'Sea Change' by Beck
Trotter’s Top Ten position : Top Ten in 2002
UK Chart high : 20 in 2002
Beck seems to have been around forever doesn't he? You know, spouting gibberish over skittering beats, samples and guitars while throwing post-modern ironic shapes in multi-coloured video pastiches channelling Prince. With his 1998 release 'Mutations' he stepped off that particular quality rollercoaster and got a tad acoustic and serious only to then get back to doing what he felt the record company and the world at large wanted him to be. But then, with 'Sea Change' he had a rethink - reuniting with 'Mutations' and Radiohead producer-at-large Nigel Godrich and producing his best ever work. So what makes this record better than his others - including 'Odelay'? For me, Beck was always surprising, inventive, often catchy, sometimes baffling and very, very clever - but ultimately more admired than loved. That all changed with the aptly named 'Sea Change' though. Beck practically pours his heart out here following the break up of a long term relationship and holds back on all the quirkiness, stripping the sounds down to country-rock and lush strings and bearing his soul rather than talking about beefcake pantihose. It's essentially the record as therapy, working through his various emotions one by one - be they hopeful and optimistic (album opener 'The Golden Age' beginning with the line 'Put your hand on the wheel, let the golden age begin' and looking to the open road) or convincing himself he's okay on 'Guess I'm Doing Fine', down to the discordant 'Sunday Sun', the grudging acceptance of 'Lost Cause' and the brutal, heartbreaking 'Lonesome Tears' probably the best thing Mr Hansen has ever done and a track that has made me cry (sob!). Another aspect that sets this album apart, especially for Beck, is its absolute consistency - a word he would have hated any of his previous work to be accused of. That's not to say that all songs sound the same, but they fit so well together that if you heard any of them separately you could easily identify them from this release. He also has his dad to thank, who arranged and conducted the strings on his son's 'heartbreak album' - aw bless. Now, if my dad helped me on my album he would correct my grammar and spelling and then ask how the car that got me to the recording studio was handling. But enough of Brian. The raw emotion is just pouring out of 'Sea Change', helped by the ideally-suited, laid-back, country vibe and perhaps will be the only time Beck feels the need to be so raw and vulnerable on record, as he seems to have gone back to his everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach on subsequent releases. But if that's the case (and just to be clear I'm certainly not wishing any more heartache on the poor chap) then that just makes 'Sea Change' all the more special. It's a heart-rending, beautiful, touching album that provokes all sorts of emotions from the listener and proves what a talent the guy really is. And the videos still prove he's completely barmy!
Look at Lonesome Tears ; The Golden Age ; Lost Cause ; Guess I'm Doing Fine
Listen to a sampling of the Top Fifty on Spotify as we go or the 'one from each album' version
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