Robert Levon Been, Peter Hayes, and Leah Shaprio carry on after the loss of Michael Been, who was not only their producer and mentor but Robert’s father and a father figure for the whole band. On their seventh album, Specter At The Feast, you can hear BRMC as they go through the motions of dealing with such a loss.

In tribute, they cover “Let the Day Begin”; a song from Michael Been’s former band, The Call. The addition of Peter Hayes’ signature guitar sound gives the song a fresh modern update.

“Fire Walker” introduces an irresistible, slow burning groove that is an immediate highlight.  “Funny Games” features Been on the verses while Hayes comes in to sing a dramatic chorus, adding the perfect dynamic. Other standouts include the straight forward rock and roll of 'Hate the Taste' and "Lose Yourself", which is reminiscent of Coldplay's "Fix You" and equally as epic.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club don’t really look to break any new ground, most of these songs could be flawlessly added to any of their previous records. But rather they continue their tradition of quality songwriting.

I don't know what I think about music made for video game soundtracks but frankly at the end of the day it is music. And in this case brand new music from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and it is awesome. You can hear the track here. 
BRMC bassist Robert Been tells Rolling Stone, "The developers of the game contacted us to see if we were interested in the project. We've never worked with video game developers before and figured it would be a different kind of challenge." 
The soundtrack, Batman: Arkham City, also features the likes of the Duke Spirit and the Raveonettes.

Very sad news today. Michael Been has passed away at 60.

Michael was the singer and guitarist of 80's band, The Call. He was also the sound engineer and producer for his son's band Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.

Truly sad, our deepest sympathies go out to Robert and Peter of BRMC and the whole BRMC crew, as well as the Call. Even briefly meeting him, he was a wonderful person.