MUSIC REVIEWS
Beck - The Information
Matt Jameson
Yet another excellent release from the industry’s single most adventurous songwriter and performance artist Beck; The Information has re-established many of the reasons I personally fell in love with this unusual music in the late nineties. It has the lyrical punch, musical pluckiness and all the unusual rhythmic patterns that we’ve come to expect and love from Beck. And as usual, Beck has done something new and visionary with this release. This album, three years in the making was actually being finished and refined amid the release of his last album Guero. Now that the promotional schedules and tour dates for his last album Guero are behind him, Beck gives us exactly what we’ve been waiting for without all the pesky waiting.
The Information is comprised of 15 songs and a DVD with videos for each of the 15 songs shot in-studio during the actual recording sessions. Even the album art is different from what one might expect from his previous releases. The album artwork for The Information allows fans to utilize their own creative process by actually designing his or her own one of a kind CD cover via several decals that come along with the album. But that certainly is not the best surprise here.
Most surprising on this release is consistent quality and playability of each track. With most previous Beck albums, I found myself skipping tracks and forwarding to the ones I really like. But this time around, Beck has created a very listener friendly version of his usual chaotic yet subtle and beautiful composition style. I find a much stronger dance and hip hop element to this record than previous releases and that in combination with a great DVD showcasing Beck’s performance and video art makes this one of my favorite Beck albums so far. My personal favs on this album are 1000BPM and Nausea. Each of these tracks speak volumes for the amazing amount of creativity and individuality that make Beck such a hit among discriminating fans.
The ease with which this musical enigma continually re-defines his music while keeping his signature sound present, is one of the strongest testaments to his talent as a creative visionary and biggest mysteries in the music world. If Beck taught composition 101, radio would be a much better place to be for all of us. Take refuge from the current hailstorm of Clay Aikens and Fergies with this newest release that invites you to come and sit by the fire, and enjoy the warm fuzziness that comes along with being a Beck fan.
