Beck to pop album out early
In keeping with the recent trend of shotgun releases, our favourite oddball Beck is unveiling his album in "four to six weeks", having only recently completed it.
Few artist warrant the term ‘transcendiary’ like Beck. Though many regard 1996 album Odelay as the definitive Beck work, the only real defining feature of Beck’s work is that it escapes all labels.
1994 debut LP Mellow Gold took Beck to mainstream radio, mainly on the strength of hit single Loser. Though many saw Loser as cheap and wrote Beck off as a novelty act, Mellow Gold’s original blend of pop, alternative rock and country made it the surprise hit of 1994.
After releasing Stereopathetic Soulmanure and One Foot in the Grave through independents, Beck returned in 1996 to silence his critics with Odelay, which easily eclipsed the efforts of Mellow Gold. Linking up with production team The Dust Brothers (Beastie Boys), Beck expanded even further from his already eclectic sound, with electronic and hip-hop tangents making Odelay a unique album that achieved double-platinum sales and two Grammy Awards.
Though fans and critics alike were waiting for an equally impressive follow-up album, Mutations was anything but. The album was a laid-back folksy stopgap release designed to keep Beck occupied until the next album proper. That album came in the form of Midnight Vultures, a collection of warped pop songs dripping with innuendo. Sexx Laws and Mixed Bizness were the big hits of the album, which was nominated for Best Album at the 2000 Grammys.
When Beck returned, he once again defied expectation and released a record completely unlike all of his others. Sea Change, a dreamy, melancholy breakup album. No singles were released from the album and sales didn’t come close to the achievements of Odelay, but to fans and critics, it sits right next to Beck’s 1996 effort as one of his best.
2005 brought Guero, Beck’s sixth major label album, which hit number two on the US albums chart, his best result yet. Though it struggled to break any new ground, it fell back on Beck’s most prominent influence: Beck. After remix album Guerolito, 2006’s The Information continued that trend, pulling together the best of his previous albums into an hour-long cross-section of his career.
Quick Facts
Music Styling >
stoner/grunge, indie/alternative, pop, rock, hip hop, electronica, psychadelic, folk, alt-country, roots/reggae, blues
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Event Reviews
Fuji Rock Festival @ Naeba Ski Resort, Japan (29-31/07/05)
The Fuji Rock Festival had been an event I'd wanted to head to for quite some time, but as with many things in life that take a good deal of organisation, planning (and money!), you tend to put them off year after year, until you either get your act together or forget you ever wanted to do it.
Event Galleries
V Festival at Avica Resort Gold Coast
V Festival graces over Avica Resort bringing with it talented acts and a happy vibe.
News
Beck joins the line-up at V Festival
The line up for V Festival just keeps on growing. Latest artists to be announced include Beck and the New York Dolls
International News
Beck to pop album out early
In keeping with the recent trend of shotgun releases, our favourite oddball Beck is unveiling his album in "four to six weeks", having only recently completed it.
Outside Lands line-up announced
The inaugural San Francisco Outside Lands Festival has just announced the first wave of acts to play the three-day music and arts event, which boasts some of the biggest names in live music.
Beck admits his lyrical gibberish
Sorry Odelay fanatics – Beck has admitted that the lyrics to tracks like The New Pollution and Devil’s Haircut were ‘scratch vocals’. In other words, complete nonsense.
Beck’s Odelay gets Deluxe Edition treatment
It’s a staple in the CD stacks of most rock fans, and now Beck’s 1996 album Odelay is set to be re-released as a brand spankin’ new Deluxe Edition.
Beck album banned from UK charts
Music's favourite scientologist suffers major setback.
Releases
Beck - The Information
Beck returns with yet another album that defies classification.
Beck - Guerolito
Guerolito - the remix album of Guero - is a hit and miss affair, but the hits outweight the misses.
Beck - Guero
Beck is back with one hell of an exciting new release. More musical styles than you can poke a stick at and captivating songs to boot, this is Beck at his finest.
Various Artists - Below the Radio (Grandaddy)
Insert your own wanky DIY cliché here. Grandaddy are perhaps the definitive alt-rock, lo-fi, experimental alternative-country-pop act on the planet in 2005. It's no surprise then, that most of the artists on Below The Radio, are from the bands that fall into the same "genre".
Beck featuring Jay-Z and Pharrell - Frontin' On Debra (DJ Reset Mash Up)
No, Beck didn't decide to start collaborating with R&B giants Jay-Z and Pharrell Williams. DJ Reset has grabbed Beck's Debra and Pharrell's Frontin', jammed them together and miraculously created a good type of Frankenstein.
