Slayyyter's new single, King Princess covers Neil Young

Summary

---

Podcast Summary

Podcast: NPR Music: All Songs Considered
Episode: Slayyyter's New Single, King Princess Covers Neil Young
Date: August 4, 2026
Hosts: Robin Hilton, Dora Levitt

---

Episode Overview

This episode of All Songs Considered is a vibrant, emotionally resonant tour through the week's best new music, anchored in NPR Music’s ongoing quest for authenticity in sound and feeling. Robin Hilton and Dora Levitt weave personal stories and cultural context into lively discussions about fresh singles, artist evolutions, genre explorations (notably in pop), and the power of cover songs—including a spotlight on King Princess’ cover of Neil Young’s “Helpless.” The episode also features heartfelt tributes and reflections on musical legacy, starting with a remembrance of the late Glenn Hansard.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Remembering Glenn Hansard

[00:32 – 03:32]

• Robin Hilton opens with a tribute to Glenn Hansard, who recently passed away in a motorcycle accident.
• The discussion highlights Hansard’s foundational influence on All Songs Considered and NPR Music’s aesthetic—a preference for “earnestness over irony, indie over mainstream, authenticity over spectacle, and very, very human” music.
• Dora shares how "Falling Slowly" from Once inspired her as a young pianist.
• Quote:

  “If I had to make…a top five list of the most important artists for All Songs Considered, at least in those early days, I would definitely put him somewhere near the top.” — Robin Hilton [02:35]

• Personal memories are shared, including Hansard playing at Robin's "sweet 16" party and historical context of NPR’s early music curation.

---

2. Notable New Releases & Artist Spotlights

Coco & Clair Clair – “Coldplay”

[03:38 – 08:31]

• Dora introduces the Atlanta pop duo’s cheeky, dreamy new single.
• Discussion of their TikTok rise (“Pretty,” 2024) and their need to reclaim joy in music.
• Lyrics riff playfully on Coldplay’s “Yellow,” blending party escapism with female camaraderie.
• Quote:

  “They’re able to have this very dreamy and gauzy sound. And it’s very chic and romantic and completely full of just inside jokes between the two of them.” — Dora Levitt [07:34]

Claudia Isaki – “Origami”

[08:56 – 15:44]

• Robin features this French Congolese, London-based pop talent and her upcoming debut, Everywhere youe Go, There youe Are.
• Conversation explores the song’s themes of societal pressure to couple up, yearning, and self-affirmation.
• Dora draws parallels to Plato, while Robin notes the recurring All Songs theme of “letting go.”
• Direct artist quote about singleness:

  “Since my early 20s, it felt like singleness was a sickness to be cured…There was no room for fulfillment outside of romantic partnerships.” — Claudia Isaki (read by Robin Hilton) [15:00]

Slayyyter – “Brand New Chanel$”

[17:04 – 23:48]

• Dora, a self-proclaimed “Slayyyter stan,” discusses Slayyyter’s vulnerability and emotional depth on her new single, a companion to “Beat Up Chanel$” from Worst Girl in America.
• Analysis of the shift from brash, unapologetic pop to a more introspective and solemn tone.
• Quote:

  “Here she’s really wearing her baggage and her insecurities on her sleeve rather than like a coat of armor, which I feel like is normally how her lyrics and how her imagery goes, and it’s really vulnerable.” — Dora Levitt [21:38]

• Robin notes the “big emotional drop” and its connection to pop’s hooks and accessibility.

King Princess – “Helpless” (Neil Young cover)

[24:28 – 31:50]

• Robin plays King Princess’ lush, harmony-rich reinterpretation, part of “Heart of the Songs of Neil Young, Volume 3,” benefiting the Bridge School.
• Both hosts praise the emotional expansion of the chorus while respecting Neil Young’s original.
• Quote:

  “She’s pushing it just enough in a few different directions to kinda bring new life to it. But stay true to the original.” — Robin Hilton [30:07]

• Discussion on the artistic value of covers and anticipation for more ambitious reworks on the benefit compilation.

