AllMusic wrote: “After the symphonic majesty of ‘The Soft Bulletin’, the Flaming Lips
return with Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, a sublime fusion of Bulletin’s newfound
emotional directness, the old-school playfulness of Transmissions From the Satellite
Heart, and, more importantly, exciting new expressions of the group’s sentimental,
experimental sound. Funny, beautiful, and moving, ‘Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots’
finds The Flaming Lips continuing to grow and challenge themselves in not-so
obvious ways after delivering their obvious masterpiece.” Score: 4.5/5.
Turn Up The Volume: One of my all-time favorite bands on record and live. This is
their second-best longplayer after their outstanding tour de force The Soft Bulletin‘, released three years before. It sounds like listening to a sonic science fiction fairy tale
with lots of blissful and starry-eyed reveries, wondrous stories and magical tunes.
The singles: Do You Realize? / Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1 / Fight Test
1. ‘Turn On The Bright Lights’ by INTERPOL (New York City)
Released: 20 August 2002
The band’s jarring debut album with single NYC
as one of my all-time favorite rock standouts.
AllMusic said: “One might go into a review like this one wondering
how many words will pass before Joy Division is brought up. In this
case, the answer is 16. The music made by both bands explores the
vast space between black and white and produces something pained,
deftly penetrating, and beautiful.” Score: 5/5.
2. ‘Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots’ by THE FLAMING LIPS (Oklahoma)
Released: 16 July 2002 – their 10th LP
One of the best works by one of the
best bands ever, on record and live.
Alternative Press said: “Smartly packaged pop that’s
as slick as Stereolab, but human enough–thanks to Coyne’s
earnestness and sincerity, to malfunction in all the right places.”
Score: 9/10.
Post-punk madness and prog-rock-noise from Austin, Texas.
Heavy on record, manic on stage (saw them about a dozen
times live smashing up their instruments now and then).
Uncut Magazine said: “Compared to so many noisemongers,
TOD understand that restraint enables unleashed firepower to
be exhilarating and awesome.” Score: 8/10.
Nell is a 13-year old fan of Oklahoma’s eccentric Lips.
Frontman Wayne Coyne spotted her at one point as she
attended several gigs with her father. They got in touch
and after Coyne found out that she’s a singer he proposed
her to work with the band on a Nick Cave tribute album he
already had in mind for some time.
They got all in the studio and the result is a 9-song Nick Cave
covers album baptized WHERE THE VIADUCT LOOMS with Nell Smith on vocals.
Released: 26 November 2021 Order info (MP3 and cassette): here
Coyne: “It is always great to meet excited, young creative people.
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. It was
a great way to connect with her and help harness her cool attitude
to making music.”
(The Flaming Lips – Amsterdam 2018 – photo by Turn Up The Volume)
Smith: “I still can’t really believe it. 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. 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.”
Nick Cave: “I’m a fan.”
Turn Up The Volume: Covers/tribute albums are a tricky thing, certainly
when it’s about songs of a famous artist. In that case, millions know the tunes
grooved in their memory by heart and stick with the original version, like me.
Therefore the majority of covers LPs vanish very quickly into oblivion. But not
this one.
Why?
One: Nell Smith has an entrancing
and starry-eyed vox.
Two: Her near-whispering timbre, her spot-on
phrasing, her overall approach to the chosen
tracks resonates like an experienced pro at work.
Three: The musical framework is vintage Flaming Lips,
fairytale-like and crystal-clear, and never gets in the way
of Nell‘s voice. It’s a match made in heaven.
Four: I’m a devoted Nick and Lips fan.
Five: Kudos to Nell. A teenager taking on Cave songs is simply
sensational as such, and doing it this way – with the majestic
orchestral help of Flaming Lips – is nothing less than maestoso,
also knowing that she never heard of the Australian star crooner
before (or maybe that actually helped?).
