The Flaming Lips - Transmissions from the Satellite Heart
Warner Bros.
June 22nd 1993.
The Flaming Lips' sixth studio album, Transmissions from the Satellite Heart, bolsters a rugged blend of noise rock and pop while coasting under the gaze of a psychedelic stupor. Heavy eyelids and hazey intentions, Transmissions imbues a feeling of 'having fun while dozing off at the wheel'; it's a bit of a lighthearted occasion with one eye at a potential, and more than likely, heavy-hearted future.
The Flaming Lips sit on the fence of experimental rock and endearing pop tunes; it's an interweaving quality that the band seamlessly engineer. The warm sounds of sunshine bliss along with the snarling bites of caustic scraps, surprisingly, go hand-in-hand; there may not be a better band to get the balance right.
A sense of unruliness is always at hand - undertones of chaos fester with the intent of fun. The youthful demeanour that the Lips carry comes through in silly sounds and playful witticisms; read through the lyrics to 'She Don't Use Jelly' and soak up what's being said - all in all, not much, but that's the point. Sometimes style outweighs substance - everything being a game of tug-and-war between the two. The art worlds Lady Justice holds the scales of these two components(style and substance). You've got to make something worthy of a sonic purpose - if style is the endgoal - outside of relating things together or providing a story of some sort. Transmissions does this well. It feels like a space where all is welcomed - the doors into its world are wide.
It's all a waste of time again...
