Molehill releases 1st single from Beck’s Song Reader

Beck was one of the first artists that commanded my attention.  I remember putting in Odelay when I was 13 years old and being completely engrossed in how this artist (along w/ co-producers The Dust Brothers) would piece together snippets of noise and melody into something that felt strangely organic. Beck has the unique ability to take a standard pop song, remove an element and insert something back into that place that traditionally wouldn’t “work” and create something that is as close to original as I have ever heard. Beck is an exceptional songwriter, sound designer, consummate performer, and has a chameleon-like ability to shift between genres and styles to make something that is instantly recognizable as Beck.

His 2002 album Sea Change (I know I’m skipping a few–but there’s just not time to write about all of them) is one of my favorite albums of all-time.  This is the strongest songwriting I have ever heard from Beck and the master string arrangements by his father David Campbell push you even further into Beck’s world.  The songs on Sea Change were written in one week.

Last year Beck released a collection of 20 original songs in a format that is long forgotten.  Sheet Music.  Read his full explanation HERE.  I have always wanted to cover a Beck song with Molehill and this album of sheet music took us off the hook.  We didn’t need to try and pick a favorite Beck song and put something out that stood up to his body of work.  Instead, we could take the sheet music that he gave to everyone and be completely clear of the cloud that can hang over someone when trying to present a version of a previously recorded song.  The first of the two songs that we would like to present to you is “Please Leave A Light On When You Go.”  This is Molehill in a more intimate setting recorded in Kate Quinby’s apartment in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago.  Audio and Video was recorded by Zack Whittington.

We hope you enjoy it.

-Trevor