I have had tremendous respect for Beck ever since I first heard Odelay about ten years ago. When first spied Guero in stores in 2005 I was so excited at the prospect of Beck returning to Spanish speakin' and bizarre pseudo-hip hop flows. For whatever reason I didn't pick the album up, instead opting for the remix album Guerolito, which was released about nine months later.
This was a mistake. Or at least it was at last listen.
I was so excited when this album arrived in the mail. The thought of Beck's genius augmented by what I was sure was a crack squad of producers (why would Beck trust his music to anyone that was less that worthy?). I was let down pretty hard. After a while I figured out why: Even though it's Beck singing Beck lyrics, it didn't really sound like Beck. There were things I liked, to be sure. The Islands remix of "Que Honda Guero" has a pretty authentic Mexican vibe, and is good listening even with the weird slow-mo last verse; "Ghettochip Malfunction," the 8Bit remix of "Hell Yes" is excellent, with a beat that is produced [almost] entirely by Game Boy-style blips; the John King remix of "Rental Car" is a sleeper favourite, I didn't really think much of it until I noticed Petra Haden's la-la part, which is both frightening and superb. Those three songs were all that I bothered with for a long time. I concluded that Beck's music is best left to Beck and put the album away.
I put the album in again when I started writing this review, just to be sure I wasn't lying to you good people, and something changed in me. I'd always been fairly friendly towards the "E-Pro" remix simply because "E-Pro" is a rad song and pretty hard to destroy, but now other things are popping out at me. The Boards of Canada remix of "Broken Drum" drew me in with its lonesome atmospherics; I could bounce along to AdRock's remix of "Black Tambourine," and get over the unnecessary vocal dubs at the start; the echoing landscape and vaguely Asian strings on Air's redusting of "Missing" finally enveloped me. This album really isn't that bad. There are soft spots, like the creepy goblin voices on "Farewell Ride" and the tepid "Clap Hands," but I think I may start listening to this album again.
What does this mean to you?
Well, it means that this album takes some effort to love, effort that may not be worth it to you. The only read standout tracks are the remixes of "Hell Yes" and "E-Pro," and the Petra Haden part on "Rental Car." If you're a Beck completist, then you've already got it. If you've gone this long without it, you'll be okay. If you're itchin' for some 8-Bit madness, check out the Hell Yes EP [AKA Ghettochip Malfunction AKA GameBoy Variations].
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