"This has been very challenging": Tweedy covering the Black Eyed Peas

​Check it: New Wilco album (The Whole Love, out Sept. 27) means new Wilco video (for "Born Alone"), means new Wilco tour (alas, no Bay Area dates yet.)

But the best of today's Wilco developments is a video captured of Jeff Tweedy covering the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" at a party last night in Chicago. After warning the room that his cover will suck, Tweedy picks his way through the song, laying its lamebrained repetitiveness bare with just an acoustic guitar and then reminding the audience -- which is cracking up -- which words they have to shout along to the song. It's pretty darn funny.

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Meklit Hadero and Quinn Deveaux

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Ethiopian-born S.F. singer (and NPR favorite) Meklit Hadero and soul/bluesman (and SF Weekly favorite) Quinn DeVeaux are working on a new covers album slotted for release next January. Their project began with a live acapella take on Sam Cooke's "Bring it on Home to Me" -- and its latest product is a gem.

In late July, they recorded a video of a pared-down version of Arcade Fire's "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)," with just two voices and a quiet acoustic guitar. It's beautiful. For one thing, it's awesome to see how well the song holds together melodically, even without original's anthemic instrumentation. But DeVeaux and Hadero have natural voices for this collaboration, and an obvious chemistry, too -- their cover finds a sweet, sad intimacy that the album-opening original, while stunning, never had.

Check out Meklit Hadero and Quinn DeVeaux's take on this Arcade Fire favorite after the jump.

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"God bless you and your American thighs," he sings.

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Considering it's track two of the Blockbuster Album of 2011 -- and the latest single -- you must know the song: Adele's "Rumour Has It" [delightful British spelling sic]: A stabbing post-breakup romp with the R&B diva's soaring voice front-and-center.

It wouldn't have been the first choice of material for Oakland crunk-pop misfit Wallpaper -- and that's exactly why his cover, just posted by Live 105, is a little shocking. Also, the lyrics: Somewhat ironically, Wallpaper's Ricky Reed nastied-up the tune to ensure his version won't ever get played on the radio, at least not without a lot of bleeping. Hear it after the jump.

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