Tagged: beck + topstories

Beck boasts one of the most interesting, most schizophrenic discographies of any contemporary artist this side of David Bowie. Like Bowie, Beck has built a career on restlessness and reinvention, trouncing expectations impishly, almost recklessly. While rock-critic hindsight usually reveals this long-con approach as the thing that separates stars from legends, contenders from trendsetters (or, say, Warren Zevon from Bob Dylan), it also almost guarantees, with each new release, the increasing alienation of entire portions of a fanbase. Fans of Beck's ramshackle, stoned folk as heard on Golden Feelings and One Foot In The Grave might [...]

Beck boasts one of the most interesting, most schizophrenic discographies of any contemporary artist this side of David Bowie. Like Bowie, Beck has built a career on restlessness and reinvention, trouncing expectations impishly, almost recklessly. While rock-critic hindsight usually reveals this long-con approach as the thing that separates stars from legends, contenders from trendsetters (or, say, Warren Zevon from Bob Dylan), it also almost guarantees, with each new release, the increasing alienation of entire portions of a fanbase. Fans of Beck's ramshackle, stoned folk as heard on Golden Feelings and One Foot In The Grave might [...]

This is a first. I'm reviewing an album having only actually heard about a third of it. Of this third, the songs I've actually listened to are not performances by the artist whose name graces the album cover. In fact, I'm not sure he's even heard any of these performances. I know for a fact he hasn't heard at least one (i.e., mine - more on that later). Read More...

In 2012, the very idea of a breakup record has been rendered something of an anachronism. The divorce-album-as-discographica l-inevitability is a phenomenon that historically occurs deep into an established artist's career, and very few new artists are afforded that sort of shelf life anymore. But it wasn't long ago that the notion of a mainstream artist gambling their reputation by over-sharing was as ubiquitous a rock and roll cliché as the double live album and the heroic destruction of a Doubletree suite. Records like Dylan's Blood On The Tracks , Marvin Gaye's Here, My Dear , and Val Stoecklein's [...]

Yeah, the Flaming Lips have found some unusual ways to present their music - headphone concerts, Zaireeka - but man, they've got nothing on Beck. Song Reader , the follow-up to the man's Grammy-nominated Modern Guilt , will only be available as sheet music . According to Becks new, um, label (?), McSweeney's: Read More...

Stereogum Yeah, the Flaming Lips have found some unusual ways to present their music - headphone concerts, Zaireeka - but man, they've got nothing on Beck. Song Reader , the follow-up to the man's Grammy-nominated Modern Guilt , will only be available as sheet music . According to Becks new, um, label (?), McSweeney's: Read More... [...]

Childish Gambino, the rap alter-ego of Community 's Donald Glover, seems to be working overtime to make me take him seriously lately, an effort that includes collabs with great rappers like Schoolboy Q and Heems . And now he's taken a different tack: A new track called "untitled" that features Beck. And not just any Beck: The surreal stream-of-consciousness half-rapping Beck of the Mellow Gold days. Download the track below. Read More...

• Childish Gambino - untitled [feat. Beck]

Stereogum Childish Gambino, the rap alter-ego of Community 's Donald Glover, seems to be working overtime to make me take him seriously lately, an effort that includes collabs with great rappers like Schoolboy Q and Heems . And now he's taken a different tack: A new track called "Silk Pillow" that features Beck. And not just any Beck: The surreal stream-of-consciousness half-rapping Beck of the Mellow Gold days. Download the track below. Read More... [...]

The Bridge School Benefit began celebrating its 25th year yesterday with performances by Dave Matthews, Eddie Vedder, Beck, Arcade Fire, Mumford & Sons, and of course organizer Neil Young. Young joined fellow Canadians Arcade Fire for a stellar acoustic version of his "Helpless." Watch and download: Read More...

• Arcade Fire & Neil Young - Helpless

A tribute album to John Martyn, Johnny Boy Would Love This has just been released and it features two discs of covers from the likes of Beck, Lisa Hannigan, long-time collaborator Phil Collins, Snow Patrol, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Swell Season , Beth Orton and The Cure’s Robert Smith. The release will also include a DVD with interviews, special John Martyn performances and a music video. All proceeds from the record will go to Martyn’s family. John Martyn spent the latter part of his life in Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny but before that [...]

We knew Beck was one of the many guests on the upcoming Lonely Island album Turtleneck And Chain . Now you can hear him on "Attracted To Us," a fast and bubbly singalong that reminds me of the Mae Shi because of the shouted/chanted group chorus and synths, and Childish Gambino for all the shoutouts to nerdy/hippie/Asian girls. Beck does a verse and part of the chorus, but you can also hear him in the background during the other chaotic, layered parts. Listen at Some Kind Of Awesome . It's [...]

Today marks the release of the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Original Motion Picture soundtrack, featuring Beck , Broken Social Scene , Metric , and Frank Black (just to mention a few), plus the original score composed by Nigel Godrich is hitting stores as well. To help celebrate, we attended a 'Meet the Filmmakers' session at the Apple Store in SoHo featuring Director Edgar Wright, Michael Cera, Anna Kendrick, and Jason Schwartzman. Check out an audio link to the Q&A and a bunch of exclusive photos from the [...]