** Beck honours Cohen: Beck has enlisted Devendra Banhart and members of MGMT, Wolfmother and Little Joy for album No 2 in his Record Club project. Songs of Leonard Cohen will be posted in dribs and drabs on Beck.com.

** Ziggy the spiderman: David Bowie has had a new breed of spider named after him. The yellow hetropoda davidbowie is an endangered species native to Malaysia, and was so named for Bowie’s legendary backing band, The Spiders from Mars.

** Bee Gees are back? Robin and Barry Gibb have declared their intention to reunite. The surviving Bee Gees have not performed together since the death of brother Maurice in 2003, but are said to be planning live shows.

** A Stripe for Stones: Rumours abound that Jack White will produce a new Rolling Stones album. White has collaborated with Keith Richards, who is not denying that a bigger project may be in the works.