(antiMusic) Beck is making his summer plans early. He's planning to release his new Danger Mouse produced album sometime this summer and in September he has booked a big show at the Hollywood Bowl, the first headline date to what is promised to be a US tour. Here is the PR on both:Beck has recorded a new album, produced with Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton, to be released this summer. The as yet untitled album contains 10 new songs. Having met a few years ago, Beck and Danger Mouse had planned to work together at some point, finally convening last December to do a few songs. Encouraged by the results, they decided to make an entire record and over the next few months recorded extensively, with the goal of using only 10 pieces in the end.
The result is a tightly assembled group of songs that range in lyrical tone from introspection and social commentary to off the cuff wordplay and lighthearted humor. Musically, the album's ten tracks vacillate between economy and experimentation, hybrid and pop classicism, while consistently manifesting Beck and Danger Mouse's shared interest in psych-rock, folk, electronic minimalism and orchestration.
The album's diversity of tone is belied by an emphasis on songwriting and musical concision, with the album clocking in at a little over 30 minutes.
The album represents the first new Beck music since last year's Grammy-nominated digital single "Timebomb." The new songs also mark the first new material Beck has written since the prolific stretch that produced 2005's platinum Guero and 2006's universally acclaimed The Information.
On the live front, Beck will play his biggest hometown headline show to date September 20 at the Hollywood Bowl. The bill will also feature special guests Spoon and MGMT and is the first headline date announced on a U.S. itinerary that so far includes the Austin
City Limits, Outside Lands and Bumbershoot festivals.
