On the Dial: The Flaming Lips

You probably noticed I've been adding music to some of the blog posts lately.  That's because I'm a HUGE music fan.  So is my husband.  In fact, I'm pretty sure it's our love of music and burgers that keeps our marriage together!

That's why the hubby and I are teaming up to bring you a new weekly feature called "On the Dial".  Each Wednesday, my husband, a.k.a. Mr. Design Girl, will share with you the latest and greatest tunes from our diverse music library.

So kick back, crank up the volume, and enjoy!

On the Dial: Dark Side of the Moon by The Flaming Lips
By: Mr. Design Girl

The Flaming Lips are a psychedelic rock band that’s been doing their thing since 1983. They recently recorded a cover version of the album “Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd. I’m a huge fan of both bands so I had to hear this.

I re-listened to the album this week and was quite impressed. Pink Floyd isn’t an easy band to cover and ”Dark Side of the Moon” is one of the more familiar rock albums around. But, the Flaming Lips really stepped up to the plate, so to speak, with this endeavor. Granted there are moments where the band falters, but there are many shining points throughout the album that even the harshest of critics would enjoy.

“On the Run” is one of those shining points and although I say shining it is more dark and sinister, the feeling of this track is captured nicely and the title says it all when it comes to what that feeling is. You literally have a sense of running away from something, and the constant bobbing and running sensation is excellently done. “Us and Them” is my favorite song by Pink Floyd, so it wasn’t a surprise to me that The Flaming Lips didn’t deliver on this one.  Despite doing well, it just didn’t get the job done for me.

I could say the same for “The Great Gig in the Sky”.  It’s one of the best tracks from the original album but it seems a bit watered down when redone here and at times far too distorted and over done with effects. Again, a good job but when compared to what it is paying tribute to, it just can’t stand up.

The best track on the album is the last track: “Eclipse”. It has such a great energy to it and seeing the band perform this song live at the end of the show would be a moving experience. The flipside of that would be “Money”…it just doesn’t work for them and for me, it’s one of those songs on the “Do Not Cover” list.

Overall, the album was okay.  If you're a fan of either band it's worth a listen.

Give It a Try If You Like:

 Radiohead

 Modest Mouse

 Sonic Youth

 The Arcade Fire

 Beck