Fan of The Flaming Lips? Oslo, Norway-based act Birds Are Better certainly is, and has immortalised that love with a unique cover of their track Do You Realize??.

By Graeme Smith

The project of Stian Fjelldal, Birds Are Better has been featuring on this blog since 2022 and I never consciously miss a chance to share his music. He also never fails to surprise me with his new releases, and this cover is an unexpected one.

It’s difficult to put your stamp on a classic piece of music, and Do You Realize?? certainly fits that description, yet Stian finds a way with his soft and reflective take. His vocals are at their most soulful as he delivers The Flaming Lips’ philosophical and life-affirming message, underpinned by a stripped-back, classical-infused arrangement.

Birds Are Better’s second album The Island – Part Two is out now and you can check out Do You Realize?? below.