Dauna – “I Am a Woman Too”

[33:04 – 38:43]

• Dora introduces Dauna, a Baltimore-born artist recovering from a traumatic brain injury, resulting in an experimental, amnesiac-driven mixtape (African Family Laptop Music).
• The hosts are captivated by the sample-based, minimalist production and emotionally dense, abstract storytelling.
• Dora notes it reminds her of Dijon and James Blake.
• Quote:

  “It touches on so many intricacies of family and identity, and it adds an extra layer knowing that a lot of these images are shrouded in this amnesia and this not knowing.” — Dora Levitt [37:29]

Adam Wiltzie & Jóhann Jóhannsson – “White Gloves and Turtlenecks”

[38:56 – 41:39]

• Robin features unreleased collaborations from the late Jóhann Jóhannsson and Adam Wiltzie, from Friendship Survival Guide, an ambient, emotionally potent work with contributions from Tim Hecker and the late Steve Albini.
• The song “White Gloves and Turtlenecks” is described as transcendent, blending organic and electronic textures, and carrying emotional/spiritual heft owing to the loss of both Jóhannsson and Albini.

---

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Glenn Hansard’s legacy:
  “I would even argue that the whole vibe and sound and aesthetic of his music…really helped establish the emotional vocabulary of All Songs Considered.” — Robin Hilton [01:21]
• On pop’s hooks:
  “I can’t tell you how many of those Rita Ora songs…when the chorus hits or the drop hits and then I’m locked in.” — Robin Hilton [23:23]
• On the importance of cover songs:
  “You really have the freedom to bring a song that you know and love to all of its potential, even beyond how it originally could have been.” — Dora Levitt [29:49]
• On experimental abstraction:
  “I really do love how simple and also how sample based this song is. It reminds me of some of Dijon’s stuff and some of James Blake’s work.” — Dora Levitt [37:56]

---

Noteworthy Timestamps

• [00:32] – Glenn Hansard tribute and foundational All Songs Considered story
• [03:38] – Coco & Clair Clair — “Coldplay”
• [08:56] – Claudia Isaki — “Origami”
• [17:04] – Slayyyter — “Brand New Chanel$”
• [24:28] – King Princess — “Helpless” (Neil Young cover)
• [33:04] – Dauna — “I Am a Woman Too”
• [38:56] – Adam Wiltzie & Jóhann Jóhannsson — “White Gloves and Turtlenecks”

---

Tone & Atmosphere

True to NPR Music’s style, the episode blends warmth, curiosity, and insight. Hosts Robin and Dora are candid and personal, often mixing humor (“It’s death metal. Yeah.” [33:14]) with deep, heartfelt analysis. The episode is approachable for newcomers and NPR regulars alike, always championing music that feels both emotionally honest and creatively adventurous.

---

Conclusion

If you missed this episode, you missed a carefully curated, emotionally intelligent exploration of new pop and indie music, memorial tributes, conversations on selfhood and friendship, and a celebration of the freedom cover songs provide. It’s a show where the human stories behind the music are as compelling as the songs themselves.

---

Transcript

[NPR Sponsor Announcer]

Support for this NPR podcast and the following message come from Carvana. Selling your car. Carvana has offers so good they're almost inexplicable. Sell your car 100% online in minutes. Visit Carvana.com today.

[Robin Hilton]

This episode of All Songs Considered comes to you from NPR Music and the NPR Music Podcast. You can hear new episodes of All Songs Considered every Tuesday. We've got Alt Latino every Wednesday in the feed, and New Music Friday at the end of every week. NPR Music Also, where you will find Dora Levitt.

[Dora Levitt]

Hi, Robin Hilton.

[Robin Hilton]

So, Dora, we're talking about best new songs of the week on this episode, but I wanted to start first off with Glenn Hansard. Yeah, Glenn Hansard died suddenly in a motorcycle accident last week, and this is our first show since then. So I didn't want to let it go by without taking a minute to again acknowledged just how important he was to All Songs Considered and NPR Music. What's your relationship to Glenn Hansford?

[Dora Levitt]

I mean, I really, really, really grew

[Robin Hilton]

up watching Once the movie once that he and Marketa Erglova did together.

[Dora Levitt]

Yeah, the movie once. When I first started to learn how to play the piano, all I ever wanted to play was Falling Slowly.

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 1]

Oh.

