The Flaming Lips have made it abundantly clear that they’re rarely interested in making a traditional album anymore. They’ve done a 24-hour-song, released music inside a gummy skull, created musical suites for synchronized multi-iPod and boombox in-the-rounds… but here’s a new one. The band is releasing a set of cover songs, with the help of many guest artists.
Many sites have confirmed that the Oklahoma-based psych-rock crew have tapped Nick Cave, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Plastic Ono Band and Neon Indian for the album; and today, Rolling Stone firmed up the participation of Bon Iver and Wayne Coyne’ wishlist. The ‘Lips have the desire to work in-studio with acts as diverse as Ke$ha to Lykke Li to Erykah Badu.
“Sometimes it just takes a matter of connecting,” Coyne told the mag.
There is a tentative release era of April slated, with artists working in and out of the studio with the band. Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon has already sent in two tracks.
Here is a quick list of five other artists I think Flaming Lips should work with:
Feist – Because, hey, she asked nicely.
Tyler, The Creator – It’d be like the annual basketball tourney between the nuthouse and the looney bin.
Passion Pit – I can imagine the two vocalists having a hey-day of loop-de-loops, with dance tunes of the deep end that everyone, with time, would ultimately like.
Tom Waits – The longtime bard’s low-end, serious tunes could find some awesome bedfellow with psych-rock
Yo Gabba Gabba! – Actually, the Flaming Lips should curate an entire season — no! — an entire spin-off.