Who’s better, not who’s your favourite, but who is the better band?
Sonic Youth are my favourite band, they have been for 5 years and they probably always will be, but I do think that the flaming lips are a better band. I have seen them both live, I own all the albums both bands have put out and I think as they started around the same time (1981-83) they can be compared quite nicely.
The Flaming Lips have put out 11 albums in 24 years, Sonic Youth 17 albums in 26 years (22 albums if you include the SYR’s). But where as the Flaming Lip’s albums seem to be consistently great! Sonic Youth seem to be more hit and miss for me, Take their most recent albums Rather Ripped and At War With The Mystics, I prefer at war with the mystics to be honest, It has some fantastic songs on it and even the songs in between the fantastic ones are great. There really is not a song on that album that I don’t like. Rather Ripped is a good album, it’s a little to polished and clean and poppy for my taste, but I did love Murray Street.
Maybe its because the Flaming Lips take lots of time to put out an album? They took 4 years to do At War With The Mystics and 3 Years to do Yoshimi. Where as SY do an album every 2 years as it seems.
The Flaming Lips have had a lot of different band members, but have stayed the same since 1996, I think the influence of these other musicians has helped them to grow and change as a band, if you were to listen to Hit to death in the future head then Clouds Taste Metallic then Yoshimi you wouldn’t think it was the same band, Their sound has changed, it hasn’t gotten better as it was already amazing!, its just changed and I love it.
Sonic Youth have had the same line up since 1986, Thurston, Kim and Lee are all hugely creative people that have not only put out sonic youth albums but also done their own side projects, something the flaming lips haven’t. But Sonic Youth have just cleaned up for me, their sound has gotten slicker cleaner and tighter. They can put as much feedback as they want on Rather Ripped but it still comes out sounding slick because its been recorded on fantastic equipment.
When Sonic Youth do a good song its REALLY REALLY good, but how often does that happen now? It’s like the Flaming Lips are consistently a 7/10 and Sonic Youth can write an album that has two 10/10 songs on it and the rest are 4/10. So maybe the flaming lips are better at writing albums and sonic youth are better at writing songs. Sonic youth are past their best now, its hard to admit that, but they are, they were at their best in the late 1980’s. That when they could write a REALLY REALLY good album.
Live the flamings lips are the most amazing thing in the world, they really try hard, and it pays off, its like going to the most amazing church service ever, Wayne speaks his gospel and you come out a changed person. They play the songs the fans want to hear and make it an interactive fun time! I don’t think I have ever had more fun than at a flaming lips gig.
Sonic Youth are a good live band, I wouldn’t put them in my top 5 live bands. some bands are just good live like the Brian Jonestown Massacre. When sonic youth play a song live that I know really really well I am always disappointed at it doesn’t sound exactly the same. For the flaming lips a lot of the songs are now created on a keyboard so they are easier to play exactly like the sound on the album, for Sonic Youth the songs are so layered and harder to play live harder to recreate. I could talk about how influential both bands have been and I think Sonic Youth would win that contest but I have already written enough.
This is just my opinion, Sonic Youth are still my favourite band because like I said, when they are good they are really really good. But I think the Flaming Lips are the better band.
Discuss.