Versatile musician Beck quietly released a new EP called “Hell Yes” on iTunes Music Store earlier this week featuring songs from his upcoming album “Guero” to be released at the end of March. This was perhaps prompted by a leak of mp3s from an “unmastered demo” onto the net. Beck has also responded by saying that the album release will be laden with goodies such as unreleased tracks and perhaps a DVD with videos. You can already watch the video for “Hell Yes” on iTunes Music Store for free to get a taste of what’s to come.
Not that I think he has much to worry about with the leaked demos. They have enough rough edges that most Beck fans will still be eagerly awaiting the finished product, which will undoubtedly feature the excellent production values Beck is known for. While the EP reportedly is remixed versions of the upcoming album tracks, even the underlying music and vocals seems more polished and finished than the demos. So support this artist by getting the EP and putting aside some cash for the official album release.
That aside, the demo has a retro feel to it, beckoning back to the days of his first two album releases. The EP gets even more retro by featuring a distinctive early-80s-synth 8-bit sampler sound. The four tracks on the EP are all quite interesting listens, and the demos include a few other promising songs that should result in a very strong album. The track “Missing” is one of my personal favorite demo. I’m looking forward to it.