With somber melodies and revealing lyrics, Beck’s last album, 2002’s
“Sea Change,” marked a dramatic shift for the enigmatic ironist whose cockamamie wordplay and innovative genre splicing made him one of contemporary music’s most inventive musicians.
His demons purged (for now), Beck returns with “Guero,” a giddy mish-mash of musical styles and esoteric lyrics that combine to create his most eclectic album since “Odelay.”
On “Girl,” he juxtaposes a catchy Beach Boys-like pop tune with lyrics that may (or may not) be about a serial killer. The album’s opening track, “E-Pro,” is the most stripped down song on the album (relatively speaking), but the heavy guitar riff captures the same manic amusement as past Beck songs like
“Devil’s Haircut.”
While the album’s collage of music styles may draw comparisons to “Odelay,” the sound is no longer greeted by
critics with the same urgency as that landmark album received when it was released in 1996. Back then, Beck’s inspired fusion was hyped by critics as a glimpse at the future of pop music, which likely kept the fiercely independent artist from returning to anything reminiscent of that sound for nearly 10 years. Though “Guero” is clearly not a follow-up to
“Odelay,” Beck sounds revitalized as he finally explores similar territory.
–Josh Lintereur