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Jul 30, 2014Song Reader made for a pretty cool objet d'art, and it inspired a boatload of intrepid musicians--rock groups, string ensembles, kooky one-man bands--to upload their versions to YouTube. That freewheeling spirit also informs the new Song Reader compilation.
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Aug 1, 2014Many pieces highlight Beck’s mordant humor. Professional decadent Jarvis Cocker proves ideal for “Eyes That Say I Love You,” dealing wryly with the delusions of love.
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Jul 30, 2014Sparks, Fun., Norah Jones and Jarvis Cocker imbue pithy vignettes with their own personalities, Jack White and Jack Black play with chirpy nonsense songs and Swamp Dogg’s soulful take on America, Here’s My Boy is heartbreaking. This is certainly more than an academic exercise.
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MagnetSep 18, 2014This is a valiant and enjoyable varied attempt, by a seriously stacked cast of contributors. [No. 113, p.61]
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Aug 6, 2014As uneven as it is, Beck's fans will find this experimental release to be an essential one.
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Jul 29, 2014As with any such collection of disparate voices, some of these renditions disappoint, others are inspired.
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UncutSep 3, 2014In the absence of original recordings, it's hard to know what to judge these against. [Oct 2014, p.80]
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Aug 15, 2014This is Beck, so there's also subtle, magical weirdness in even the most straightforward tunes. The best cuts here make that bloom.
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Aug 6, 2014Having the songs preserved on record undercuts that intention slightly but this is still an odd, delightful collection of tunes and it's nice that non-musicians--and listeners with an aversion to homemade YouTube renditions--get to hear these now too.
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Jul 28, 2014Overall though, this still feels like a missed opportunity; a more inspired roll call of contributors could have pushed Song Reader into essential listening territory. As it is, fans might well get more out of playing these songs than listening to them. Then again, that was always the point.