You all remember "Still Alive," right? The amazing Jonathan Coulton tune that ran over the end credits of "Portal." It was also released as a free song in "Rock Band." Yeah, that. Well it seems that Coulton is working on a new version of "Still Alive" for his upcoming album, which is being produced by They Might Be Giants songwriter/singer/multi-instrumentalist John Flansburgh.
The Twitter feed for They Might Be Giants exploded this week with new information on Coulton's upcoming album, including word that the "Portal" tune is being re-worked. The song will feature guest appearances from Sara Keirsten Quin, of Tegan and Sara, and Joe McGinty, of The Psychedelic Furs, as well as a theremin solo from Dorit Chrysler. The TMBG feed, presumably being manned by Flansburgh, also reveals that Coulton's new album is set for a bizarrely distant 2013 release.
With the "Portal 2" release now less than two weeks ago, it is highly unlikely the reworked version of the first game's song will be heard. I suppose it's possible that Flansburgh is throwing us off the scent and that the song was completed and inserted into the coming sequel ages ago. More likely though, the new version of "Still Alive" really will be kept under lock and key until Coulton's album hits stores and digital download services in 2013. Which is a bummer.
Then again, with "Still Alive 2.0" planned for a 2013 release and it's strong connections with the "Portal" series... well... who's to say it won't be appearing in the seemingly inevitable "Portal 3"? 2013 release confirmed!