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Most Pretentious Move in Music History? (Beck releases album on sheet music only)

downtownrobbrowndowntownrobbrown 446 Posts
edited November 2012 in Strut Central
Beck has announced that his newest album will arrive in the form of Beck Hansen's Song Reader, meaning you won't know what the songs sound like unless you put some work in. What is a song reader, you ask? It's an experimental collection of individual pieces of sheet music. In this case, none of the 20 songs have been recorded or released before. It'll be available through indie publishing house McSweeney's in December of this year.

"The songs here are as unfailingly exciting as you'd expect from their author, but if you want to hear 'Do We? We Do,' or 'Don't Act Like Your Heart Isn't Hard,' bringing them to life depends on you," reads the McSweeney's site. That is correct, you'll have to literally play the songs yourself. In addition to the sheet music, the package will include original art from an array of visual artists across 109 pages. Readers' and select musicians' versions of the song will later be featured on the McSweeney's site.

Thumbs down on this one in my opinion.

  Comments

  • fishmongerfunkfishmongerfunk 4,154 Posts
    this is an extremely old-fashioned approach that makes zero sense in today's world. there was a time that many families had pianos and piano players and sheet music publishing was a huge industry. for some, it was the only way to hear a piece of music. now , everyone either has a computer or a least has access to one so what the fuck is this all about?

    dudes with 1890's mustaches, scarves and the like will probably praise this luddite move but it is beyond pretenious and ridiculous.
  • ketanketan Warmly booming riffs 3,102 Posts
    When this was first announced over the summer (latte pass, btw), I heard some interesting thougts about the concept. For example, you can probably expect a whole range of "covers" pop up on Youtube that encompass the whole album or specific songs (think: DangerMaus)... and those versions will be entirely creative with respect to what Beck intended for the songs. And then eventually, say one year down the line, Beck can tour the album with his own versions (or possibly building on covers he likes) and maybe eventually release his own version of the album.

    In the context of declining album sales, this seems like a pretty interesting way to find new ways to promote and monetize a "record".
  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,471 Posts
    McSweeny's. Of course.
  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Manhatin' 7,823 Posts
    I love the idea. He clearly doesn't need the money, so he's doing something he thinks is interesting. Try downloading that for free, assholes.
  • Otis_FunkmeyerOtis_Funkmeyer 1,321 Posts
    I think it's cool, it's just not "releasing an album". This is called "publishing music" and happens everyday, just not with all the fancy packaging.
    I think it would be fun to make your own versions of these songs. I wonder how specific the instrumentation, voicing and dynamics are written.
  • TheKindCromangTheKindCromang 1,463 Posts
    The "Deluxe" version comes with the Dust Brothers' list of songs to sample plus "START" and "END" time code for each loop.
  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    DB_Cooper said:
    . Try downloading that for free, assholes.

    I'm looking forward to the day when an established artist like Beck or Prince release a new LP and the only way to hear it is to pay them $10.000 to come to your home and perform it live.
  • jjfad027jjfad027 1,594 Posts
    Interesting move. Does it come with midi files?
  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    So if you don't know how to read music and/or don't have access to any instruments, you are shit out of luck (if you consider not being able to hear Beck's music as unfortunate)?
  • Controller_7Controller_7 4,052 Posts
    Someone will record a version that will go viral a la Call Me Maybe or Gangnam Style and Mr Hanson will laugh all the way to the bank with his writer's credits.
  • The_NonThe_Non 5,691 Posts
    DB_Cooper said:
    I love the idea. He clearly doesn't need the money, so he's doing something he thinks is interesting. Try downloading that for free, assholes.
    PDF, the new (old) mp3
  • leonleon 883 Posts
    Thymebomb13 said:
    Beck has always bored the shit out of me.

    He's still doing it.

    Fortunately we won't be confronted by his new music on the radio.
  • rootlesscosmorootlesscosmo 12,848 Posts
    this is like Jay releasing his Black Album acapellas, basically inviting people to interpret these songs.
  • TheKindCromangTheKindCromang 1,463 Posts
    Beck has requested any versions created are strictly limited to being played inside one's own mind

    :next_level:
  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts
    This is a super cool move.
    Like the next level on from when Radiohead released all their backing tracks.
    Let people interpret and then release the og.

    Sheet music is balleur.

    B/w I have several lots up on the bay
    Seller: kellst
    Check it!
    ::runs for cover::
  • fishmongerfunkfishmongerfunk 4,154 Posts
    skel said:

    B/w I have several lots up on the bay
    Seller: kellst
    Check it!
    ::runs for cover::

    please to post a link, skel...
  • SIRUSSIRUS 2,554 Posts
    Controller_7 said:
    Someone will record a version that will go viral a la Call Me Maybe or Gangnam Style and Mr Hanson will laugh all the way to the bank with his writer's credits.
  • mrmatthewmrmatthew 1,575 Posts
    Maybe he is trying to help resuce the Sheet Music Industry...which anyone will tell you has been decimated by the Internets.
  • BeatsoupBeatsoup 511 Posts
    I think this is pretty interesting and he does plan to record the songs so I wouldn't say it's pretentious, just an experiment. It's cool to see an established artist try something new (very old in this case) and flip the way things are done. It's like Radio head's in rainbows starting the pay what you can model that band camp is now uses.

    An unknown artist would probably completely waste their time with the sheet music approach tho.
  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts
    crabmongerfunk said:
    skel said:

    B/w I have several lots up on the bay
    Seller: kellst
    Check it!
    ::runs for cover::

    please to post a link, skel...

    Hi N**h
    I could never post a link to an auction with original Jacksons, Van McCoy, Johnny Bristol and og rock n punk n pop shert music classics from the day, that would be the most shameless plug.
    I wouldnt even recommend searching for "sheet music lots" or seller kellst, that's still so underhand as to be deeply and brazenly uncool in extremis.

    ::wink::
  • mrmatthewmrmatthew 1,575 Posts
    On a related note, King Britt releases "plantable" cd.

    http://datagarden.org/5934/king-britt-the-bee-and-the-stamen/


    Is this pretentious?
  • sabadabadasabadabada 5,966 Posts
    leon said:
    Thymebomb13 said:
    Beck has always bored the shit out of me.

    He's still doing it.

    Fortunately we won't be confronted by his new music on the radio.

    Perfect.
  • Bon VivantBon Vivant The Eye of the Storm 2,018 Posts
    mrmatthew said:
    On a related note, King Britt releases "plantable" cd.

    http://datagarden.org/5934/king-britt-the-bee-and-the-stamen/


    Is this pretentious?

    Fuck yeah, it is.

    King Britt disappeared up his own arse a minute ago.
  • downtownrobbrowndowntownrobbrown 446 Posts
    wow holy fuck.
  • NizerachiNizerachi 19 Posts
    The tracks only exist when you play the sheets. No CDs, no mp3s etc. It's like it removes the physical existence of the music. Think it's a real cool idea
  • BallzDeepBallzDeep 612 Posts
    i'll cop.
  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,913 Posts
    This was the principle way that music was enjoyed, consumed and performed for most of the last century. It's no more "pretentious" than the way Daptone makes records.
  • Possum SlimPossum Slim 353 Posts
    Sounds like a lot of sheet to me.
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