Beck
Sea Change
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Imagine if you will, a Dylan album consisting of alt-country versions of Nick Drake songs. That was my first impression of Beck's Sea Change. The dispiriting and dark mood that permeates the dozen tracks finds no rest, moping endlessly through the remorseful, painfully cathartic tunes. This album finds Beck taking yet another 180-degree turn in his path, circling the wagons and purging his soul by the campfire.The fantastic pairing of Beck and producer Nigel Goodrich (best known for his work with Radiohead) give the songs a dreamy, slightly chaotic soundscape. Plush extended reverbs and analog delays feedback, creating a cyclone of combustible energy behind Beck's tear-stained-dry vocals. Acoustic guitars stand in splendid contrast to the time and pitch-bent effects that color the background. Occasionally, electric guitars shriek down from the sky like a hail of brimstone and liquid mercury, while burly string sections and analog synthesizers wind their way to the front of the mix, leaving pedal steel guitars and rattling shakers in their wake. The tempo of the slick drumming and meaty-sparse bass never rises above a saunter, sinking perfectly into the dusty pocket in moderately slow time.
Song-wise, Sea Change nods to Mutations in the gentle demeanor of the song flow, but more so hearkens back to One Foot In The Grave with its acoustic folk foundation and dreary, introspective lyrical nature.
It's as if Beck is emptying the garbage pail of his stereopathetic soul: Manure for the soon-to-be alienated fans expecting another disco / funk jaunt or slick-suit soul revival…this one's far more mellow. Gold for the heartbroken in search of a soundtrack to weep to.
- Maurice S. Teilmann
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 Record Label Universal Released September 2002 |
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Beck
Bio[+]Born in Los Angeles in 1970 to a highly artistic family, Beck has often been referred to as the King of the Slacker movement due to his 1994 break-through single, “Loser,” although he was quick to decline this title. After his musical upbringing in New York’s anti-folk scene, Beck relocated back to L.A. to pursue his original amalgam of folk, hip-hop, avant-garde and punk music. When “Loser” became the next hottest thing on the charts, Beck signed a record deal with DGC in 1994 that allowed him to release material on other labels as well: and along with the Mellow Gold DGC release, Beck released Stereopathetic Soul Manure on Flipside and the Calvin Johnson/Beck collaboration, One Foot in the Grave, on K Records — all in the same year. The prolific artist received a Grammy for 1996’s Odelay. Other releases include 1998’s Mutations, 1999’s Midnite Vultures and Sea Change, which was released in the Summer of 2002.
– Maurice S. Teilmann (October, 2002)
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Bio[+]
Born in Los Angeles in 1970 to a highly artistic family, Beck has often been referred to as the King of the Slacker movement due to his 1994 break-through single, “Loser,” although he was quick to decline this title. After his musical upbringing in New York’s anti-folk scene, Beck relocated back to L.A. to pursue his original amalgam of folk, hip-hop, avant-garde and punk music. When “Loser” became the next hottest thing on the charts, Beck signed a record deal with DGC in 1994 that allowed him to release material on other labels as well: and along with the Mellow Gold DGC release, Beck released Stereopathetic Soul Manure on Flipside and the Calvin Johnson/Beck collaboration, One Foot in the Grave, on K Records — all in the same year. The prolific artist received a Grammy for 1996’s Odelay. Other releases include 1998’s Mutations, 1999’s Midnite Vultures and Sea Change, which was released in the Summer of 2002.
– Maurice S. Teilmann (October, 2002)