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After the appropriate and exotic overtones of Beck’s last record, “Midnite Vultures,” he returns with “Sea Change,” what many critics believe to be his best effort.
Gone are the strobe lights and whacked-out disco beats that plastered his last disc, and thankfully he’s returned to the inspirational songwriting that surrounded 1998’s “Mutations.”
Instead of ranting about “Sexx Laws” and “lobotomy beats,” we see the calm, collected side of Beck, as most of the songs have minimal percussion and emphasize his diverse musical talents.
But most noticeably, the lyrics and overall mood display a sad and helpless man.
There are many answers flying around the media trying to explain why this record is so much more melancholy compared to “Midnite Vultures” or even “Odelay,” but the real answer is simple: Beck is a striving musician who won’t settle for anything less than making a completely different record each time he walks into the studio.
I find it difficult to immediately label this as Beck’s greatest collection, as some publications have boldly proclaimed.
But I will go as far as to agree that this record is at the forefront for this year’s “Album of the Year.” The seas have changed yet again for Beck, and for that, we thank him.
