10. The Flaming Lips And Heady Fwends
The Flaming Lips, at their most friendly. Pulling together all the people they could - Ke$ha, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Jim James, Nick Cave, Tame Impala, Yoko freakin' Ono, Lightning Bolt, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, and even more. Most of the collaborations are simply collaborations - none of them seem to actually muster much interest, save a few. Tame Impala and the Lips - which has blossomed a nice friendship and 2013 tour - mashed up to do 'Children of the Moon,' a chilled track with a fuzzy horn-esque sound in the mix, with voices from everyone singing along this cheery tune. 'Ashes In The Air' proved to be another nice track, with Bon Iver of all people. Trippy and nothing remotely near Bon Iver-ish, The Flaming Lips really do make oddball collaborations oddball.
Tracks to Hear: Ashes In The Air feat. Bon Iver, Children of the Moon feat. Tame Impala, That Ain't My Trip feat. Jim James http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6rvKMzVDmw
11. Hit To Death In The Future Head
The major label debut was nearly a dud. After being signed to Warner Bros., this LP was the first offered up by the band, released in 1992. Starting with the ever-amazingly-titled 'Talkin' 'Bout the Smiling Deathporn Immortality Blues (Everyone Wants to Live Forever),' the album takes a sharp deficiency of enjoyability. This album throws the fuzz on, but it also raises eyebrows. Other than the fantastically bass-driven 'Frogs,' Hit To Death In The Future Head is a collection of sub-par Lips tracks with sub-par performances on drums and guitar throughout - with lazy, disinteresting riffs throughout. It's only fitting that this would be their last album, picking up Ronald Jones and Steven Drozd for Transmissions and impacting the world. Luckily, they didn't get dropped from Warner. Beyond the sub-par quality, the three tracks that follow the opener are dying tracks that eke and cough with sluggish speed. Imagine a dying snail, and you've got the picture. Aforementioned 'Frogs' is definitely one of the better Lips track of the early 90's. Also, that album cover is atrocious.
Tracks to Hear: Talkin' 'Bout the Smiling Deathporn Immortality Blues (Everyone Wants to Live Forever), Frogs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAHJGftBtw8&list=PLACC46DB243B6BE66