Over the past 15 years, Beck has carved out quite a career for himself.  He scored a huge hit in 1994, followed it with a classic album in Odelay, then continued making freewheeling, constantly self-reinventing music that has earned him high regard in the world of modern rock.  All this from a guy who in '94 looked like an instant one-hit-wonder. 

"Loser," the first single from Beck's major label debut Mellow Gold, is now a staple of Gen-X nostalgia.  Commencing with its unmistakable twangy chords, the song then erupts into quirky slacker rap withbizarre lyrics ("Dog food stalls with the beefcake pantyhose") and that catchy, self-deprecating, don't-give-a-crap chorus: "Soy un perdedor / I'm a loser baby / So why don't you kill me?"  Of course, my 13-year-old self fell in love with this surprise hit, but it's still a favorite a decade and a half later. 

As for the rest of Mellow Gold?  Well, I still love that too, but I can understand why some people looking for an album full of "Loser"s might have been disappointed.  Nothing else on this release has that big feel that its hit single had.  Instead, most of the remaining eleven tracks have Beck delving into the territory that we'd eventually get used to from him but was surprising to those who had just gotten their first taste from that radio staple.  Much of the album employs a style of f_cked-up folk that plays with all kinds of weird effects and at times sounds downtrodden enough to make Sea Changes tracks sound downright joyful.  For example, "Truckdrivin Neighbors Downstairs (Yellow Sweat)" is a plodding number that has Beck hilariously deriding his redneck neighbors in a voice that sounds like thetranquilized Will Ferrell in Old School.  "Pay No Mind ( Snoozer)" critiques the music industry ("Give the finger to the rock 'n' roll singer / As he's dancing upon your paycheck") in a slow, folky way that has Beck sounding disillusioned yet defiant.  And don't even try to operate heavy machinery during "Steal My Body Home."  These tracks may be glum, but they help create an atmosphere of poetry and emotion while staying anything but run-of-the-mill by use of interesting instrumental experimentation.

Now, don't think Mellow Gold is all doom and gloom.  "Beercan," while not nearly as catchy as "Loser," has a upbeat tempo and a spiffy, sunshiny chorus that might actually cause some booty-shakin'.  "Nitemare Hippy Girl" delves into the lighter side of folk on another witty number that pokes fun at self-important hippies: "It's a new-age letdown in my face / She's so spaced out, and there ain't no space."  Even amidst the weirdness, Beck has a way of crafting songs with familiar elements, such as the beautifully dreamy closing track "Blackhole."  But occasionally, he let's the weirdness take over.  Case in point: the paranoid freakout "Mutherf_ker," basically a two-minute, bad acid trip that has him screaming in affected vocals, "Everyone's out to get you, mutherf_ker!"  Filler?  Sure.  But still a welcome bit of ridiculous fun. 

You might be tempted to pass on Mellow Gold, instead downloading "Loser" and concentrating on the more accessible albums.  But that would be a mistake.  Most of it is way out there, but that's part of the fun.  This manic musical hodgepodge mixes folk, rock, hip-hop, country, and sampling, pushing all of their boundaries (as well as, at times, the boundaries of good taste). It's a deliberately anti-commercial album that became a commercial success, kind of like Beck himself.  And that's what makes this one of his defining works.



Also from Beck:

Mellow Gold
Odelay
Midnite Vultures
Guero
Modern Guilt


Recommended: Yes