I discovered this brilliant post-punk turbo last month at an indoor festival in Amsterdam. The whole crowd went bananas. These motherrockers slash and trash with a burning vehemence and a flabbergasting fervency. Miami Lounge is the crackerjack opener of this year’s released 5-track EP Bad Time.
Now it’s your turn to discover this awesome London squad.
Earlier this month this dynamite hit team blew all punters away with their jaw-dropping gig in my hometown Ghent (Belgium). They razzled and dazzled with ebullient exertion, blistering British bluster, and a fuck Brexit fierceness. The roof went off.
Ded Würst, their newest single, is nothing less
than a nasty and filthy sledgehammer. Das super!
6. ‘His Ilk’ by BRONSON ARM (Kalamazoo, Michigan, US)
From Michigan here come 2 Pc Noisey Slacker Psychedelic Sludge Punks.
They joined Canada-based indie label Off White House Records
this year with a big bang.
Their newest outburst is a riffin’ rollercoaster that makes the hair in
your neck stand up with its metallic resonance and relentless bass
frenzy. Add nightmarish vocals and I’m sure Santa Claus will run
away in fear.
The alias of British singer-songwriter of Bobby Anderson.
Never Ready is a vicious droning blast. Wïlderman rankles,
rages, and has a bad taste in his mouth. Never ready for
her look and her voice. 133 seconds of sonic sex.
Hot groove, hot intensity, hot slam dunk. Fucktastic!
8. I Don’t’ Love You Anymore’ by CHATEAU CHATEAU (Tucson, Arizona, US)
Glam and glitter riot tattoo grrl Blue attracts all attention,
sonically as well as visually. She swirls and scintillates on this
new kick while cursing idiots who hate the LGBTQ+ community,
who hate tattoos, and who hate anybody who doesn’t live by
their ultra-conservative rules.
To hell with all these idiots.
Meanwhile, enjoy this jangly earworm that sticks as
first-class glue and reaches an aural orgasm every
time the chorus pops up.
With Absent Transient they show their masterly skills of writing ear-and-mind
pleasing pop tunes charged-up with rotating riffs and dreamy vocal harmonies.
When an old skool DJ teams up with Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker you
get a sizzling acid house corker to start and end all upcoming New Year’s Eve parties with.
13. ‘What You Keep Telling Yourself’ by DOWN WITH SPACE (Montreal, Canada)
The motorik and magnetic rhythm of this electronic exploit makes your head
turn 360°. The catching combination of near whispering vocals, scintillating David
Gilmour guitar vibrance and cybernated elegance create an overall ear-ecstatic
vibe culminating in a dynamic finale.
Expect flashy echoes of the 80s British New Romantics movement with
this instant catching pop spark, fueled with glimmering guitar/play,
impassioned vocals, and a non-stop drum beat.
This sugary pop bliss feels good at first, better the second time,
and the best with all other spins. Great pop-ular music is about
lifting up the listener’s mood to a euphoric level for about
3/4 minutes. Easier said than done, but not here.
Still is a glorious harmonious touchy-feely gem that appeals from
the kick-off with Gardiner‘s tantalising voice and Kuras‘ vitalizing
guitar ravishment. Add a delirious chorus and you have yourself
a 24-Carat top thrill.
This Italian singer-songwriter, born Patrizio Ottavianiiter,
produces a blend of psychedelic rock and Arabic harmonies.
Knight Of Cups is the latest single in a series of monthly releases this year.
Electric dream-pop at its tempting best. Sparkling, spirited, and seductive.
Nell Smith is a 13-year old fan of Oklahoma’s eccentric stargazers Flaming Lips
(one of my all-time fav bands). Frontman Wayne Coyne spotted her at one point
as she attended several gigs with her father. They got in touch and after Coyne
found out that she’s a singer he proposed her to work with the band on a Nick
Cave tribute album he already had in mind for some time.
They got all in the studio and the result is a 9-song Nick Cave
covers album baptized Where The Viaduct Looms with
the nightingale voice of Nell as the heroine in the middle.
You can stream the brand new record on Spotify
One of the standouts is her version of
the heart and soul ballad The Ship Song.
19. ‘Always Together With You’ by SPIRITUALIZED (Rugby, UK)
Jason Pierce and his orchestra have a new LP,
called Everything Was Beautiful coming on
25 February 2022
With this spellbinding symphony, he does what he does so splendidly for so long. This
first new piece is another soulful spiritual growing slowly into a gospel-like trance. Epic!
Last June mega-star-crooner Cave and his bad seed friend Warren Ellis
signed for one of the best LPs of 2021 with their astonishing Carnage opus.
And they’re not done yet. The duo releases the soundtrack they wrote for the French nature documentary Panthère Des Neiges (The Snow Leopard)on 17 December.
Here’s the magnificent taster We Are Not Alone.
A characteristic Cave humdinger. Tender and gripping.
Watch the magic, hear the magic…
See/hear you next month with the best 20 knockouts of 2021…
Nell is a 13-year old fan of Oklahoma’s eccentric Lips.
Frontman Wayne Coyne spotted her at one point as she
attended several gigs with her father. They got in touch
and after Coyne found out that she’s a singer he proposed
her to work with the band on a Nick Cave tribute album he
already had in mind for some time.
They got all in the studio and the result is a 9-song Nick Cave
covers album baptized When The Viaduct Looms covers LP,
with Nell on vocals.
Release: 26 November 2021
Coyne: “It is always great to meet excited, young creative people.
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. It was
a great way to connect with her and help harness her cool attitude
to making music.”
Nell: “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.”
Nick Cave: “I’m a fan.”
A first cover Girl In Amberwas shared a few weeks ago and now we get an
amazing interpretation of one of my all-time Cave favorites The Ship Song
(my wedding song 12 years ago). Smith‘s vocals are just splendid…
The Cave original…
Tracklist
1. ‘Girl In Amber’ 2. ‘Weeping Song’ 3. ‘Into My Arms’ 4. ‘O Children’ 5. ‘The Kindness Of Strangers’ 6. ‘No More Shall We Part’ 7. ‘Red Right Hand’ 8. ‘The Ship Song’ 9. ‘We Know Who You Are’
British music monthly UNCUT will celebrate the imperishable and legendary
troubadour BOB DYLAN‘s 80th birthday (born Robert Zimmerman, in Duluth,
Minnesota on 24th May 1941) with a CD of covers.
Uncut‘s June issue comes with DYLAN REVISITED: “A covermount CD made up
of 14 cover versions of choice cuts from Dylan’s songbook recorded exclusively for
Uncut, as well as a previously unreleased track from the man himself.”
One of the artists paying tribute are The Flaming Lips. They picked that gentle pearl Lay, Lady, Lay from Dylan’s 1969 Nashville Skyline LP and give it their characteristic,
head-in-the-clouds twist.
Fairy tale pop/rock surrealists THE FLAMING LIPS
impressed lately with some spectacular space bubble
shows.
And last night they played the Blue Note club, in their hometown of Oklahoma City, where the band performed live for the first time, back
in 1983. The performance aired on the American TV show Jimmy Kimmel
Live.
They played gripping ballad Will You Return / When You Come Down
from their formidable 2020 album American Head.
Micah Nelson (who played with his own band on tour with The Lips before),
the youngest son of his world-famous father Willie joined on vocals and guitar.
The Guardian wrote: “At War With the Mystics falls short of
being a masterpiece, but the more you listen to it, the more it
adds up. Goin’ On closes the album by weaving its spaghetti-like
threads into a gently cathartic ballad about plugging on despite
the odds. And if anybody has earned the right to hymn the virtues
of perseverance, it’s the Flaming Lips.”
Full review here. Score: 4/5.
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