[News] Beck Confirms Details For 'Beck Hansen's Song Reader', Announces Suprise Show At Bimbo's On 8/9/2012

(mockup, not actual photo of the songbook

Today Beck fans around the world are both rejoicing and scratching their heads. In addition to springing a last minute surprise show at Bimbo's in San Fransico this Thursday (8/9) before setting foot on stage at Outside Lands Festival (which if you've been following along our very own Adrian will be attending), Beck has also confirmed details of what his website creepily(?) refers to as the "long-gestating" Beck Hansen's Song Reader, which will be released this December by book publisher McSweeney's.

"A book publisher?" you ask. Yes. Beck has decided to one up everyone releasing cassette tapes and is re-crowning himself as the King of Random by releasing an 108-page song booklet featuring 20 never before released or recorded songs with20 individual full-color song booklets-18 featuring original lyrics, and 2 instrumentals-with covers from more than a dozen different artists.

This is equal parts exciting and frustrating for someone like me, who's only musical abilities is playing an iPod, but as it was noted in the press release: "The songs here are as unfailingly exciting as you’d expect from their author, but if you want to hear “Do We? We Do,” or “Don’t Act Like Your Heart Isn’t Hard,” bringing them to life depends on you. Devoted fans have already created a Tumblr page in anticipation of the inevitable versions of the songs that will hit the internet shortly after the "album" is released.

Tickets for Thursday's show at Bimbo's go on sale at noon PDT today on Ticketmaster. To learn more about Song Reader head over to Beck's website. McSweeny also has more samples of some of the artwork as well.

If you're on Twitter and in need of a chuckle, have a look at tweets with the hashtag #BeckFutureAlbumIdeas courtesy of myself and other fellow Beck fans. Feel free to contribute your most creatively whacked out ideas if you'd like.