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Back in April, we reported that Wayne Coyne had tapped beloved Phoenix weirdo-rockers Treasure MammaL to participate in a Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band cover album, called With a Little Help From My Fwends.
It started after the Flaming Lips saw Treasure MammaL perform at Coyne’s Oklahoma City art gallery, The Womb. Coyne then reached out to Gil, asked him to pick a song, and Gil chose “She’s Leaving Home,” the Lennon-McCartney creation about a girl who runs away from her parents.
See also: Phoenix’s Treasure MammaL Joins Forces with Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne
The band recorded the song, and even released a video.
Well, scratch all that. A press release from Coyne’s camp announced a release date of October 28 and included a track list, and among the huge names listed was the surprising revelation that “She’s Leaving Home” will no longer be performed by Treasure MammaL but by a crazy collaboration featuring Phantogram, Julianna Barwick, and Spaceface, a Tennessee psych-rock.
We’ve reached out to Treasure MammaL to get the story; we’ll update when we hear back.
It looks like Coyne changed priorities sometime in the last few months, moving from one band covering one song to featuring multiple artists on each track. And who can blame him for picking Phantogram to cover “She’s Leaving Home”? The original version is a dreary, sad thing, and Phantogram’s hypnotic electronica, combined with Barwick’s wordless, avant-garde vocal stylings, and whatever the hell Spaceface brings to the table, promises to be a pretty impressive cover.
But never fear, Phoenix boosters — Treasure MammaL is still on the album. The band has shifted to “Good Morning Good Morning,” a subtly complex Lennon composition that features rapidly changing time signatures and bombastic horns.
The band will collaborate with experimental indie-rockers Zorch and the massive pipes of singer-songwriter Grace Potter.
It’s hard not to get excited while looking at the list of collaborations the album will feature. Most songs feature three barely connected artists. (Some songs feature just two artists; one song exclusively features Electric Wurms, a Coyne side project.) The opening track, the legendary “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” features My Morning Jacket, Dinosaur Jr.’s J. Mascis, and some band called Fever the Ghost; “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” features the WTF-inducing combo of Miley Cyrus, the Flaming Lips, and Moby; “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” features Flaming Lips, Maynard James Keenan, Puscifer, and a Florida band called Sunbears!
Check out the NSFW video for “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” here:
With A Little Help From My Fwends is now available for pre-order from Warner Bros. Records. A pre-order will get a pair of instant downloads, “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” and “Fixing a Hole.” All proceeds from sales of the album will benefit The Bella Foundataion, an Oklahoma City-based nonprofit assisting financially hurting pet owners with veterinary costs.
Sure, Treasure MammaL is just one of the albums small handful of less-known bands paired with more prominent artists. But it’s a testament to their artistic vision that a fellow weirdo like Wayne Coyne would tap them for a project like this. Go Phoenix.
Check out the track listing below:
01. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – My Morning Jacket, Fever the Ghost, and J. Mascis
02. With A Little Help From My Friends
The Flaming Lips, Black Pus, and The Autumn Defense
03. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
The Flaming Lips, Miley Cyrus, and Moby
04. Getting Better
Dr. Dog, Chuck Inglish, and Morgan Delt
05. Fixing A Hole
Electric Würms
06. She’s Leaving Home
Phantogram, Julianna Barwick, Spaceface
07. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!
The Flaming Lips, MJ Keenan, Puscifer, and Sunbears!
08. Within You Without You
Birdflower, The Flaming Lips, and Morgan Delt
09. When I’m Sixty-Four
Def Rain, The Flaming Lips, and Pitchwafuzz
10. Lovely Rita
Tegan and Sara and Stardeath and White Dwarfs
11. Good Morning Good Morning
Zorch, Grace Potter, Treasure MammaL
12. SGT. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
Foxygen, Ben Goldwasser
13. A Day In The Life
The Flaming Lips, Miley Cyrus, and New Fumes
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