[Dora Levitt]

And I just, I remember when I learned that song, it was like everything to me.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, he was also in a band called the Frames, and that's what we're listening to right now, this song called in the Deep Shade, from an album that came out in 2001 called for the Birds. And when Bob Boylan was the director of All Things Considered back In the late 90s and early 2000s, he used to get emails all the time asking, what's that music that you're playing between stories? And very often it was the Frames, and it was this song, and it was what inspired Bob to actually start All Songs Considered. And this is one of the first songs that we played played on the show back in the day when the show started in the year 2000. This came out, I think, a year later, 2001. But Glenn Hansard and his music, it was foundational to All Songs Considered. I would even argue that the whole vibe and sound and aesthetic of his music, it really helped establish sort of the emotional vocabulary of All Songs Considered that I think continues even today. You know, it's earnestness over irony, indie over mainstream, authenticity over spectacle, and very, very human. Honestly, if I had to make, I think, maybe a top five list of the most important artists for All Songs Considered, at least in those early days, I would definitely put him Somewhere near the top.

[Dora Levitt]

And he played at your sweet 16 as well.

[Robin Hilton]

We had a sweet 16 party. He played live at that. And people can still watch that performance online. There are a couple tiny desks, including one he did with Marketa Paglova as the swell season. I was just gutted by the news of his passing. And like I said, I just couldn't let this week go by without playing some of his music and just taking a second to reflect on that.

[Dora Levitt]

It's so special to be able to see how far all songs has come, starting with the music of Glen Hansard and the frames. And I feel like as we talk about new music and as I even think about the songs that I want to play, I do feel like that vocabulary that you talked about, I do think about how the music that I'm choosing and that we're talking about is going to add to that vocabulary that keeps all songs moving.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah, I think that's true. I think definitely in some of the stuff that I brought today. Do you want to kick us off with some new music, though?

[Dora Levitt]

Yeah. I was thinking I've been listening to just so much pop music, and I was really excited to see a duo from Atlanta named Coco and Claire Claire release a new song last week. And I love Coco and Claire Claire and I, I hadn't heard from them for so long, and so I really want to play that song that just came out called Coldplay.

[Robin Hilton]

It's called Coldplay.

[Dora Levitt]

It's called Coldplay.

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 1]

Ladies booty bow ladies Blackout in your front yard playing Coldplay Looking at the stars Call a black car to another bar See him dancing with another girl Flashback now I'm in his room want to kiss him but he's such a tool Should I text him? Maybe I saw you girl forget him found another man tell him leave it on the dash Cause I'mma make a dash Go and spend the cash maybe shake some all we do is brag got the rights in the bag Black cars, yellow cabs, keep the links Cashmere sweater, zirconia in my ear Red stripe is the beer I'm not coming if I can't enter from the rear your man's pee probably ain't very clear Some would say it was all yellow Blackout in your front yard hard playing Coldplay looking at the stars call a black car to another bar Life is so good when we're going hard flashback thinking about you want to text him? Got nothing else to do Think he hates me but I hate him too Go forget him found another movie Zirconia in my ear Red stripe is a beer I'm not coming, coming if I can't enter from the rear your man's pee probably ain't very clear Some would say it was. That car to another bar Life is so good when we're going hard.

[Dora Levitt]

So did you catch the Coldplay reference?

[Robin Hilton]

Yes.

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 2]

No.

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 3]

It was.

[Robin Hilton]

It was unmistakable. I actually laughed out loud when I. When I heard it was all yellow and. And then I. I thought. I don't think that's what Coldplay had in mind when they really.

[Dora Levitt]

I totally heard that.

[Robin Hilton]

Is that what you thought when you first heard Coldplay? It's funny because as soon as you said the name of the song was Coldplay and you'd been listening to lots of pop music, I thought, I've actually been listening to a lot of Coldplay. We were listening to it all weekend. And I've also been listening to a lot of pop music. I've been driving my daughter around to different camps and stuff. So we've been in the car together a lot more than we very often are. And she has been insisting on playing so much pop music, especially Rita Ora.

[Dora Levitt]

Oh, yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

And I've actually found myself thinking, you know, this is kind of a bop. And I've been wondering, like, you know, I don't listen to a lot of top 40 pop music, but it's been making me think that I need to do a show. You know, we just did the how to Love the Grateful Dead. I was thinking, we need to do a show how to love pop music.

[Dora Levitt]

Yeah. How to be more of a poptimist. I love this song, and I love how cheeky Coco and Claire. Claire always are. And they're able to have this very dreamy and gauzy sound. And it's very chic and it's very romantic and completely full of just inside jokes between the two of them. It's a duo. They're from Atlanta. They've been making music for a really long time. And when I was reading a little bit about this single that they've dropped seemingly out of nowhere, they were saying that they needed to take a break and take a step back from just all of the attention that comes with blowing up pretty quickly, which happened with a song that they released in 2024 called Pretty. It had, like, a lot of fame on TikTok and whatever. And you can really see, like, here in Coldplay, it's just about the relationship between the two of them and how much fun they have together and what it means to Just like have a very long night out with your best friend.

