Caught somewhere between The Flaming Lips and Celebration, Evangelicals summon a spectrum of sounds that leave the listener both mystified and mesmerised. Their predominantly psychedelic, alternative pop sensibility echoes the likes of Grandaddy here, Jens Lekman there and Derby’s exquisite own The Deirdres somewhere in-between. The vocals echo Velvet Undergrounds (VU) Moe Tucker and are delivered with an endearing Kim Gordon brand of indifference.
As for the LP, which is fantastic despite its somewhat hidden accessibility, stirs the vocal layering of My Bloody Valentine, Avalanches, Faith No Mores ‘Midlife Crisis’, Echo & the Bunnymen, Killers synthesizers, VU, Belle and Sebastian, Pink Floyd and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah whose single ‘Is this Love?’ serves as an LP highlight on track 3 ‘Skeleton Man’, though it does sound like the Concretes are performing it! There is a pleasurable Strawberry Fields Forever moment that takes second place in the track I’ve personally labelled as being Major Toms lullaby, track 6 ‘Snowflakes’.
Man, this has got to be the craziest review I’ve ever written! Don’t get me started on the lyrical content…TOO LATE!!! Religion, car smashes, mental institutions and of course, zombies. And if you don’t believe me, they’re all included in the sleeve. Nice! All in all, anyone who rates ‘Transmissions from the Satellite Heart’ by Flaming Lips will slowly but surely succumb to the manic charms and crazed melodies that are to be discovered amidst the joyous cacophony made by this band of merry bandits.