… started today over on beck.com with the classic Songs Of Leonard Cohen, Leonard Cohen’s first album. It is full of amazing poetic songs and haunting folk melodies—that can easily be reinterpreted every which way. This sounds like it will be an experimental and creative Record Club.
Go and enjoy!
The band according to beck.com is Beck, Devendra Banhart, Ben Goldwasser & Andrew VanWyngarden & Matthew Asti (from the band MGMT), Andrew Stockdale from Wolfmother, Binki Shapiro from Little Joy, and two members of Beck’s band (and the last Record Club), Brian Lebarton and Bram Inscore.
Connections! Beck and Devendra are apparently friends, as Devendra opened a show for Beck, and they did a joint interview together in some guitar magazine once. Beck I believe said that one of Devendra’s songs is one of his son’s favorites, and at the show they did together, they sang a couple of songs together. Also reportedly, Beck has produced a song with Devendra for some upcoming release (details sketchy, but Beck mentioned it in an interview).
MGMT opened much of Beck’s Modern Guilt tours, and they shared the stage a few times (including this crazy show, which by the way, someone must have a recording of to share with us?).
Binki Shapiro is also a friend, an LA musician, she appeared in some of the Information videos and sang backup on a Sia song (which Beck also sang backup on).
Beck said “Andrew [Stockdale] from Wolfmother showed up at some point. That’s how it’s been working out. We’ll get together a group of people, and other people start showing up.”
Leonard Cohen was one of Beck’s stated influences on Sea Change. (Anyone got the quote?)
I’ve noticed an eponymous pattern here: “Velvet Underground & Nico,” “Songs of Leonard Cohen” … the name of the artist’s in the album title. If this plays out, the Talking Heads album may be “Talking Heads 77,” or even better, “The Name of This Band is Talking Heads.” Would Beck and crew dare to cover a double live album? Of course, we know he did “Oar” with Wilco, so the theory falls apart.