#7 on the 2009 Musical Advent Calendar

Merry Christmas!

There’s not much I can say about Beck that you haven’t heard already. But I bet a lot of you have not heard of this new, amazing project he’s undertaken: Record Club. From his website:

Record Club is an informal meeting of various musicians to record an album in a day. The album chosen to be reinterpreted is used as a framework. Nothing is rehearsed or arranged ahead of time. A track is put up here once a week. The songs are rough renditions, often first takes that document what happened over the course of a day as opposed to a polished rendering. There is no intention to ‘add to’ the original work or attempt to recreate the power of the original recording. Only to play music and document what happens.

Unfortunately, you can’t buy this album, or any Record Club recording. You can only listen to it on the blog (editor’s note: looks like streaming video is the only way to listen to it now). It’s not surprising to see the artist who has mastered the music is also mastering the digital realm.

The original Velvet Underground & Nico album is one of the most influential, and best, albums of all time — something it would be impossible to improve upon or compare to. And yet Beck, in his infinite wisdom, has created a beautiful ode to Lou Reed and the band. We are lucky to have Beck in our world, making amazing things for us to listen to.

Tomorrow: the best new band of 2009.

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8. March of the Zapotec/Holland by Beirut
9. There is no Enemy by Built to Spill
10. Dark Was The Night, a Red Hot Compilation
11. The Mountain by the Heartless Bastards
12. Creaturesque by Throw Me The Statue
13. Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band by Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band
14. Horehound by The Dead Weather
15. Promenade by Grand Hallway
16. Grand by Matt & Kim
17. Blood Bank EP by Bon Iver
18. Fever Ray by Fever Ray
19. Tell ’Em What Your Name Is by Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears
20. Mo Beauty by Alec Ounsworth
21. Here Comes Science by They Might Be Giants
22. Noble Beast by Andrew Bird
23. Hungry Bird by Clem Snide
24. Actor by St. Vincent
25. Elvis Perkins in Dearland by Elvis Perkins in Dearland
26. XX by the XX
27. Grrr… by Bishop Allen
28. Keep It Hid by Dan Auerbach
29. It’s Blitz! by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
30. Beware by Bonnie “Prince” Billie
31. Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear