Back in 2021, highly skilled UK-born and US-based, musical teenager NELL SMITH recorded at the age of 13-year an album, named Where The Viaduct Looms with Oklahoma’s eccentric legends The Flaming Lips.
Frontman Wayne Coyne spotted her at one point as she attended several gigs with her father. They got in touch with each other 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.
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Last October, the worst happened when Nell died in a vehicle motor crash,
only 17. Her debut LP, titled Anxious was released posthumously last Friday.
Also now, San Francisco songsmith BEN KWELLER has shared a goosebumps ballad, named KILLER BEE. A track from his upcoming 7th full-length Cover The Mirrors. It features backing vocals by The Flaming Lips.
His first new music since the sudden passing
of his 16-year-old son Dorian Zev in 2023.
Kweller: “Today we release the song ‘Killer Bee’ in memory of Nell Smith. Nell was
a gifted artist who marched to the beat of her own drum. Like my son Dorian, she was
taken from us out of nowhere, driving alone, freak car accident, 17 years old. Grief makes
us feel isolated and the weight seems too heavy to carry alone. Community reunites and
lifts us up. Love on your people today and every day.”
5. ‘Stayin’ Alive’ by LEE ROGERS (Northern Ireland)
Original by Bee Gees.
This warm Americana voice out of Northern Ireland slows
the classic down, drenches it in a nostalgic sepia bath, and
gives it a haunting and soul-stirring twist corresponding with
the somber lyrics. Compelling version!
From the massive covers compilation called The Metallica Blacklist
featuring no less than 53 artists interpreting a Black Album song, the
breakthrough LP that was released 30 years ago.
Every Sunday for about two years now, the famous British songstress and
her King Crimson husband Robert Fripp entertained us (and still do it) via
YouTube with covers of big crackers. Their performances were/are ridiculously
hilarious. Definitely the stand-up rock comedians 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 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?).
