There’s a special new project on the way from The Flaming Lips, and it’s a direction you may not have expected from the iconic group.
Recently, frontman Wayne Coyne connected with a 13 year old mega-fan in Nell Smith and, after bonding over a shared love for music, a new album was born. The record in question is a special record of Nick Cave covers, Where The Viaduct Looms, and is set for release on October 25th.
It’s been a dream come true for Nell, who has been obsessed with The Flaming Lips since first seeing the band perform a handful of years ago. She caught the attention of Coyne after battling her way to those lucrative front row spots at their shows; ultimately, the teenager’s dad reached out, details were exchanged, and here we are.
The music was recorded remotely, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can check out the first release from Where The Viaduct Looms, their cover of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ ‘Girl In Amber’ below.
“I still really can’t believe it,” Nell has said of this surreal experience. “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. It was a really steep learning curve.”
“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 cool to listen and learn about Nick Cave and pick the songs we wanted to record.”
For Coyne, the experience of recording with the young fan was special.
