"Guero" was a hit, as were many of his albums to date. His new LP, "The Information," is also proving to be a success, but is it as successful musically as his other albums have been?
Beck's talent notably peaked on "Odelay," his wonderfully smart-ass and kick-ass album where he first started to play around with hip-hop ideas. Much of his other work is also superb, but, unfortunately, "The Information" falls short of the mark.
The album definitely has a different sound, though. That is apparent right from the start. Not that developing a different sound is a bad thing; on the contrary, it's probably worked better for Beck than for any other artist. But if you're going to reinvent yourself musically, you might as well put some time and effort in to it. The whole album lacks the cohesive vision that accompanies a genuine musical and lyrical effort.
The first track, "Elevator Music," has Beck mumbling alongside a beat with the occasional effect or erratic-sounding guitar riff. The lyrics, if you can make them out, don't make any sense, even for Beck, and that's saying something.
The same can be said for the tracks "Dark Star" and "We Dance Alone." Largely boring and with lyrics too intentionally cryptic to enjoy, I found myself wondering when these songs would end so I could maybe catch a glimpse of the musically-talented Beck that I once knew.
I swear, he still exists. There are parts of this album that are reminiscent of the days when Beck was making genuine music instead of faux hip-hop. The track "Strange Apparition" sounds as if it could have been lifted off "Midnite Vultures," complete with a combination of groovy piano riff and melodic line that is missing from other parts of the album.
That's a problem in itself, though: what sounds good on this album has sounded good on other albums before, so it's not really going anywhere new. Not that it's not enjoyable, but the predictability detracts from the track's strength.
And then there's Beck being weird for the sake of being weird (see "1000 BPM," "Motorcade"). Which is cool, because Beck has always been creatively weird, and it works. But it's not the same thing as creating affecting music. None of the more 'out-there' parts of this album grabbed me as much as the parts that seemed to have a solid musical and lyrical idea behind them, like the track "No Complaints."
What remains surprising after listening to this album is that it took Beck three years of on-and-off work with producer Nigel Godrich, who's worked previously with Beck and with Radiohead, to create this album. Granted, he's put out other albums in that time, but one would think that after three years of work there would be more payoff.
Considering his past achievements, it seems as though as though Beck can do better than this. Listen to the album, because ultimately Beck has good ideas on "The Information" that are worth hearing. Then go listen to "Odelay" and enjoy a Beck album again.
