Three years after their last visit to Italy, which saw them in the spotlight together with the Eels of a performance in Prato, the Flaming Lips return to our country to present their new work American Headreleased in 2020 by Bella Union. The date is set for Tuesday 2 August 2022 at Villa Torlonia in San Mauro Pascoli (FC) and will open the tenth edition of the festival acieloaperto. I tickets will be available on Ticketone from 11 a.m. on Friday 3 December. Beware of unofficial circuits!
American Head is the sixteenth studio album by the Flaming Lips and consists of 13 tracks with a cinematic atmosphere, produced by longtime collaborator Dave Fridmann together with the band. These include God and the Policemen featuring country superstar on backing vocals Kasey Musgraves. As previewed with the publication of Flowers of Neptune 6, American Head takes a time jump that occupies a similar space to that of The Soft Bulletin o Yoshimi Battles The Pink RobotsWe can consider it their most beautiful and organic work ever.
Last week saw the release of Where the Viaduct Looms (Bella Union )album containing nine covers of Nick Cave sung and arranged by fourteen-year-old Nell Smith with the production and instrumentation of Flaming Lips. For the occasion, In and the Flaming Lips share the video of the bewitching version of The Ship Song.
The story behind this collaboration begins with Nell Smith who moved from the UK to Canada and in 2018, at the age of 12, met for the first time Wayne Coyne to a concert by the Flaming Lips in Calgary which he attended with his family. In had already attended several concerts of the band and was a regular in the front row, with her parrot costume. Coyne couldn't help but notice her and dedicated a David Bowie song to her at the Calgary concert.
The relationship intensified in the following months, with Coyne who remains in close contact with In and her father Jude while the girl learns to play the guitar and starts writing her first songs. When father and daughter find themselves forced to cancel a trip to Oklahoma to record with the band because of Covid-19, Coyne suggests to In to record some songs by Nick Cave and send them to him by e-mail so that the band can record the instrumental part. Coyne chooses its own Nick Cave because In didn't know him and therefore wouldn't have any preconceived ideas about how to sing the songs. The first track they recorded was a cover of Girl In Amberwhich was released a year later accompanied by a video as a preview of the album.
