In an incredible collaboration that Radio 1 are calling Phoebe Bridgers x Arlo Parks, two of the coolest singer-songwriters of 2020 have teamed up for a cover of Radiohead’s ‘Fake Plastic Trees’. They also took on ‘Kyoto’ from Bridgers’ latest album, Punisher. To mark the occasion, Bridgers’ was wearing her signature skeleton all-in-one. The covers, which were recorded in a church, was for Phil Taggart’s Chillest Show last night (September 6).
In addition to ‘Fake Plastic Trees’, Bridgers and Parks produced a beautiful performance of ‘Kyoto’, one of the lead singles from Punisher, which was released earlier this year. It has become a firm fan favourite, and Bridgers is cultivating something of a cult following.
Bridgers predominantly leads the vocals in these two covers, while Parks accompanies on the piano, but the occasional harmonisation of their two voices is completely ethereal. The collaboration has been described as everything from “tender” to “fragile”. Parks herself tweeted that she had loved working with Bridgers and that she was in awe of her “angel voice”. The church venue only contributes to the incredible atmosphere that the two create, with nothing more than two voices, a piano and a skeleton onesie.
In fact, Parks and Bridgers have been running in the same circles for a while now; just recently, Parks covered ‘Moon Song’ from Punisher for her ‘Lo-Fi Lounge’ Series. You can watch her rendition below. A further circularity: this is not even Parks’ first high-profile Radiohead cover. She recorded and released ‘Creep’ for the soundtrack of the film Shy Radicals, which will screen at film festivals later this year. Although she doesn’t sing much of ‘Fake Plastic Trees’, her unique, beautiful voice completely reinvigorates ‘Creep’, the one Radiohead song that you might have thought you’d heard every variation of by now!
Parks talked about choosing ‘Creep’, calling the song “a simultaneously delicate and brutal exploration of inner turmoil and human relationships. This song has acted as a refuge for me, during times of self-reflection and low mood, for many years and Radiohead as a band has deeply influenced my music.”
She talks about all of her work with the same invaluable insight. Describing her latest single, ‘Hurt’, she told NME: “‘Hurt’ surrounds the possibility of healing from pain and the temporary nature of suffering … it is supposed to uplift and comfort those going through hard times.”
Generally, Arlo Parks has had a busy summer. When ‘Hurt’ was released last month, it premiered as Annie Mac’s Hottest Record. Earlier today she shared a post online about how grateful she was for the enthusiastic reception of it; this came in the wake of it being named Greg James’ song of the week this week, as well as occupying a spot on the 6 Music B-list.
The reaction to Hurt has been so completely uplifting and honestly made me feel so special – I’m excited to announce that it is king @gregjames‘s tune of the week PLUS on the B list @BBC6Music – thank u to everyone for believing in me and my work. pic.twitter.com/97IoZ5BRAu
— Arlo Parks (@arloparks) September 7, 2020
These two special covers, ‘Fake Plastic Trees’ and ‘Kyoto’ feel somehow hopeful, after a summer of postponed album releases and digital festivals. Although we’re all desperate for those things to get back to normal, Parks and Bridgers, amongst others, have spent this time showing us a different way to enjoy music, through covers and collaborations and live streams. As listeners and fans, it feels like there is no greater pleasure than having the music world dominated by artists who are so in love with their jobs that they talk this eloquently and produce music of this quality and completely refresh the songs we love most.
