singles
/ Mint
![](/../../../../brain/images/the_new_pornographers-electric_version.jpg)
Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
![](/../../../../brain/images/max_neuhaus-fontana_mix_-_feed.jpg)
Read More