Beck Releasing Sheet Music ‘Album’ Later This Year

If you’re anxious to hear Beck’s new album, you’d better know how to play and read music!

The 42-year-old indie-alt rocker announced on his website that he’s partnering with American publishing house McSweeney’s to release a 20-song album titled Beck Hansen’s Music Reader in December. The unique thing about this record is it will be in the “almost-forgotten form” of sheet music, so if you want to hear it, you’ll have to perform it yourself. If that’s not your cup of tea then you’ll be able to hear select renditions (by readers and select musicians) of some of the album’s songs when they’re featured on McSweeney’s website.

According to Beck, the album will include “108 pages comprising 20 individual full-color song booklets—18 featuring original lyrics, and 2 instrumentals—with covers from more than a dozen different artists.” It measures 9.5” x 12.5” and will feature “original art from Marcel Dzama (who created the imagery for Beck’s acclaimed Guero), Leanne Shapton, Josh Cochran, Jessica Hische, and many more, as well as an introduction by Jody Rosen (Slate, The New York Times)” as well as a foreword by Beck himself.

Beck never ceases to amaze me. This is a pretty ingenious idea and I’m surprised nobody’s thought of doing it before now. Props to him for thinking of an original and quirky way to showcase his art and music.