News Roundup: MGMT Give Album Away, Beck Needs You Tonight, Jack White Curbs His Enthusiasm

Beck has posted two covers of Big Star’s “Kangaroo” on his Web site as a tribute to the late Alex Chilton. The first cover comes from a Sea Change tour stop in Japan, and the other was recorded live for the BBC in 2003. In other Beck news, a video recently surfaced, but has since been taken down, of Beck’s Record Club (a group that currently features St. Vincent, Os Mutantes, and Liars) covering INXS’s “Guns In The Sky,” the lead off track to the iconic 1987 album Kick. We love that record! We’ll keep you posted for when the video resurfaces.

2/3rds of the influential indie rock band Sleater-Kinney are reuniting. Guitarist Carrie Brownstein announced she’s formed a new band with Sleater-Kinney/Quasi drummer Janet Weiss. The new quartet, based in Portland, reportedly has seven songs in the can. As for Sleater-Kinney, the NPR blogger says “hopefully [a new Sleater-Kinney] record” will drop “sometime in the next five years.”

Jack White’s The Dead Weather are scheduled to drop their second album in May. Dubbed Sea Of Cowards, it features the single “Die By The Drop,” which will be backed by the b-side “Old Mary.” Spooky album cover.

In a revealing interview with AnotherMag, White talks Curb Your Enthusiasm, his disdain for the word “retro,” and why he likes to collaborate with female artists. 

Sigur Ros frontman Jonsi Birgisson lent his ethereal, unmistakable pipes to a cover of MGMT’s debut single “Time To Pretend” during a recent performance on BBC Radio 1, where he hyped his upcoming solo album, Go.

MGMT’s highly-anticipated second album, Congratulations, is currently streaming for free on the band’s Web site, after the album leaked in advance of it’s April 13 release date. Check out tracks like “Brian Eno” and “Lady Dada’s Nightmare” now!

What’s the coolest song in the world? According to E Street Legend, Little Steven Van Zandt, it’s “Sheena’s Back” by Austin, Texas R&B artist Nick Curran. Van Zandt bestowed the honor on the raucous track on his latest Underground Garage radio show, where he also pimped the LP: “Reform School Girl is the album, and it is a classic.”