Beck intended to record the album in late 2001 , but due to the September 11 attacks , " it took a while for people to line up . " Before working with Godrich , Beck recorded tracks with Dan " The Automator " Nakamura in January 2002 in preparation for the new record , but no songs from those sessions were used for '' Sea Change '' . Many songs , such as " Lost Cause " , were performed live prior to the album 's recording . Another new song , " Evil Things " , was also performed and demoed but ultimately not recorded for the album , due to loss of time . Regarding the performances of more personal tracks in the days before '' Sea Change '' , Beck explained in a 2008 interview that " Those were the kinds of songs I would play in the middle of the show . I 'd try to throw a couple of them in . I just remember the audience kind of disregarding them , or moshing , or throwing things . Just because those were the kinds of persons that came out . " Beck and his group of musicians entered the studio with intentions to make the record an acoustic-based offering , in the vein of those for his emotive 1998 disc '' Mutations '' . Early in the recording process , Beck told Godrich that he was hoping to record one track per day , similar to the process of '' Mutations '' . However , each song ended up taking at least two days to record , due to orchestral arrangements . Musical partners in the studio included multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion , drummer James Gadson , and guitarist Jason Falkner , as well as longtime musical partners , keyboardist Roger Joseph Manning Jr. , bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen , drummer Joey Waronker , guitarist Smokey Hormel , and cellist Suzie Katayama . In addition , Beck 's father , David Campbell , provided string arrangements . Joey Waronker left mid-way through recording for Hawaii ; James Gadson filled in for him the remaining days
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Sea Change (album)