[Robin Hilton]

So the song Coldplay. Not the band, the song Coldplay from Coco and Claire. Claire. Just a one off single for now. Yeah, yeah. So I have something that's a new discovery for me and it's probably the poppiest thing that I've brought today. It's from an artist named Claudia Isaki. Do you know Claudia Isaki? Totally new to me. So I came across her in her music while kind of just poking around online. Basically doing some digital crate digging.

[Dora Levitt]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

And immediately loved what I heard. She's a French Congolese singer. She grew up in Paris, but she's based out of London now and she's got a new album coming out this fall called Everywhere youe Go, There youe Are. And I've only heard a handful of songs from it. The singles that are out, but the song I want to play from Claudia Sacchi and that album is called Origami.

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 2]

They all come in pairs. Come in pairs. Yeah, yeah Two peas in the part. No, it's all Ken and Barbie. If love is in the air in the air yeah, yeah can you tell me what's in my lungs but do I breathe? They say focus on God, you're a bride, hear him coming Always the same with flowers eyes Get a dog, get a hobby Know myself like the back of my head yeah, yeah it's an art acting like a cat yeah, yeah,

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 3]

yeah, yeah

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 2]

all this pressure look where it's got me, got me. Oh I'm crushed Or it got me, got me. All this pressure got me, got me. Almost forgot I'm a diamond Diamond. It's not the title that holds it together. It's just someone behind the door. Someone waiting to have dinner together to drive a little faster for it's no fun but it's a game Hide and

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 3]

seek When I'm quiet looking about it's

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 2]

not a sin but it's a shame it's loneliness you entertain home. All these visual claris got me going. Cry Got me, got me. All this pressure Got me, got me. Almost with God I'm a diamond I ask God if it's forever I'll ask again for good measure But I'll still dance in the car Hills to dance in the car Cause it's a song, not a pity party Time to be young time to think about it still

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 3]

dance in the car yeah, I still dance in the car I still dance in the car yeah, I still dance in the car I still dance in

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 2]

the car I still dance in the car.

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 3]

Yeah. Yeah, I know it. Because I want to dance at this party. I don't have no time to look for Ken. I'm a Barbie. Could just be out here taking pictures in the lobby. Don't worry. Don't worry, Bobby. I'm worried because I want to dance at this party.

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 2]

I don't want your number.

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 3]

I don't want you to call me. I want my friends. No offense. I'm not sorry. Don't worry.

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 2]

Don't worry about me.

[Robin Hilton]

Honestly, when that song starts right out the gate, didn't you immediately love it?

[Dora Levitt]

I loved how, like, bubblegum, like, sparkly pop it was. And then I loved the kind of slowdown at the bridge in the outro. The second that happened, I was like, oh, this is awesome. And it made me want to go back and listen again.

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 1]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

I mean, the thumping bass, it's a little pop, a little indie rock, a little, like, a little R and B. Her voice is so beautiful.

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 1]

Yeah.

[Dora Levitt]

So clear.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah. And the harmonies, too. Super, super sweet. So it seems like one of the recurring themes on this show. Just about every episode we do, we talk at some point about the importance of letting go.

[Dora Levitt]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

And that's sort of what this is at the heart of this song, specifically, when it comes to expectations about relationships that society expects you to. To be with somebody. You know, Claudia Isaki, she opens the song by saying, they all come in pairs. Two peas in a pod. Noah's ark, Ken and Barbie. And then later she says, almost forgot I'm a diamond.

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 4]

Yeah.

[Dora Levitt]

Yeah. I mean, isn't it that old? Is it Plato who says that we are, like, half a person, and then all we're looking for is, like, our other half to fill our personhood? Isn't that, like.

[Robin Hilton]

Well, I don't know, man. That's way deeper than.

[Dora Levitt]

Sorry to talk about Plato. I could be, like, completely wrong, by the way.

[Robin Hilton]

So npr. Well, of course, you know Plato.

