When Dr. Dog had a day off in Tucson, Arizona, recently, the band decided to use their time to make a gift for Kanye West. Earlier this fall, West gave props to Dr. Dog by posting the music video for their song 'The Ark' on his blog, calling it "beautiful." Dr. Dog's Frank McElroy and Zach Miller recently revealed to Spinner that they felt like sending West a "Thank You" note, Dr. Dog-style.

"We figured it was just an open invitation to cover one of his songs," Miller says. So the band bunkered down in a friend's studio for what McElroy called a "14-hour session from about 2 in the afternoon until about 6 in the morning," (um, better check your math there, friend) to, yes, record a Kanye West cover.

Unfortunately, fans shouldn't hold their breath for the download any time soon. "It was never to be released," McElroy says. "It was just to send to him." (In other words, be patient and maybe we'll get to hear it on the box-set in, say, 2012).

In the meantime, band members have mixed feelings about how the West cover turned out. "It was just kind of a fun thing to do on a day off and I guess we'll see what becomes of it," Miller says, who won't even reveal which song they chose. "We don't want to ruin the surprise for him."

We're sure it's great, but just in case, we'd like to remind Mr. West that it's the thought that counts.