Highlights: Blue Moon, Unforgiven, Don’t Let It
Go, Turn Away
7/10
Not to let a weak pun slip by: this may be Beck’s Morning Phase, but this is perfect
insomnia music. Essentially, Sea Changes
vol.2, which means you will either see this as a dull exercise in tasteful
tedium or Beck’s latest songwriting triumph.
I’m a Midnite Vultures
sort of person, so I have to be in the former category. Beck is good when he is
bold and adventurous, when he is foul-mouthed, sloppy and bad taste. Even when
the edges are only a little rough (Modern
Guilt), he still manages to come off interesting. It’s not that I don’t
want him to grow up and mature – I just want him to retain that edge.
On first listen, this is just bland. It’s only later
that it becomes clear that Morning Phase
is a genuinely good album, with strong blurry tunes and hazy vocal hooks that
reveal themselves with time. This is languid, lazy acoustic music that is so solemn
and homogeneous (monotonous) that I don’t feel like highlighting anything. “Blue
Moon” is probably the best; it features a hypnotic melody and a wistful vibe
which manages to be both depressing and optimistic. So typical of the whole
album. Also, I’m certain he steals the brilliant vocal hook of “Turn Away” from
some 60’s song, but I can’t quite remember what that song is.
A decidedly straight-faced, intentionally humourless
affair. If you tell me this is when Beck can show-off his songwriting abilities
to the fullest, I won’t believe you. But it’s been 6 years, so it’s nice to
have him back. This is a low 7, mind.
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