[Dora Levitt]

Once again, he does. You know, the platonic relationship. I have often thought, can I grab a song easily that isn't a song about love and heartbreak, about looking for your other half? Cause that is just like. So.

[Robin Hilton]

Oh, you feel like it's sort of thrown at you all the time.

[Dora Levitt]

Yeah, yeah.

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 3]

Coming at you.

[Dora Levitt]

Yeah, yeah. It's omnipresent, like, always to me. So much of the music that maybe it's just me that I listen to is heartbreak and feeling love torn and feeling, like, this sense of yearning.

[Robin Hilton]

I reached out to her and asked her a little bit more about the song, and she wrote me back. And she said, and I'm quoting her here, she said, since my early 20s, it felt like singleness was a sickness to be cured.

[Dora Levitt]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah. There was no room for fulfillment outside of romantic partnerships. I've been seeing a lot of rushed, unhealthy marriages for that reason. And then she goes on to say, I wanted to depict the tension of yearning for love while acknowledging and celebrating the love we have around us from family, friends and the love we owe to ourselves.

[Dora Levitt]

Yeah, I really like that.

[Robin Hilton]

Well, Claudia Psaki put out a handful of singles, a couple of VPs, one called Golden Hour and one called My Home. And this is her debut album. Again, it's called Everywhere youe Go, There youe Are. That song was Origami and that album is out October 16th.

[NPR Sponsor Announcer]

This message comes from Progressive Insurance. You're listening to this podcast so you've got a curious mind. Did you know that drivers who switch and save with Progressive save over $900 on average? Visit progressive.com and get a quick quote with discounts that are easy to come by Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. National average 12 month savings of $946 by new customers surveyed who save with Progressive between June 2024 and May 2025. Potential savings will vary. This message comes from NPR sponsor Carvana. Carvana believes selling your car should be easy. Get a real offer down to the penny picked up from your driveway. You may keep waiting for a catch. There isn't one. Sell [e-mail] pickup fees.

[Sponsor Message Announcer]

May apply support for this podcast and the following message come from Made in Cookware President and co founder Jay Kalik shares why he was inspired by his family's fourth generation kitchen supply business.

[Robin Hilton]

Growing up in a commercial kitchen at home really opened my eyes to bringing what was cool in restaurants into your home. And when you think about what we do today, we are asking these chefs for product ideas. We are designing products together with them that we then realize a home cook can use as well.

[Sponsor Message Announcer]

Learn more about Made in Cookware at M a d e I-ncookware.com I think

[Dora Levitt]

the next song plays into this idea of being able to be open in your vulnerability about your frustration and sadness and love. And it actually this tone felt new and surprising from Slater who just had a. Slater. Yeah, yeah. Who just had a single that came out on Friday called Brand New Chanel's.

[Robin Hilton]

I wondered if you were gonna play this cause I know you're a Slater. Stan.

[Dora Levitt]

Yeah, yeah. And so this single is a playoff of a song from her most recent Album Worst Girl in America called Beat Up Chanel's.

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 3]

And the tone shifts complete. Spend another week. I'm sorry. Unforgivable as always. I knew you'd seen somebody Was it with causing all my darkest days? She was in your party, you said not so boring doesn't really matter anyway Begging you to call me Spin another story while I'm far away

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 4]

I bet

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 2]

you I

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 3]

got you off and get away. You had to lie Made me feel great. Got her in your.

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 4]

Phone

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 3]

I know what you do I, You. Know, Sh.

[Dora Levitt]

Doesn't this feel like a pretty big departure from her album?

[Robin Hilton]

Oh, I mean, yeah. And I guess this is more of a companion piece to the other song than a remake or anything, because the lyrics are totally different too. But, yeah, the whole. It's a complete vibe shift. I mean, completely upends it.

[Dora Levitt]

Absolutely. Slater's music is normally, I feel, like, crass and explicit and just rips through whatever you're listening to in a completely unapologetic way. And here she's really wearing her baggage and her insecurities on her sleeve rather than, like a coat of armor, which I feel like is normally how her lyrics and how her imagery goes, and it's really vulnerable.

[Robin Hilton]

You feel like she's kind of hiding behind that armor on the album, but here she's just letting it all out.

[Dora Levitt]

I don't even know if she's hiding behind the armor as much as she's fighting with it.

[Robin Hilton]

Oh, I see. Because, I mean. Cause this is very aggressive, and it's definitely very cathartic. You know, like, it's. It's. The dance floor is catharsis, for sure, but I just feel like she's thrashing against these things that are driving her crazy in a way in this song and just trying to dance it away.

