Generally speaking, I don't do "favourites". What I mean by that is if someone asks me who my favourite bands are, I find it hard to give a definitive answer. That being said, there are a handful of bands and artists that are certainly up there: Sonic Youth and Bjork come to mind, and a third would be Flaming Lips.
I was first introduced to this band sometime in the early to mid-90s by a guy I later fell out with (long story). In spite of our interpersonal differences, he was similarly passionate about music and was a huge Flaming Lips fan. One night he played me 'They Punctured my Yolk' from 'Clouds Taste Metallic' and I was hooked. It was an immense, epic tune, made even more so by Dave Fridmann's wide, spacious production. I didn't rush out and buy any of their albums at that point (I was still a metaller then), but I didn't forget what I heard. A few years later, after metal had already stopped doing it for me, I saw 'She Don't Use Jelly' on MTV, remembered the band and picked up 'Transmissions' on cassette.
Flaming Lips are most fondly remembered for 'Soft Bulletin', the album that followed this one, but for me, 'Transmissions' represented their zenith (though 'Clouds' and 'In a Priest Driven Ambulance' comes very close). For me, it's a summery, feelgood record. From the opener 'Turn it On', I'm immediately transported to that place where the sun is shining and everything is good so naturally, that is also when the album sounds best.
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