Information age

Beck is character that I have cared about (a lot) in the past, and then have completely forgotten about. Admittedly, I haven't made any effort in keeping up with him in the past 6 or so years. But I do recall bursts of pure beauty oozing through my car stereo in 2002 as those singles from Sea Change graced my ears. One of the best concerts I've ever seen (Top Five easily) was Beck at the Metro in Chicago when he was touring in support of Odelay. I also absolutely loved Midnight Vultures. Who cares if it showcased Beck's "funny side". It was the album I turned to back in 1999 if I wanted to cut a rug, you know, bust a move.

I shouldn't give up on someone like this so easily. Beck? Beck! Here's what I've been hearing/reading lately that has brought me back around again...where it's at:

In a recent interview with Beck that I caught on MTV (couldn't find the transcription or video online, how unprofessional of me) he talks about the production of his new album The Information. To paraphrase: instead of using samples taken from various sources as he and everyone else has done in the past, he brought in a group of musicians and had them play loads of various stuff that he thought he might like to sample. He recorded these musicians. These recordings were then pressed to vinyl. These vinyl records were then physically looped by a human being, referred to as a DJ. Just the lengths that he went through to accomplish this are huge. It makes 4 piece rock bands and us laptop jockeys look like chumps. Now, I haven't heard one single song off of The Information, but now, because of this, I want to.

And because of this:

Beck album banned from UK charts (from nme.com)
Beck's new album 'The Information' has been banned from the all-important UK charts as it's extras features break the rules.

The album, which was released on October 2 in the UK, has fallen foul of the rules set by the Official Chart Company according to nme.com

The packaging of the CD, which includes a DVD feature and stickers that allow fans to design their own artwork, has made the album illegible in Sunday's (October 8) countdown.

According to the OCC, the DVD of homemade videos for each song on the LP - plus four random sticker sets designed by artists handpicked by Beck - gives 'The Information' an "unfair advantage" over other releases.

Commenting on the ban, a spokesperson for Beck's label said they knew they risked the album being dropped by the charts, but that Beck was keen to include the extras.

They explained: "We knew before the album was released that the DVD and stickers would affect its chart eligibility, but they're both such brilliant ideas that it was never a question of us doing anything different from what Beck had planned for the release of 'The Information'."

Random sticker sets, design your own album cover, unfair advantage, I love it.