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Album Details

• Artist: The Flaming Lips
• Album: Clouds Taste Metallic
• Label: Warner
• Year of Release: 1995
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: dscanland on 2005-06-17

Here's to the Flaming Lips for sticking through the less than rewarding grunge era pretty much unscathed. If they didn't we wouldn't have albums as amazing as Yoshimi and The Soft Bulletin. Let's go back beyond this era though because our favorite Oklahoma group had a couple of very impressive albums in the middle of the 90's. Oh, did I mention that this is their 20th anniversary? I digress. In 1992 the Lips were, for some reason unbeknownst to me, signed to Warner Brothers music and released Hit to Death in the Future Head. An album that didn't quite showcase the bands creativity. Next up was 1993's Transmission from the Satellite Heart, an album that got the band (and the label) the hit they were looking for in "She Don't Use Jelly". The album won over quite a few fans but many just mistook them for a one-hit wonder. Then comes this brilliant album, "Clouds Taste Metallic", an album that foreshadowed the brilliance yet to come from Coyne and gang but seem to be lost in the shuffle of music ideologies of the late 90's. Wayne Coyne's wacked out lyrics take a center stage on this beautiful album. While the listener is mostly left scratching his head with the obscure lyrics, the mind also gets into the clever melodies that have a majestic sound to them, ebbing and flowing like a a glorious ocean. Case in point would be "Placebo Headwound". It has it all in a brief 3 minutes and 40 seconds. And for an example of Coyne's fucked up lyrics, look at "This Here Giraffe" and you will be convinced of his mental instabilities. Clouds Taste Metallic is pure pop genius that was totally overlooked in the grunge decade. Now the Lips are finally getting the recognition they deserve and show no sign of waning. This album belongs in every rock collection.

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