By Zachary Swickey
It seems like Beck is taking a page out of the Flaming Lips' playbook by releasing new music in a particularly unique fashion. The eccentric singer-songwriter is set to reveal three songs through a new PS3 video game titled "Sound Shapes."
The tracks – "Cities," "Touch the People" and "Spiral Staircase" – will each be found on a different level of the game, which is set for release in a just a few weeks. Sony states that the new PS3 game is "a classic side-scrolling platformer where your actions make the music." Sounds like quite the intriguing concept to us.
Other artist tracks set to appear are Deadmau5, I Am Robot And Proud and Jim Guthrie.
Beck is on a roll, having recently released his Jack-White produced track "I Just Started Hating Some People Today" as well as a new B-side "Blue Randy" after a lengthy period without new material. Of course, the tracks were recorded at White's Third Man Studio in Nashville while Beck was in town working on the follow-up to his '08 effort Modern Guilt.
Third Man Studios is boasting an eclectic group of artists who have recently recorded there: Tom Jones, Laura Marling and, recently, Radiohead.
Details on Beck's next official album have been scant. The only mention of it seems to come from postings by bass player Justin Meldal-Johnsen, who tweeted that the new songs "would blow your mind."
In the meantime, "Sound Shapes" is expected to be released on August 7.