Beck was always an odd fellow. I remember first hearing and subsequently seeing his first video for the slacker opus Loser. I loved it, thought him to be hilarious and wanted to hear more. At that time all I could hope was that he would follow up his debut (Mellow Gold) with style. There are enough stars in the sky or wishes in the heart to have hoped for something as wonderful as follow up effort Odelay.
Looking at Beck Hansen reveals much about his personality. He is a nerd, an artist, a free spirit, and awkward. Listening to his music also reveals these same characteristics. He is truly unique and well respected as a singer-songwriter. Beck’s creative freedom is what really makes his songs special. He’s not afraid of change or variety—both true sign of an artistic individual. Of course, to say that creativity absolutely equates to entertainment value would be doing you as the reader a disservice. As much as I love Beck and most everything he has ever done (save for the travesty that was Stereopathetic Soul Manure) I wouldn’t recommend an album that was just creative and lacked good melody and vocals.
That being said, Odelay is absolutely recommendable and is unquestionably the most widely appealing album of Beck’s entire career thus far. Of course there are other near-perfect efforts that came later in the forms of lo-fi Sea Change (2002), dark and druggy Mutations (1998), and off-kilter Midnite Vultures (1999). Oddly Odelay is neither of these. It is kitschy and cool and full of humor—something of an ambient cross between the darkly wry Mellow Gold edge and the playful Midnite Vultures. Plus, the fact remains that Odelay is by far Beck’s hottest selling album with over two million copies sold.
Why did it sell so well? It all has to do with imagery. Beck’s music is fantastic regardless of whether or not you’ve seen the videos. But when you factor in the bright, eye-catching style of videos shot for singles New Pollution, Devil’s Haircut and Where It’s At suddenly he is ten times easier to adore. On Odelay, it became clear that Beck had the whole image thing down pat. Of course, the success of this album was really helped out by producers the Dust Brothers whose distinctive electronic style added new depth to the already funked up Beck groove.
The highly successful singles are what is at first and most immediately rewarding. My personal most vivid memories are of second single Where It’s At but other tracks Devil’s Haircut, Jack-Ass and The New Pollution all made major waves. Devil’s Haircut and Where It’s At are similar in many ways. Dark, electronic, and playful all at the same time these songs are retro-pop-rock at its best. The New Pollution is an odd little track with strange whirrs and beeps which sound like something out of a classic television show. That is contrasted by thick guitars and arrangements as the song progresses. Stranger yet is Jack-Ass. Laced with apparent psychedelics and layered with slacker vocals, the song is capped off with a sample of a donkey. Strange, yes, but also brilliant.
As much as I’m fond of Devil’s Haircut and Where It’s At, it is important to really dig further into Odelay. There are great treasures to be found in songs like Hotwax, Lord Only Knows, Sissyneck and High 5 (Rock the Catskills) in particular. The songs run the gamut between rock and rap and folk and country. Somehow despite all of these different and obvious influences this is a fantastically cohesive effort. I think my favorite songs however are Beck’s alt-country offerings. Both Lord Only Knows and Sissyneck fall into this category. The lovely slide guitars nicely compliment Beck’s swaggering vocals on the former song. It’s a lazy, languid country offering. Sissyneck is peppered with whistles and the appropriate “slacker” attitude to lead listeners to believe Beck has his tongue firmly planted in his cheek.
Odelay should already have a place in both your heart and your music collection. If not, then I suggest it is the perfect place to start a relationship with Beck. From there, I invite you to venture forward to Beck’s other mainstream releases. As far as I’m concerned the California native can do no wrong. Incredibly appealing, intelligent, and fun Odelay is really where it’s at.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Devil’s Haircut
02. Hotwax
03. Lord Only Knows
04. The New Pollution
05. Derelict
06. Novacane
07. Jack-Ass
08. Where It’s At
09. Minus
10. Sissyneck
11. Readymade
12. High 5 (Rock the Catskills)
13. Ramshackle
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