The Psych Ward–Hit to Death in the Future Head
The Psych Ward–Hit to Death in the Future Head
I discovered the Flaming Lips shortly after their third album Telepathic Surgery was released in 1989. The impact was concussive; a band from rural Oklahoma with an explosive psychedelic sound that hadn’t been heard in decades. The Lips were one of the big three bands influencing me as a musician during my college years—the others being Jane’s Addiction and Lips’ tourmates Butthole Surfers.
Hit to Death in the Future Head, released in 1992, was their first after signing with Warner Brothers and the production value garnered from that move is quite evident. Producing genius Dave Fridmann had been with them since 1990’s In a Priest Driven
Psychedelic lyricism, driving beats, pitch-shifted vocal harmonies, and the occasional tabla can be found all over this transitional album.
Ambulance and has driven their studio presence on each subsequent album, pushing them further into symphonic rock with each subsequent album. It was also around this time that singer Wayne Coyne began his iconic vocal style, often compared to Neil Young and at times venturing into Jon Anderson’s Yes territory.
“The Sun” sounds like a gem from late-sixties Britain. Its prominent horn section in the choruses is a toe-dip into the symphonic sound they would champion years later with their masterpiece The Soft Bulletin.
“Gingerale Afternoon” is reminiscent of tracks from the early Cure catalog. Poppy and driving with a delayed fuzzy wah guitar at its forefront. The song ends with another symphonic break foreshadowing the band’s coming ambitions (i.e., The Soft Bulletin, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, At War with the Mystics).
“Hold Your Head” is a slow, fragmented song that whispers its poetry in your ears. After all these years I still don’t know what it’s truly about, but I love the vibe of the music.
The album ends with a secret track consisting of 29+ minutes of a panning noise loop extrapolated from the previous song “The Magician vs The Headache.” Just something to mess with your head if you forgot to turn off the CD.
Psychedelic lyricism, driving beats, pitch-shifted vocal harmonies, and the occasional tabla can be found all over this transitional album. They would soon hit big with “She Don’t Use Jelly” from Transmissions from the Satellite Heart, ensured by its near-constant airplay on MTV. Shortly after this album’s release, the band lost guitarist Jonathan Donahue to devote himself full-time to Mercury Rev. He was replaced by the revelatory Ronald Jones while Steven Drozd took up the drum throne. Drozd has been the multi-instrumental guiding force of the band ever since.
Highlights: “The Sun,” “Felt Good to Burn,” “Gingerale Afternoon”
Related: Top 100 Psychedelic Rock Acts of All Time
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