Famed indie singer/songwriter Phoebe Bridgers and acclaimed British poet Arlo Park have shared a cover of the 1995 Radiohead track “Fake Plastic Trees” that the pair performed for BBC Radio 1. The performance was shared on the BBC Radio 1 YouTube page and was part of their popular Piano Sessions video series, which sees artists offer stripped down, acoustic performances.
The video sees Parks offer a delicate rendition of the track on piano with Bridgers right at home giving her signature, beautifully-toned voice layered with falsetto notes throughout. While the performance is very minimal and reflects the original song’s subtle ambiance, the multi-talented pair offer plenty of musical nuances and combine to create a powerful, haunting rendition of the famed Radiohead track.
“Fake Plastic Trees” initially appeared on Radiohead’s classic 1995 sophomore studio album The Bends. The album is known as a very impressive follow-up to the British band’s seminal debut album Pablo Honey of 1993, ultimately reaching 4x platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and platinum status in the United States. The track served as one of six singles from the album and went on to appear on the UK Singles, New Zealand Singles, US Modern Rock Tracks and Canadian Rock/Alternative charts. It was also named number 385 on Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.
Despite the impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Bridgers has had quite a busy few months. In June, she released her second full-length studio LP Punisher on the Dead Oceans record label followed by striking video for single “I Know the End.” In July, the singer joined Courtney Barnett for cover of the Gillian Welch song “Everything Is Free” during this year’s live stream of the iconic Newport Folk Festival. Late last month, the singer also shared performances of her original songs “ICU” and “Halloween” at the Coliseum in Los Angeles for the 50on50 music video series.
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