About Beck

A 'Sea Change' for Beck

"I Won't Be Long" was a single released by Beck in 2013 that seemed to serve notice that brand new music was on the horizon.

Notice acknowledged. New music? Practically floating through your earbuds.

Beck's "Morning Phrase" is on the way, and it features many of the same musicians with whom he had worked on the critically acclaimed 2002 album "Sea Change." And he let fans get a sneak peek by streaming the album on NPR ahead of its official release.

The now 43-year-old told Billboard he has been writing contemplative, acoustic songs for his entire career, and that "Sea Change" will be a 'totally different, more intimate kind of thing.' (Don't fret: It's still complete with the phenomenal backing band featuring bassist Justin Meldal-Johnson, guitarist Smokey Hormel, keyboard player Roger Joseph Manning Jr. and drummer Joey Waronker).

Following the album release, Beck will hit the road for a media blitz that will include an appearance on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" on March 1. It will be his seventh appearance as a musical guest on "SNL," and this time "The Big Bang Theory's" Jim Parsons will host.

Beck has already dropped two tracks from "Morning Phase," the lonely "Blue Moon" (which also appears on volume two of the "Girls" soundtrack) and the ballad "Walking Light." He'll presumably be taking those songs (and more from the new album) on tour this summer, with the lone date on the calendar so far coming on April 26 for Edgefest 24.

Beck tackles Bowie's "Sound and Vision" (Updated February 7, 2013)

What's Beck been up to lately? To answer that question we have to go back a little ways to 1999, when a jarring change in his musical direction was apparent with the release of his seventh studio album, "Midnite Vultures." Called 'part satire and part salute to soul and funk' by Billboard magazine, reviews for mixed for the widely varying musical styles and the album failed to achieve the same commercial success as his breakthrough projects.

Beck shifted course again with 2002's "Sea Change," recorded in the wake of a painful breakup, and after an extended break he returned in 2005 with "Guero," an album that sparked a reunion with the Dust Brothers. It spawned several hits, including "E-Pro" and "Hell Yes" and was followed months later by "Guerolito," a remixed version of the album.

In February 2008, Beck told Rolling Stone magazine he was working on another new album with an "unnamed producer" eventually revealed to be Danger Mouse. That album, "Modern Guilt," marked the first time in 14 years Beck worked with a producer beyond the Dust Brothers or Godrich. He also began experimenting and collaborating with other artists, working on an album with country singer Dwight Yoakam and later appearing on a mixtape from actor Donald Glover.

Beck's latest project, "Song Reader," was released in December 2012 and features twenty songs as sheet music only, with full-color art for each song, in a hardcover carrying case. Healso recently recorded an eight-minute version of David Bowie's "Sound and Vision" with an 167-piece ensemble that will launch the Lincoln motor company's online "Hello, Again" series.

Beck Tickets - Not Just Any 'Loser'

You want originality, creativity, a newborn essence of Paul McCartney-meets- Bob Dylan fanaticism and musical genius? That describes the music artist simply known as Beck to a tee. Born Bek David Campbell on July 8, 1970, he was born in Los Angeles, California, struggling to find a calling, practically homeless on a few occasions. Heading to Los Angeles, here was a man sneaking onto stages, trying to make a name for himself -- someone caught wind of him. And that was Geffen Records.

Beck Tickets - Gettin' Freaky With the Cheez Whiz

His debut Mellow Gold in 1994 earned him critical acclaim, especially with his hit 'Loser' taking the music arena by storm. He later in 1996 hit it big again, dispelling the notion that he was a 1-hit wonder, with the release Odelay, featuring the hit single 'Where It's At.' Since then, his music has astounded many with the ability to reinvent himself and redefine himself countless times, heralded by many as a veritable music genius.

Beck Tickets - He Definitely Is Where It's At

You can't really label Beck into any genre; but for sure, his style is a mix of folk, punk, rock and Hip Hop fused with drum machines, instrumentations, and heady sound effects. The man once known as Bek David Campbell truly found his calling. Once again, a veritable genius in the music industry.