Warby Parker To Reissue Limited-Edition Beck Collaboration Carmichael Frames & New Edition Song Reader Book Featuring 2 New Marcel Dzama Prints
Warby Parker & Artists’ Proceeds From Album To Benefit The 826 National Organization
https://store.mcsweeneys.net/
“Like a kid getting a special package in the mail and opening it up with anticipation, these interpretations of songs from the Song Reader book have surpassed what I could have imagined when putting the book together. The book addressed the idea of a song in its most elemental form, letting others give it a voice. It amazes me to hear how these musicians have made the songs their own and in the process revealed that the interpretation is the living breathing soul of the piece. These interpretations have made the book something new— something better.” —BECK
The now legendary Beck Song Reader – twenty Beck compositions previously released exclusively as stunningly illustrated sheet music in partnership with McSweeney’s — will receive a long awaited traditional release on July 29, when Warby Parker/Capitol Records issues the Beck Song Readercompilation album, produced by Beck and Randall Poster, known for his music supervision work with directors Wes Anderson, Martin Scorsese, Sam Mendes and many others. Warby Parker will commemorate the release of Song Reader by reissuing limited-edition Carmichael frames created in collaboration with Beck, this time in Black Cherry — as well as a new edition of the Song Reader book, featuring two new prints from artist Marcel Dzama.
“No one embodies the spirit of creativity and collaboration more than Beck. From the moment we heard about his Song Reader, we were eager to join forces on the project. We’re thrilled to have worked together to introduce an album and a great pair of frames,” says Warby Parker co-CEO and co-founder Neil Blumenthal.
The 20-track all-star collection features exclusively recorded versions of Song Reader charts by the likes of Jack White, Jeff Tweedy, David Johansen, Jason Isbell, Fun., Eleanor Friedberger, and several more including Beck himself.
“I was incredibly excited when Beck asked me to produce a collection of Song Reader recordings with him,” says the album’s producer Randall Poster. “Beck’s dynamic musical energy and creative passion inspired the artists — some of our favorite and greatest artists at that — to make these songs their own and render them with authority and distinction. They are both a reward and an invitation to join in on a unique and enduring song enterprise.”
The Warby Parker release of Beck Song Reader marks the first officially recorded incarnation of the project, which has already inspired interpretations from hundreds of musicians the world over. The record includes the studio-quality debut of songs previously only played live either by Beck himself or at one of the handful of Song Reader concerts staged over the last two years. The most recent of these was presented by the L.A. Philharmonic in partnership with McSweeney’s and Warby Parker at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles on November 24, 2013. Described by The Los Angeles Times as an “expertly delivered and received night… another big step in Beck’s long, fascinating evolution,” the show’s highlights included Jarvis Cocker’s interpretively danced “Why Did You Make Me Care?” and Jack Black’s borderline frightening “We All Wear Cloaks,” the latter of which makes its recorded debut on the Beck Song Reader album.
The limited edition Carmichael glasses’ two-tone hue combines Beck’s two favorite colors, in a design inspired by Beck’s genre-bending music and unimpeachable personal style. Equal parts eclectic and charming, Carmichael will be available online at warbyparker.com and at Warby Parker stores and showrooms beginning July 29. The new edition of the book will be available at store.mcsweeneys.net, and at Warby Parker stores.
Warby Parker and artists’ proceeds from the Beck Song Reader album will go to 826 National, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping students, ages 6–18, with expository and creative writing at eight locations across the USA. For more information, go to http://826national.org/. For every pair of frames sold, a pair will also be distributed to someone in need through Warby Parker’s Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program.
The complete track listing for Beck Song Reader is as follows:
1. Moses Sumney – Title of this Song
2. Fun – Please Leave A Light On When You Go
3. Tweedy – The Wolf is on the Hill
4. Norah Jones – Just Noise
5. Lord Huron – Last Night You Were A Dream
6. Bob Forrest – Saint Dude
7. Jack White – I’m Down
8. Beck – Heaven’s Ladder
9. Juanes – Don’t Act Like Your Heart Isn’t Hard
10. Laura Marling – Sorry
11. Jarvis Cocker – Eyes That Say “I Love You”
12. David Johansen – Rough On Rats
13. Jason Isbell – Now That Your Dollar Bills Have Sprouted Wings
14. The Last Polka – Marc Ribot
15. Eleanor Friedberger – Old Shanghai
16. Sparks – Why Did You Make Me Care?
17. Swamp Dogg – America, Here’s My Boy
18. Jack Black – We All Wear Cloaks
19. Loudon Wainwright III – Do We? We Do
20. Gabriel Kahane & yMusic – Mutilation Rag
About Warby Parker
Warby Parker is a transformative lifestyle brand with a lofty objective: to offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price while leading the way for socially conscious businesses. For every pair of glasses sold, a pair is distributed to someone in need through the Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program.
Since early on, Warby Parker has taken an interest in cultivating and developing emerging musicians, showcasing new talent like HAIM, Niki & the Dove and Father John Misty at the Warby Parker Citizens Circus at SXSW in 2012, to the Artists in Residence program, where the brand hosted a selection of developing artists at The Standard Hotel for a long weekend of composing and recording. The Warby Parker release of the Song Reader is another step in the brand’s ongoing support of the music industry.
Warby Parker is available at www.WarbyParker.com as well as stores and showrooms across the country.