Beck recently covered David Bowie's 'Sound and Vision' for a new commercial campaign launched by the Lincoln car company. It's part of a new series called 'Hello, Again,' in which newer artists cover older classics.
Earlier this year, when Beck announced plans to release his 'Song Reader' book, which features sheet music for 20 songs he wrote but hasn't recorded, he hoped other musicians would take on the challenge of piecing together the tunes and maybe even try recording them. Now that 'Reader' is out -- it hit shelves earlier this month -- some musicians are doing just that, and Beck has started a website, songreader.net, which features videos of various musicians -- most of them amateurs -- trying their hand at interpreting the songs.
Beck certainly hasn't been resting on his laurels. He's been working on a variety of new songs and projects, and he recently contributed to the an art installation at the Hirshhorn Museum, lent a song to the 'Jeff Who Lives at Home' soundtrack, recorded another with Jack White for White's Third Man Records and even composed tunes for a video game soundtrack. But there's been little in the way of news on the follow-up to his last full-length album, 2008′s ‘Modern Guilt.' That is, until now.
Fans eagerly awaiting a new album from Beck, your time has come — only with one little catch: You have to play the tunes yourself. The alt-rock icon has announced plans to release something called ‘The Beck Hansen Song Reader,’ featuring 20 previously unheard songs existing only in the form of sheet music. You do know what sheet music is, don’t you?
