The Flaming Lips Albums Ranked

The Flaming Lips are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Michael Ivins (bass), Steven Drozd (guitars, keyboards), Derek Brown (guitars, keyboards), Jake Ingall (keyboards, guitars), Matt Duckworth Kirksey (drums) and Nick Ley (percussion). The group recorded several albums and EPs on an indie label, Restless, in the 1980s and early 1990s. After signing to Warner Brothers, they released their first record with Warner, Hit to Death in the Future Head (1992). They later released The Soft Bulletin (1999), which was NME magazine’s Album of the Year, and then Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002). In February 2007, they were nominated for a BRIT Award for “Best International Act”. The group has won three Grammy Awards, including two for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. They were placed on Q magazine’s list of the “50 Bands to See Before You Die” in 2002. Here are all of The Flaming Lips albums ranked.

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10. Hit To Death In The Future Head (1992)

“This album is a good example of early 90s modern rock. Pure metal was dying. Grunge went commercial. But there was this weird phenomena of bands who weren’t metal but were somehow cool and interesting. And there was an explosion of diverse sounds and voices, with a concoction of feelings. The Flaming Lips tended more towards the odd. This kind of music said “I exist, I have a guitar, I’m not too loud and I’m in the modern world”. This was all a great escape while it was a good”

9. In A Priest Driven Ambulance (1990)

“It is undoubtedly an album that never received the publicity that it deserved. It has some of their greatest hits of all time, in my opinion, including Shine On Sweet Jesus and Unconsciously Screaming. This was the last album released on an independent label, and if they had identified their strengths on this basis, they would have had substantial success in their careers. After all, Warner Bros. heard samples from this record, and that was what landed them a major label recording deal”

8. The Terror (2013)

“Lately, The Flaming Lips have entered a very experimental stage of their career. They’ve always been fairly experimental and odd in their music, but lately, they’ve been going in a very different direction from some of their earlier albums like “Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots” and “The Soft Bulletin”. It’s been good though, and I feel like it reaches its apex here on this album. There are a few moments where this album gets a little over-indulgent, on the roughly 13-minute long “You Lust”, for example, but generally speaking, this album is great. The songs are beautiful, dealing mostly with themes of depression and loneliness, and musically they sound that way too. Songs like “Try To Explain” and “Be Free, A Way” are so ethereal, they transport you to another place. The music is beautiful.”

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7. Zaireeka (1997)

“Also, it’s not just filled to the brim with uniformly great compositions, it provides a crucial turning point between their noise rock records in the past decade and their poppier psychedelic records in the future. “Zaireeka” is a brave step forward from “Clouds Taste Metallic” where they experiment with an eclectic range of sounds and frequencies, coalescing together to form extravagant chaos. This isn’t just for die-hard fans of The Flaming Lips, it’s for music lovers everywhere… and hopefully, I’ll listen to it at a Zaireeka event at some point in my life, I imagine the experience will be completely different.”

6. Transmissions From The Satellite Heart (1993)

“An enveloping gloominess clouds The Flaming Lips’ “Transmissions From The Satellite Heart”, and in turn it forms an improvement over the fun but indulgent “Hit to Death in the Future Head”. More than anything, this record reminds me of the splendid “In a Priest Driven Ambulance” with its layers of noise rock and melancholy lyrics complete with interesting little flourishes. Definitely worth listening to.”

5. Embryonic (2009)

“A noisy and psychedelic album, embryonic, is Flaming Lip’s most challenging record to date. Obviously needs to have listened in one go, it features some great moments; convinced of the hex, is a great opener, watching the planets, is a great closing track and in between, there are some wonderful cuts, especially in, I can be a frog, featuring Karen O from Yeah, yeah, yeah. Great stuff.”

4. At War With The Mystics (2006)

“The Flaming Lips is one of my favorite bands of the 2000s. On this album, the Flaming Lips want to re-enchant the world, but without emptying it of its darkness, without refusing the confrontation with the morbid one. Myth, magic, and fantasy are the essences of Flaming Lips. But being sidetracked by moronic fundamentalism, their obsessions have become elsewhere a weapon, responsible for massacres. “At War with the Mystics” is a virulent charge against this misguided mysticism. This album is probably the most Underrated of the band and remains one of the best of their discography in my opinion.”

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3. Clouds Taste Metallic (1990)

“With “Clouds Taste Metallic”, The Flaming Lips have finished constructing an impressive chain of noise-pop records that have lasted an entire decade. This one may well be the pinnacle of their career at the point of release. The record has more imaginative and transporting lyrics than ever and is firmly rooted in psychedelia complete with waves of bleakness, longing, and melancholy (and ends perfectly on a bittersweet note). One of their very best.”

2. Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (2002)

“This album is gorgeous it sounds bunkers and It still is catchy as hell, it’s lyrics are simple at the same time they are dreamy. So go on, listen to Yoshimi pt.1 and fight some robots, cause this album makes you feel like you actually could do that.”

1. The Soft Bulletin (1999)

“The Soft Bulletin,” is a landmark album that sounds more and more important with every year that passes, and this new edition certainly does it justice. The refined audio sounds amazing, and the extras are hefty indeed for the price. Having the bands thoughts on the making of the album was also very interesting to me, as I consider this the only Flaming Lips album that is good from start to finish.”