New Beck the Old Fashioned Way

On his latest record, Beck leaves it to you to interpret more than just his lyrics. Next month he'll release Beck Hansen's Song Reader, his latest songs printed on sheet music. 

Less a record, more a blueprint or intricately detailed Lego instructions.   The idea: discover the music on your own, with friends or band mates by performing it yourself. 

It's exciting to see an antiquated form of sharing music meet the age of instant gratification.  I for one can't wait to see all the different interpretations of these songs (and different takes on the same songs) begin to populate YouTube, Vimeo and the rest of the web.

Here's a great start.  Watch as staff of and contributors to The New Yorker perform "Old Shanghai." 

CAVE Women is an eclectic group of five local musicians who are either attending or have graduated from Sacramento State University. Their often jazzy, sometimes gypsy, sound draws from the groups collective background in classical, a capella, Brazilian, and African music. CAVE Women is releasing its first full-length album November 15.