Like many great performers, Beck Hansen’s music is best discussed with a larger perspective in mind. There is no “best” Beck album, because each one of his nine-odd releases (counting some that aren’t readily available anymore) seems to gain strength in comparison to the others. This is like a puzzle that isn’t quite completed, but each time an album is released, you see more and more of the picture.
A good example is “Sea Change,” the musician’s newest release. It’s not that a listener would be lost if this happened to be their introduction to Beck, but — not all Beck sounds like this. This album is just as produced as his previous, “Midnite Vultures,” but where that release was bustling full of up-tempo tracks replete with flamboyant horns and Beck’s shrieks, “Sea Change” is more somber — so much that the album could be viewed as one big song.
In the past, Beck’s lyrics have tended to juxtapose the inane with the ironic. On “Sea Change,” however, he has given his words a newfound, naked strength. The sound is decidedly reflective; on “Paper Tiger,” he sings, “There’s one road to the morning / There’s one road to the truth / There’s one road back to civilization / But there’s no road back to you.” Listeners will easily be able to determine the themes that “Sea Change” touches upon: Love, loss, confusion and sadness.
The string arrangements seal the deal for the album’s sound. The guitar is stripped-down and folk-y, harkening back to “One Foot In The Grave,” yet subtly more complicated, indicating the musician has grained a new mastery and control over the instrument.
“Lonesome Tears,” which could be considered the album’s most climactic tune, features a conclusion in which the string sections keeps rising higher and higher, ascending a chromatic scale.
And then there is Beck’s voice. On “Sea Change,” he shows a range of maturity and a seeming awareness not indicated on previous releases. The track “End of the Day” serves as an example of his range, as he folk-ishly delivers “I’ve seen the end of the day come too soon / Not a lot to say, not a lot to do.”
The album’s heavy production should make a live interpretation of these tunes an interesting sight to see. Beck is currently touring with the suddenly-quite-popular Flaming Lips, who will serve as openers and backing band for the musician’s set.
One small gripe: The liner notes are quite horrid: white text on a gray background and lyrics that read lengthwise over the entire breadth of the fold-out. If you’re interested in the lyrics, it’s best to check out the Web site at www.beck.com.