[Dora Levitt]

That's so funny to me. I felt like this song was very solemn and was really. Yeah, I guess maybe just because listening to. I was listening to her latest album, Worst Girl in America, before I listened to the song, just to refresh myself on where this is coming from. And it felt like it was so delicate in the way that she is expressing herself still through feeling these really big emotions. And there's a lot of jealousy and self consciousness in these lyrics. There's like, I wonder if you're holding her. I wonder if you're with this other person. But it felt much more introspective.

[Robin Hilton]

I was gonna say. I guess it's more internal than external. For sure. Yeah. Well, if we end up doing a whole episode about how to love pop music. I feel like a lot of the ways into pop music were in this song.

[Dora Levitt]

Absolutely.

[Robin Hilton]

Big emotional drop. You know, so much of it is about the chorus. I can't tell you how many of those Rita Ora songs I was listening to. My daughter was playing in the car. And like, I'm not feeling it, but then, man, when the chorus hits or the drop hits and then I'm locked in, I'm like. I have to admit, this is really. It's got its hooks in me now. So that song, brand new. Chanel's. Chanel's. And that's a dollar sign at the end for Chanel's.

[Dora Levitt]

For cash money.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah, Cash money from Slater. A one off single. Well, Dora, I think anyone who knows you would say that if there's one thing that they would use to describe you.

[Dora Levitt]

Oh, I'm scared.

[Robin Hilton]

It would be your boundless love and appreciation for a really good cover song.

[Dora Levitt]

Oh, my God. Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

I mean, totally.

[Dora Levitt]

In fact, I do a very small radio show from a local DIY radio station here in Washington D.C. from capital city Sound System. And I just did a show on my favorite cover songs.

[Robin Hilton]

There you go. Yeah, well, we don't do a whole lot of COVID songs, but I've got one that checks a lot of boxes for me. I'm excited and I know how much that you love a good cover. So I thought I'm gonna play this one and see what you think. It's from King Princess. You know King Princess?

[Dora Levitt]

Oh, I know King Princess.

[Robin Hilton]

And it is a cover of Neil Young's song Helpless.

[Dora Levitt]

Oh, I haven't heard this.

[Robin Hilton]

You're a Neil Young fan?

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 2]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

Okay. I'm a huge Neil Young fan. I totally pray at the church of Neil Young.

[Dora Levitt]

Me too.

[Robin Hilton]

And Helpless is. Maybe it's hard to pick just one, but it might be my favorite Neil Young song. So this cover by King Princess, it's part of a compilation album that's coming out called Heart of the Songs of Neil Young, Volume 3. But. But more on that after we hear the song from King Princess. Again, doing Neil Young's Helpless.

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 3]

There is a town in North Ontario. With dream comfort memory to spare in my mind I still need a place to go oh, my changes were there Blue, blue windows behind the stars yeah, I'm on the rise Big birds fly across the sky Throwing shadows on our rise. Across the door Baby, can you sing with me somehow? Blue, blue windows behind the stars. Big birds flying across the sky. Throwing shadows on our. Helpless helpless helpless. Helpless helpless helpless. Helpless helpless helpless, Helpless, helpless, helpless, helpless, Helpless, helpless it helpless, helpless, Helpless, Helpless, helpless.

[Robin Hilton]

Really love what she's doing on this.

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 4]

Yeah.

[Dora Levitt]

Wow, those harmonies are amazing.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah, the chorus is so much bigger.

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 3]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

When it comes in and they're all singing together, it feels like, you know, I mean, the original is so beautiful, but she blows it up a little bit there. Plus the electric guitar.

[Dora Levitt]

That was amazing. Yeah. That moment was really like. This is why cover songs are just the best. Because you really have the freedom to bring a song that you know and love to all of its potential, even beyond how it originally could have been.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah. I mean, you're seeing and hearing things in it that maybe come out quite. You know, you're bringing certain things into sort of stark relief. If you know the original. She doesn't blow it up that much here. It's. It's still very much Neil Young's song. Helpless. It's got that little. It's not a slide guitar, but the way the. The opening guitar, the way the notes kind of glide. Yeah, Kind of glide into each other, those notes. But definitely goes heavier with those guitars. The chorus is bigger. She's pushing it just enough in a few different directions to kinda bring new life to it. But stay true to the original.

