The Flaming Lips – “Atlantis” (Donovan Cover)
Next week, Rock The Cause Records will release Gazing With Tranquility, a benefit album that serves as an extended tribute to ’60s folk-pop star Donovan, who did as much as anyone to bring flower-power imagery into the pop mainstream. We’ve already posted Sharon Van Etten’s version of “Teen Angel,” and the album also features Donovan covers from people like Hamilton Leithauser, Lissie, and Brett Dennen. The comp ends with a take on “Atlantis” from psych-bugfuck institution and Miley Cyrus backing band the Flaming Lips. The original “Atlantis,” a minor hit in 1968, is a sort of psychedelic reel about the idea that Atlantis is actually some sort of undersea utopia. It has a long spoken-word intro, and it’a bout as self-consciously weird as Donovan ever got. That means it’s right in the Flaming Lips’ wheelhouse, and you will not be surprised to hear them turn it into a gurling freakout. Listen to it below.
Gazing With Tranquility is out 10/16 via Rock The Cause Records. Proceeds from the record will go to Huntington’s Hope. You can stream the whole compilation at NPR.