The Flaming Lips - Transmissions From The Satellite Heart (1993)



The Flaming Lips have a discography that the vast majority of bands could only dream of having. While their albums from 1999’s magnificent The Soft Bulletin up to their more recent 2009 album Embryonic feature slicker production and more experimental moments, their earlier albums before that were leaner, meaner and just that little bit more enjoyable to me. Transmissions From The Satellite Heart, the band’s sixth album and second for Warners, still had a more guitar-driven alternative rock sound but had the memorable and accessible tunes would become associated with the band from The Soft Bulletin onwards. Opener ‘Turn It On’ captures the mood of this album perfectly, a positive and uplifting record that manages to be both accessible and in tune with the underground at the same time. ‘Pilot Can At The Queer Of God’ and ‘Superhumans’ in particular show a hook-filled side to the band and also show the commercial potential that band had at the time. There are still plenty of experimental moments scattered throughout the album that the band retained from their psychedelic past, such as the tripped-out slacker vibes of ‘Oh, My Pregnant Head’ and ‘Slow Nerve Action’.

If you were to ask me which is my favourite Flaming Lips album it would be a tough choice between this and 1995’s Clouds Taste Metallic. Both of these albums represent my favourite Flaming Lips era and both feature a great combination of crunching guitars, memorable uplifting songs and some spaced-out moments. But Transmissions From The Satellite Heart just wins by a whisker due to more enjoyable songs and a slightly shorter running time. Both of these albums however are true 90’s alternative rock classics worth hearing.

Recommended Songs: ‘Turn It On’, ‘Pilot Can At The Queer Of God’, ‘Superhumans’


Flying Saucer Attack - Flying Saucer Attack (1993)



This is the debut album from these enigmatic Bristol feedback-mongers. Their self-titled debut, along with their early albums, is a relatively lo-fi affair recorded on home recording equipment. Their sound here on this album features sheets of fuzzy guitar noise reminiscent of The Jesus and Mary Chain’s early material along with melodic, submerged vocals and bears a strong resemblance to a lot of the shoegaze that was around at the time. Songs such as ‘My Dreaming Hill’ and ‘A Silent Tide’ are shrouded in layers of thick fuzzy guitar that overpower the listener and allow him or her to pick their way through it and find the melodies for themselves. It’s certainly not all noise and feedback though, the band have some really peaceful yet completely out-there moments such as the ambient, repetitive and possibly improvised drones of ‘Moonset’, ‘Popol Vuh 2’, ‘Popol Vuh 1’ (yes both tributes to a certain German krautrock band of the same name). These three tracks would make the perfect music for staring out into the night sky in a complete world of your own, drugs optional of course. The most unusual and surprising moment on this album however is the cover of Suede’s ‘The Drowners’. The song doesn’t differ too much from the original apart from being more lo-fi and cloaked in sheets of fuzzy guitar but the band almost make it their own and it did a lot to attract some media attention at the time.

The quiet and delay-heavy closing track ‘The Season Is Ours’ offers an indication of what was to come on 1995’s more ambient follow-up Further, an album which features less of the noisy guitars and more emphasis on atmospheric and otherworldly textures. Flying Saucer Attack however represents a better entry point to this remarkable band, a band that offers many great rewards for those who have the patience to listen to them.

Recommended Songs: ‘My Dreaming Hill’, ‘A Silent Tide’, ‘Popol Vuh 1’