[Dora Levitt]

Yeah. I feel like there could have been a version of Helpless that is blown out even more, like more of a cathartic release. And I'm glad that it isn't that version. And it does stay so true to how Neil Young recorded it, but it does push it a little bit further.

[Robin Hilton]

So King Princess cover of Helpless is part of this compilation again, called Heart of the Songs of Neil Young, Volume 3. This is an ongoing series to benefit the Bridge School. It's to raise money for Bridge School. Neil Young's wife, Peggy Young, helped start the Bridge School back in the 1980s to help children with severe speech and physical impairments. Their son, Ben Young, has cerebral palsy. So the first volume in this benefit series, Heart of Gold, Volume 1, came out last year. This year, this fall, two more volumes are coming out. Volume two, Volume three, Volume two is called out of the Blue. Volume three is called into the Black. And this King Princess cover is on the third volume. Those are out November 6th.

[Dora Levitt]

I'm really excited for a lot of these covers that are going to be on this album. There's an MJ Lenderman song, which. I'm the biggest MJ Laundry fan in the world.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah, it is stacked.

[Sponsor Message Announcer]

Yeah.

[Dora Levitt]

Lucinda Williams. Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah. Listen to the first one that's already out, too. And it's also really stacked. But next week, Dora, next week on the show, you, Lars Gottridge, and I, we're gonna do a whole show about COVID songs that we think are actually better than the originals. I don't know if I'd go that far with this King Princess. It's hard. It's kind of hard to touch. It's pretty great, but it's kind of hard to improve on Neil. I don't know, but. But we'll have a whole bunch of songs that we think do work better than the originals. And that'll be our show next week.

[Dora Levitt]

Yes.

[Sponsor Message Announcer]

This message comes from Whole Foods Market. What's in your kid's lunchbox at Whole Foods Market? They've already done the studying. Over 300 food ingredients are banned from their shelves. No hydrogenated fats in the peanut butter and no high fructose corn syrup in the cookies. And for sandwiches, there are no synthetic nitrates or nitrites in any of their deli meat. So you can pack lunch boxes with peace of mind. Get back to school. Ready at Whole Foods Market.

[Robin Hilton]

All right, Dory, you've got one more song you want to play.

[Dora Levitt]

I do. And originally I was like, I'm going to play three. I even ran up to you earlier today, and I was like, robyn, I'm playing only pop music. And then I forgot.

[Robin Hilton]

It's death metal.

[Dora Levitt]

It's death metal. Yeah. And then I was like, you know what? I'm just going to play a last song that's just screaming. You'll like it. It's like they won't.

[Robin Hilton]

You know how much I love that from Lars Bean on.

[Dora Levitt]

Yeah, yeah. It's just screaming. I'll perform it live.

[Robin Hilton]

It's your own cover?

[Dora Levitt]

Yeah, it's my own cover of Just Screaming. No, no. This song is actually, so far, only available on bandcamp. It's by this artist named Dauna, and it's the first track off of their mixtape that just came out called African Family Laptop Music. And the song is called I Am a Woman Too.

[Robin Hilton]

I'm a woman, too.

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 4]

Just finish up and close the door. I am we saw in my. So I'll be fighting for myself I am a soldier and I'm a soldier not for when I get your people Come help your brother out. Come help yourself Just raise your fist. What it mean? What it mean? To call on God but you won't go now what it mean? What it mean? What it mean? What you mean? What it meant? What it mean? What it mean? I can dream now. Oh, God, I be so searching for peace now.

[Robin Hilton]

Man, that beat loop through is so captivating, right? Instantly captivating. But what is going on in the song? Because the imagery is crazy.

[Dora Levitt]

It's really crazy. And so it's interesting. I was reading about this project by Dauna, who's a completely new to Me artist. And like I said, this project is only on Bandcamp. And they were saying that. That when they created this mixtape, they were recovering from a traumatic brain injury that gave them amnesia, and so they actually don't really remember recording a lot of this project.

[Robin Hilton]

Oh, wow.

[Dora Levitt]

Which is really crazy because it is so heavy and it feels like it touches on so many intricacies of family and identity, and it adds an extra layer, knowing that a lot of these images are shrouded in this amnesia and this not knowing.

[Robin Hilton]

So you can't even say really, that there was something very specific that they were trying to get at in the song because it has since eluded them what they were originally. I mean, wow.

