Levi's

Levi's has experienced a renaissance of sorts in the past few years - in part due to their price point and placement in semi-hip stores, and in larger part due to a masterful advertising campaign. Somehow Levi's, in spite of their ubiquity, managed to brand themselves as the original. I still vividly remember their "Pioneers, O Pioneers" ad. The dude reading Walt Whitman has a ruggedly cool voice. And more than one denim company has not so subtly borrowed from their "band of youths frolicking around a fire" idea. Levi's recently made another wise move - gathering interesting (or semi-interesting) artists and commissioning them to record covers to then release for free online. Check out the Levi's Pioneer Sessions. At the moment, you can download tracks from Nas, The Swell Season, and She & Him. On the horizon are songs from Dirty Projectors, The Shins, John Legend, and others. Watch the Levi's performance from She & Him below (as well as the ad that spawned this whole Pioneers idea). Go here to download the available tracks.

- Joel