![]() In what is set to be a busy end of the year for The Flaming Lips, they are scheduled to pursue a mammoth world tour in November. Together they have changed the sold from its original ballad incarnation to a sugary pop jam, featuring the band’s classic echoing guitar sound. ‘Girl in Amber’, was actually the first track Smith and the Flaming Lips recorded, and on it, the teenager assumes the role of lead vocalist. It was cool to listen and learn about Nick Cave and pick the songs we wanted to record.” I hadn’t heard of Nick Cave but Wayne suggested that we should start with an album of his cover versions, and then look at recording some of my own songs later. Listen to our recent podcast interview with The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne, along with our bonus episode which features more from the interview.Smith appended, “I still really can’t believe it, it was hard to get through all the songs but Wayne was so encouraging when I was struggling with a few of them that I kept going. Back in June, the band released The Soft Bulletin Companion on vinyl for the first time for Record Store Day. The Flaming Lips’ most recent studio album, American Head, came out last year via Warner, and was featured on our Top 100 Albums of 2020 list. Nell shows a remarkable understanding of the song, a sense of dispassion that is both beautiful and chilling. I always found it difficult to step away from this particular song and sing it with its necessary remove, just got so twisted up in the words, I guess. I was going to say Nell Smith inhabits the song, but that’s wrong, rather she vacates the song, in a way that I could never do. Late last year, they recorded a cover of Cave’s “Girl in Amber.” Awe-struck by the cover, Cave took to his website The Red Hand Files to write: “This version of ‘Girl in Amber’ is just lovely. I hadn’t heard of Nick Cave, but Wayne suggested that we should start with an album of his cover versions, and then look at recording some of my own songs later. It was a really steep learning curve, but Wayne was so encouraging when I was struggling with a few of the songs that I kept going. Smith states: “I still can’t really believe it. He suggested doing Nick Cave covers, as Smith wasn’t familiar with Cave and wouldn’t have any preconceived notions on how to perform his songs. Initially planning to record with the band in Oklahoma in early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic put those plans to a halt, with Coyne ultimately deciding that they should collaborate remotely. It was a great way to connect with her and help harness her cool attitude to making music.” With Nell, we could see she is on a journey and thought it would be fun to join her for a while and see if we could get things going. In a press release, Coyne states: “It’s always great to meet excited, young creative people. Smith first met frontman Wayne Coyne at a Flaming Lips concert in 2018, and the two stayed in touch as she began to learn guitar and write songs. View it below, along with the album’s tracklist and cover art. A video for a cover of Cave’s 1990 “The Ship Song” has also just been shared. It will be out on November 26 via Bella Union. The Flaming Lips have announced the release of a Nick Cave covers album, Where the Viaduct Looms, which will feature vocals from 14-year-old singer Nell Smith.
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