In what some are describing as “the weirdest drone record of the year”, Spiritualized leader Jason Pierce has recorded an album alongside… bees.

Pierce- one of “the last great outsiders“– may have long moved on from the heady days of Spacemen 3 (where he famously described his process as “taking drugs to make music to take drugs to”), but few would have expected this collaboration.

For the album, Pierce, alongside Icelandic group Amiina, cellist Diedre Bencsik, vocalist Camille Buttress, legendary producer Youth and fellow Spiritualised member John Coxon improvised alongside a live feed of an actual beehive which formed part of artist Wolfgang Butters UK Pavillion art exhibition (a 17 metre high honeycomb).

The record will be released on Rivertones, and is available for pre-order here. All the musicians involved will be performing the album live (alongside 40,000 bees) at Nothingham Arts Theatre in February.

Of course, we’re all very glad Sting wasn’t involved.

[via FACT]