So now I have listened to every Beck album. It seems I was avoiding this one.
I think I was a bit scared off by what I’d heard. The whole album was allegedly written within a week after breaking up with his long-term girlfriend. Consequently, it’s depressing. But it’s not bitter or self-indulgent. It’s pulled off just right with beautiful melancholy.
The Beck-ballad is an interesting genre. He can make very pretty sombre numbers, but I really miss Beck’s eclecticism and humour, which are sadly lacking on Sea Change. Here, every song is stripped back and emotional. And each is quite lovely in its own right. Highlights for me are the anthemic Little One, and Paper Tiger (those violins are exhilarating), and Lonesome Tears. But it is altogether a bit samey compared to the playful pop-culture soup he dishes out on his other albums. Still, it’s a great piece of work, and I expect to grow very fond of it.
8/10
