BECK – MORNING PHASE
Born in Los Angeles, Beck discovered hip-hop at an early age and it influenced his musical career in a dramatic way adding to one of the most diverse musical bags of his generation. In the late eighties he began playing clubs and coffee shops and moved to New York City in 1989. After years of devoting himself to his craft he hesitantly released ‘Loser’. The single went mainstream overnight and became the theme of the slacker crowd of the mid-nineties despite Beck’s unmatched hustle. With overnight notoriety came the typical backlash that haunted many rock acts during that time, even being dubbed a one-hit wonder. These unfounded critics only created more heat and pressure that helped form his Grammy winning rebuttal Odely. Over the years he has continued to produce highly acclaimed album reinventing his sound time and time again.
Beck’s 2014 return gives us his twelfth studio album, Morning Phase. ‘Cycle’, the opening track on his first studio release since 2008’s Modern Guild, is the sunrise of the Morning Phase. With daybreak comes, ‘Morning’ with its whispering lyrics blended with slow kick drum percussions, delicately fingered piano, and lightly strummed guitar. ‘Say Goodbye’ puts an end to the morning of the album and gets out the doors accompanied a smooth nineties bass line.
‘Blue Moon’, the first single off the album was released in late-January as an appetizer to the upcoming feast many critics expected. The cheery lyrics, folky guitar play and hint of Q Lazzarus’ ‘Goodbye Horses’ backing vocals plays with the heavy keys. Beck also performed ‘Wave’ on Saturday Night Live, a beautiful hypnotic ballet of soft echoing vocals, an eloquently arranged sting orchestra; a refreshing afternoon nap if you will. The soft picking of his guitar, on ‘Don’t Let it Go’ reawakens the listener with its motivating nature, and builds into piano before fading into violins that usher the track out. In late 2012 Beck released a 20 track Song Reader of sheet music, hoping to inspire musicians to record their own versions. This process seemed to have had a major influence across this record including, the lyricless ‘Phase’. ‘Turn Away’ brings a Simon and Garfunkel-esque tone. The final two songs wrap Morning Phase in a country twang with the help of rolling lyrics, rhythmic guitar, and additions of harmonica and piano.
The process of recording Morning Phase was more active than its predecessor and companion album, Modern Guild, as he was limited physically due to a serious spinal injury. The time off allowed him to develop more vocal range. A more mellowed release than his 2008 return, Morning Phase is the perfect spring awakening album. There has been a slight resurgence in concept albums lately, but this album brings on a new role of an evolutionary album taking album sequencing a step further as every song seems not only feed into the next, but build upon what came before it.
Top Tracks
Blue Moon
Morning
Heart is a Drum
Wave
B Rating: 81
R Rating: 84
Overall: 82.5
Local Dates: Bonnaroo, FireFly Festivals
Like this album? Try….from 2013
Father John Misty – Fear Fun
Dr. John – B-Room
No comments:
Post a Comment