Have you heard about what Beck is up to these day? It’s super cool. He calls it Record Club: “is an informal meeting of various musicians to record an album in a day“. He brings together a wide variety of artists to record a classic album in its entirety, all in one day. Beck is the coolest. For real.

I love the creativity involved in this project. And the musicians involved! The collaborations are pretty neat. Beck even put together little videos for each of the tracks. Check out a sampling of my favourite offerings from the 3 albums worth of material Beck has released through Record Club.

The Velvet Underground & Nico

For the first album of the project Beck brought together Nigel Godrich one of Radiohead’s producers, drummer Joey Waronker, Beck’s keyboardist Brian Lebarton, Bram Inscore, and Thorunn Magnusdottir, among others to cover the 1967 album The Velvet Underground & Nico.

Heroin (Alt version)

All Tomorrows Parties

Record Club: Velvet Underground & Nico “All Tomorrow’s Parties” from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.

Songs Of Leonard Cohen

Beck brought together Devendra Banhart, Ben, Andrew and Will from MGMT, Andrew from Wolfmother and Binki from Little Joy, among others to cover every song from the 1967 album The Songs of Leonard Cohen.

Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye

Winter Lady

Record Club: Songs Of Leonard Cohen “Winter Lady” from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.

Skip Spence’s Oar

Wilco, Jamie Lidell and Feist came together with Beck and others to redo Alexander “Skip” Spence’s 1969 album Oar.

Books of Moses

Little Hands

Record Club: Skip Spence “Little Hands” from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.

If you are left wanting more, head over to Beck’s Record Club!

Indie hip hop duo N.A.S.A. earned some serious cred with me when they brought on Tom Waits to do some back up vocals on their track Spacious Thoughts. Check out the video that was released this week:

If you like what you hear, check out the N.A.S.A. ablum, Spirit of Apollo over at Amazon, as well as Tom Waits’ amazing live CD Glitter and Doom live.

Spirit of Apollo (2009)

Glitter and Doom (2009)

Don Diablo & Example

Hooligans (Don Diablo’s Drive-by Disco Mix) – Don Diablo & Example

Where’s all the hooligans?
The nasty music fans
Lets see you break some bits and make this pit a zoo again

One of the hardest working men in the biz is about to release his first official single in the UK late next month. It’s a collaboration with Example called Hooligans. The track has a hardcore vibe, as does the video, and the proclamation through out the song:

We came, We saw, We killed the crowd

Check out the video:

Rolling Stone magazine reports today that the break in Britney Spear’s act at GM Place in Vancouver, BC was a result of Toxic plumes of marijuana smoke. After returning to the stage, and finishing her show, Spears addresses the crowd, “Drive Safe. Don’t smoke weed. Rock out with your cocks out.”

Hmm… Perhaps the pop-princess might like to share some of her precription pills with the rest of us, so that we might be able to get through her performances, which some young concert goers described as “the worst show I’ve ever seen” on Vancouver’s Breakfast Television the morning. Oh Britney… can you really not handle these normal concert conditions? I know all that lip-syncing is tough and all, but all of the other artists I have seen at GM Place have been able to handle the “ventilation”. At least you had the decency to finish the show after the air had cleared, with what those kids paid for tickets and all.

Here’s a fresh mix of Britney Spears‘ Circus, remixed by Friscia and Lamboy:  Britney Spears – Circus (Friscia and Lamboy Mix)

Despite all of her faults, Spears does provide good fodder for all of the talented remixers out there!

The Kings of Leon

Plus

Lykke Li

Equals

Knocked Up (Lykke Li Vs. Rodeo Mashup)

I cannot get enough of this mashup!

The three brothers and one cousin that make up  Kings of Leon released the original version of Knocked Up on their 2007 album, Because of the Times. It’s a good track, I’ll admit, despite it’s out of place rock out moments, but the mashup they put together with Lykke Li well surpasses the original. The track was released in the UK on the Kings of Leon single for Use Somebody late last year. The track has a very dreamy, almost Jesus and Mary Chain, feel to it. With excellent production bringing together the smooth, yet intriguing interplay of Lykke Li’s sweet and innocent vocals with Caleb Followill’s strong masculine, at times even rough, voice. The tune is beautifully addictive, and has me listening to it over and over.

Danielle over at Music is Art put is so well when she said: “Both vocals additively cascade and strengthen throughout the song, eerily creating a memorable duet that’s immersed in lyrics of chaotic masculinity, and melodic shades of pure uninhibited feminine vulnerability”. Beautiful!

For your reference, here is the original of  Kings of Leon’s Knocked Up.