The Flaming Lips are an odd band. A pretty unique blend of art rock and nearly bubblegum pop. When I first heard The Soft Bulletin it made me stop to wonder: just what is this stuff? What struck me immediately was the nearly John Bohnam-like drumming...odd in this context.

So when I found out that they were to be the backup band for Beck I got pretty excited. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to the Boston-area show....so when I first listened to their live cover of Beck's "The Golden Age" on this EP I thought...well, I don't really want to say what I thought 'cause it wasn't very nice. I bet the shows were spectacular.

In any event, this little EP is a gem. In addition to "Flight Test", it's got bizarre ("Can't Get You Out Of My Head" - Kylie Minogue) and not so bizarre ("Knives Out" - Radiohead) covers, a couple of new tunes (including the hilarious "Thank You Jack White(For The Fiber-Optic Jesus That You Gave Me)). There are also a couple of videos: "Flight Test" and the trailer for the Flaming Lips movie "Christmas On Mars". But best of all is the cover of "The Golden Age". Very cool.

(First posted on Mark Is Cranky)