favorite beck album? (official beck thread)

[MacGuffin]

Beck To Release Sheet Music 'Album' in December
Source: Billboard

Beck fans won't have to wait much longer for a new album... that is, if they can play the music themselves.

The alt-rock veteran announced on Wednesday (Aug. 8 ) via his website that he will partner with McSweeny's to release a 20-song album in an "almost-forgotten form" -- sheet music! -- in December. The music from "Beck Hansen's Music Reader," including new songs "Do We? We Do" and "Don't Act Like Your Heart Isn't Hard," won't be performed by the man himself. Select renditions of the songs will then be featured on McSweeny's website for less musically inclined fans to enjoy.

Aside from the sheet music, "Beck Hansen's Song Reader" will include 108 pages worth of material and 20 individual song booklets, with "full color, heyday-of-home-play-inspired art" for each track from artists such as Marcel Dzama (who did the artwork for Beck's "Guero"), Leanne Shapton, Josh Cochran, Jessica Hische and more. There will also be an introduction by Slate's Jody Rosen and a foreword from the mastermind himself, Beck.

Before the collection of sheet music is unveiled, however, Beck will perform a "secret" show at Bimbo's in San Francisco on Thursday night. Tickets for the show are on sale now.

Earlier this year, Beck collaborated on a single, "I Just Started Hating Some People Today," with Jack White for his Third Man Records imprint.

[Alexandro]

is this the ultimate anti piracy tactic? let the fans make the music.

[Robyn]

I think he's just desperate to make something different.

[MacGuffin]

Beck Announces New Album Morning Phase, Signs to Capitol Records

Beck has signed to Capitol Records, who will release his new album Morning Phase. It's out in February 2014.

The album features many of the same musicians from his 2002 album Sea Change (Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Joey Waronker, Smokey Hormel, Roger Joseph Manning Jr., and Jason Falkner). The press release describes it as "a companion piece of sorts" to that album. Full album details are forthcoming.

Morning Phase follows a series of singles, including "Gimme", "Defriended", and "I Won't Be Long". It also follows last year's sheet music project, Beck Hansen's Song Reader.

[Reel]

This will be my guaranteed favorite album of '14

[Alexandro]

I've been updating myself on Beck, in a way, forced because of his scarce output since Modern Guilt and I really think he is in some kind of creative roll. The stuff in the Phillip Glass record, particularly his 20 minutes track, the music for Sound Shapes, his addictive cover of I only have Eyes for You (probably the best version I've ever heard of this song) as many other small tidbits from his Record Club sessions (I particularly like some of the Cohen covers and the Velvet Underground "Sunday Morning" version), along with some of the great stuff a lot of artists did with his Song Reader (that Do we song was awesome in almost every version) have convinced me he's not desperate but more like really restless, which is the usual with him. Because he had not released an album since MG I was feeling that the energy had waned, and the guy who made 1000 songs was tired, but I now I think the opposite.

The last few songs that are supposed to appear in the next album are really rich, musically and surprisingly catchy.

[Lottery]

His best album is Guero. Maybe. I also quite like the one before and the one after it.

[modage]

His best album is Guero. Maybe. I also quite like the one before and the one after it.

NO NO NO. Good God, no.

[Lottery]

His best album is Guero. Maybe. I also quite like the one before and the one after it.

NO NO NO. Good God, no.

ACCEPT IT MODAGE, ACCEPT.

It's just so enjoyable, Guero I mean.

[MacGuffin]

Beck Shares Details of New Album Morning Phase, Including Jack White Sessions
Source: Pitchfork

Speaking with Rolling Stone, Beck shared some details about his upcoming LP, Morning Phase, which is out in February through Capitol. As noted, the record features many of the musicians from 2002's Sea Change, including Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Joey Waronker (currently of Atoms for Peace), Smokey Hormel, and Roger Joseph Manning Jr. Beck described the record as coming from the tradition of  "California music" and said, "I'm hearing the Byrds, Crosby Stills and Nash, Gram Parsons, Neil Young—the bigger idea of what that sound is to me."

Per Rolling Stone, song titles include "Wave", "Unforgiven", "Blue Moon", "Say Goodbye", "Waking Light," "Blackbird Chain", and "Country Dawn". The latter three were recorded in 2011 in Nashville at Jack White's Third Man Records. (Those sessions also yielded a single for Third Man.) Beck produced the record, while his father David Campbell once again handled the brass and string arrangements.

Since 2008's Modern Guilt, Beck has also recorded a different full-length, which he's been sharing through his recent singles series—including "Gimme", "Defriended", and "I Won't Be Long". He says he hopes to have that album out at some point, and is also halfway done with yet another record, to be released later in 2014.

[Alexandro]

I couldn't resist and I downloaded Morning Phase. I'll eventually buy it physically as I've done with all the others.
To me, the album starts on a weak note. The first track, well, the second track since the first one is a strings intro, sounds so much like The Golden Age, like it follows every beat form that song that I thought "well, they said this was going to be a 'spiritual successor' to sea change, but this sounds more like a rehash". I was underwhelmed (even though the song is pretty great and moving). Thankfully, right after that the album goes in a new, different direction and it starts growing track by track, easily becoming one of his best. I haven't really paid attention to the lyrics, but I can feel is a very resonant thing emotionally, filled with textures and lived in atmosphere in the sounds. It sounds so effortless. I came back to it a couple of times after my first, and the third one really blew me away. i forgive that first track, because the rest is truly amazing. loved the ending too, I don't think Beck has ever finished a record with a bang like here.

[wilder]

Beck On 'Morning Phase' - NPR