In 2002, Beck Hansen wasn’t having the best of times, the primary reason being a split from his long-term girlfriend. The result of this break-up was the album ‘Sea Change’ described by many as ‘melancholy’, ‘beautiful’ and ‘heartfelt’. I just found the whole affair deathly dull and repetitive. It was strange, then, that I still felt obliged to rush into buying the follow-up, ‘Guero’. Maybe it was due Beck reportedly coming back from his depression and deciding to inflict it on us no longer. ‘Guero’ was to be a return to the experimentation of ‘Odelay’, and even more impressive, the Dust Brothers were to return to their producer’s seats for the first time since the 1996 classic was recorded.
The first track is a good start, and it seems that the rumours are true, the Beck who recorded such greats as ‘Devils Haircut’ and ‘Loser’ is back. E-Pro is also the lead single and quite rightly so. OK, the lyrics are still pretty gibberish but it’s an infectious piece of music that shows a great return to form following ‘Sea Change’.
Many of the tracks follow the lead, for example second track ‘Que Onda Guero’ bears a striking resemblance to early single ‘Where It’s At’, but again is catchy and rhythmic.
One of the highlights is possible future single ‘Girl’. The chorus mixes bizarre harmony with electronic noises, all topped off with Beck’s enthusiastic vocals. A man of many talents, it becomes apparent that Beck is more confident vocally than ever before.
‘Missing’ goes back to Beck’s minimalist approach to music making, with a heavy rhythm section, thumping bass and simple melody. However, the melody is very effective, especially at the end of each phrase where he cleverly sings the lyric slightly lower than you would expect. The subtle changes like make him such an interesting composer.
‘Black Tambourine’ is a short interlude which again consists of a rhythm-heavy approach and short verse. It really doesn’t need to be there and sounds a bit like an ‘E-Pro’ reprise, especially when the guitar kicks in.
The beautiful ‘Earthquake Weather’ can only be described as a very chilled track, with subtle jazz guitar chords and even a falsetto chorus from our main man. There’s almost a tropical lilt to it, maybe a contrast to the recurring salsa-tinged theme of the album.
We’re back into the groove with ‘Hell Yes’. A brief appearance from the vocoder in the chorus adds an extra spark, as do the various female samples that wouldn’t be out of place on ‘Odelay’. In fact, this song would fit perfectly at the tail-end of that album, amongst other songs of its ilk. That is, songs which aren’t bad but are nothing special.
‘Broken Drum’, on the other hand, wouldn’t be out of place on ‘Mutations’. It has an ‘acoustic’ approach with various noises being picked up in the background and Beck’s ever-improving vocal styles in the foreground.
Continuing a recurring style throughout the album, ‘Scarecrow’ follows the patter of ‘Missing’ and ‘Hell Yes’ with a heavy beat and vocals in which Beck takes great pleasure in harmonising with himself.
‘Go It Alone’ is interesting if just for the fact that the bass guitar noise is provided by the White Stripes’ Jack White, ironic really seeing as it’s something he never does whilst in his day job. It’s quite a funky track, emphasised by White’s bass-line and a simple but catchy chorus. Production team the Dust Brothers even make a rare appearance, albeit only for handclapping duties.
‘Farewell Ride’ next and a quick scan through the lyrics leads you to be believe this will be an incredibly dark and depressing track. Even if this is the case, I’ve finally found a Beck song which I can understand the lyrics of! It does conjure up images of the ‘Farewell Ride’ in question being that of a horse-drawn hearse. Upon listening, it’s not as dark as first expected, there’s darker stuff on Sea-change, for example. The slide guitar element offers a country music twang to it during the verses, and it’s not long before he returns to the repetitive chorus.
The penultimate track ‘Rental Car’ is one to be turned up loud with its distorted rock guitar, upbeat verses and anthemic “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” chorus. The female vocal comes in, courtesy of Petra Haden, and if nothing else adds an element of humour as she seems to scat her way through the interlude. It ends as quickly as it starts which is unfortunate as it is another highlight of the album.
It ends, appropriately, with ‘Emergency Exit’. It’s another one in the same grain as a lot of the album with the usual minimal approach.
All in all, this is a great comeback following ‘Sea Change’. Did I mention I wasn’t too keen on that album? That’s probably the reason this is even better than I originally thought it would be. Although some tracks do seem to follow the same pattern, it’s a style and a production that makes Beck still one of the most unique musicians of our time. And ‘Guero’ proves just that.
Three years after the critically acclaimed and heartwrenching opus Sea Change, three time Grammy Winner and five time MTV Video Music Award Winner Bec...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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