Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Morning Phase- Beck


When I heard that Beck was possibly coming out with two new albums, I was floored. Apart from a few singles, some songs on the Scott Pilgrim soundtrack, and the Song Reader book of sheet music, Beck hadn't released any new material in almost 6 years. So, inevitably, I was pretty hyped when I heard that new material was coming out. Then I heard the first album to be released would be an acoustic album in the vein of Sea Change. I'm still not sure how I feel about that. Sea Change is a good record, don't get me wrong, but I don't really think it's a sound for a triumphant comeback. But, hey, what the hell do I know? Beck is a genius.

So, going into my first listen of this album, I was already a little ambivalent. I was hoping for some more eclectic and upbeat material. Sea Change, though beautiful, pretty much handed the listener a noose about half way through. From, the first orchestral arrangement, the comparisons to Sea Change were obvious. And then Beck sang. This record has a softer side to it, and has some sad moments, but its tone is more optimistic and hopeful than its notable successor, which makes it better in my eyes. Sea Change was really in only one emotional space, and there was very little in the way of straying away from that sad, self deprecating, "lost cause" sound, in the music or the lyrics. Here, there's a pretty good amount of variation. Even though Beck boxed himself in with the acoustic setting and orchestral arrangements, there's plenty of room in the box, with different colored walls; he didn't just stay in the blue corner like on Sea Change. There are some ballads, but there's also some bluegrass and folkier stuff on here as well. The different styles really work well to paint different moods on the songs.

So, all in all, I think this record far surpasses Sea Change. It sticks with the same instrumentation, but just does so much more with it, expressing a whole variety of emotions, and leading to a much more interesting, and thankfully less depressing, listen. This one is more uplifting, and its harmonies are soaring and beautiful.
Am I a little disappointed? Yeah. But I can't blame the album for that. I had hoped for something in the vein of Guero or Odelay, but this works too. Beck has multiple sides to his work, and that's one of the things that makes him so versatile, genre defying and interesting. Beck set out to make a companion to Sea Change, and in my opinion, he far exceeded the quality of the original work. Really looking forward to Beck's other album this year.

So out of a possible 5 stars, I give this album:


Check back in tomorrow for my opinion on St. Vincent's self titled album.

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