[Dora Levitt]

And the whole project, they do say, was created to talk about their family in this very compositionally simple way and kind of through a lot of abstraction. And I really do love how simple and also how sample based this song is. It reminds me of some of Dijon's stuff and some of James Blake's work.

[Robin Hilton]

Yes, very spare. But that beat, it never gets old. I mean, it stays the same throughout the whole. But it's just such an arresting sound.

[Dora Levitt]

Yeah. And that vocalization, too, the singing in between. Yeah, it's so beautiful.

[Robin Hilton]

So they're from Baltimore?

[Dora Levitt]

Yeah, yeah, Baltimore, Yeah. But based in the UK now.

[Robin Hilton]

Oh, okay. I see.

[Dora Levitt]

And it seems like they have a new album that's gonna be coming out this year. They just got signed to True Panther.

[Robin Hilton]

Well, the song I Am a Woman Too, and so that's just on Bandcamp, at least as of this taping. So I've got one more to take us out on here. Do you know Adam Wiltse? Do you know him or Stars of the Lid?

[Dora Levitt]

I know Stars of the Lid.

[Robin Hilton]

So he's part of Stars of the Lid. He's also in a group called Wing Victory for the Solon. How about you probably then know Johann Johansson?

[Dora Levitt]

Yeah, yeah, of course.

[Robin Hilton]

Film composer. Well, Adam Wiltse, ambient composer, he's done a number of film scores as well. Johann Johansson, I guess you would call him. Maybe a neoclassical, you know, sort of ambient and electronic artist. Also done tons of film scores, some of my all time favorites. Arrival, Sicario, Prisoners. So Johann Johansen, he died in 2018, but before he died, he and Adam Wiltson, they did tons of stuff together and made lots of recordings together. Absolute dream collab for me. The music they make is so perfectly suited for each other. You know, gorgeous, moody, perfect hybrid of organic and electronic synthesized sounds. Well, we've just learned that Adam Wiltse has gone through all of those recordings that they made together, and he's put together an album called Friendship Survival Guide. Friendship Survival Guide. Friendship Survival Guide, which is the name alone. It's just like, I'm all in. Put me in it is just about as transcendent as you would ever hope it could be. The song I want to play from it, it's a short one, especially when you think of ambient or drone music. You know, a lot of it can be pretty long, just a couple minutes long. But it's called White Gloves and Turtlenecks. White Gloves and Turtlenecks. And I should note that in addition to other contributors, like Tim Hecker is on this album, engineer Steve Albini also worked on it before he passed away in 2024. So there's just a lot of spiritual and emotional weight in this music, an added emotional quality. Yeah, definitely. This is out on September 18th. The album is out on September 18th. Friendship Survival Guide. But we'll go out on the song White Gloves and Turtlenecks.

[Dora Levitt]

Dora Levitt, Robin Hilton, you know, every time I'm trying to pick my songs, I'm trying to guess what you're gonna play.

[Robin Hilton]

Oh, yeah.

[Dora Levitt]

And I've yet to guess right.

[Robin Hilton]

Well, you know, Tom Huizenga from NPR Music is gonna do a show coming up. And he said, what if I pick something that you pick? I really think you're gonna pick this. And I said, you know, last time Dora was on, she said, I'm certain you're gonna play this song. And I hadn't even heard of the artist that she was gonna play.

[Dora Levitt]

So I had like a whole bunch of songs that I was like, yeah, I should probably listen to this because Robin will play it.

[Sponsor Message Announcer]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

I do not know as much as you might think I know. So always surprised and always a great hang, Dora.

[Dora Levitt]

Always a great hang. Robyn.

[Robin Hilton]

It's All Songs Considered from npr.

[Song Lyrics Vocalist 3]

Foreign.

[Sponsor Message Announcer]

This message comes from ixl. IXL provides personalized learning and powerful insights that help teachers boost achievement and understand student progress in real time. Learn [e-mail] NPR this message comes from the NPR Wine Club, which has generated over $1.75 million to support NPR whether buying a few bottles or joining the club. Learn [e-mail] podcast must be 21 or older to purchase support for NPR and the following message come from Disney what does it take to build a world people never want to leave? Hear from James Cameron, Jon Favreau, Kevin Feige and more in director Leslie Iwerks, Disney World Builders coming to Disney on August 20th.