SOUNDTRACK: BECK-The Information (2006).
After Guero, Beck released Guerolito, a remix album. I’ve basically given up on remix albums, so I don’t know anything about that one.
His next proper album was The Information which I have recently read was recorded at the same time as Guero. I remember when it came out that it had a whole bunch of stickers that you could put all over the cover (which was made like graph paper) so that each cover could be personalized. Sadly I remembered that more than the music. I hadn’t listened to the album in a long time either. So when I played it the other day, after the first song I was afraid I didn’t remember any of it.
And even after a few listens, that first song, “Elevator Music” just never grabbed me. Then came “Think I’m in Love” which was a reasonably big hit (surprisingly, not the first single from the album). It’s what you expect from Beck–a cool bassline, catchy vocals and a great melody. This one is a mid-paced song, but the chorus has a lot of bounce. The next song, “Cellphone’s Dead” sounds a bit like “Hell Yes” with that watery staccato funky bass. It’s definitely a fun song, and there’s a “sample” that I have to wonder if it’s not a sample at all–a neat idea to have something that sounds like sample but actually not be one).
“Strange Apparition” is a folkie song. And this is the first song which made me realize what’s wrong with the album. The sound quality of the whole disc is really flat. It’s very sleek and smooth, so even though there’s some great guitars on this track, it’s the same loudness as the vocals. And the drums are kind of lost in the mix too, it renders it really bland. Which is shocking coming from Beck. It’s also a shame because with a better mix this would be a great song. Same with “Soldier Jane.” The bass line is really fun, but it just gets lost in the muddle of everything else–which is not to say it sounds muddied, it’s just all the same. “Nausea” was the first single from the album and I can see why–it’s funky and bouncy and has a catchy chorus an a cool bass. But then it slowly dawns that this is basically a slightly less successful version of “Black Tambourine.”
“New Round” sounds pretty different for a Beck song–there’s layered waves of vocals and a lot of different sounds going on, including an interesting piano. And I want to like it more, but it also seems to get lost in the washes of sound. “Dark Star” rises above the washes with its slow and sultry sound. It’s got a very cool 70s bass sound. I wish there were a few more peaks on the song, but then it probably wouldn’t be so spacey. “We Dance Alone” has some great sounds as well–again, that bass is very cool, but it just feels too smooth.
“No Complaints” brings back Beck’s old slightly out of tune guitar sound. It stands out in this muddy middle of the album and is definitely a highlight. “1000 BPM” is one of Beck’s weird skittery songs. There’s wild sounds and a seemingly improvised rap. This would have probably sounded great on Odelay, but it feels odd to me here. “Motorcade” has more acoustic guitar but by the time the chorus comes in, the only melody is on Beck’s vocals, while the strange music is almost a distraction from the melody. There’s some cool sounds in “The Information” which is certainly an enjoyable song (and a lengthy end section of weird trippy vocals that foreshadows the very long bonus track). “Movie Theme” opens with keyboards. It’s nice, but just sort of meandering.
Which leads to the 10 minute final track “The Horrible Fanfare/Landslide/Exoskeleton.” This is sort of a recap of the whole album, with samples from different songs, long drawn out instrumental passages and dialogue. There’s some interesting riffs, especially in the middle section (about 3 minutes in). The third section of the song is dialogue between Dave Eggers and Spike Jonze, talking about space and other things. One wonders where Beck got this or if he just asked them to talk for the record. It’s a weird ending and feels like a bonus track but actually isn’t.
There’s a bonus version of the disc which I do not have. It has some more songs and a DVD.
So overall this is the first Beck CD that I just didn’t love, especially coming on the heels of the excellent Guero. There’s definitely some good songs here, I just want it to be crisper.
[READ: March 14, 2014] Nolas’ Worlds #3
Nola’s World concludes with this book, which was also translated by Erica Olson Jeffrey and Carol Klio Burrell.
I loved the first two books of this series quiet a lot, but felt like the third one fell a little flat. The ending felt like it was solved too quickly especially after the hugely lengthy set up.
The first nearly 50 pages are all a way to lead up to the ferrets finally meeting Damiano and Ines (with the inevitable we-can’t-tell-you-everything delays. Then we finally get the explanation that Alta Donna is a town between the Human World and the Land of Stories. Since Damiano and Ines escaped from the Land of Stories, they have messed everything up. We learn all about how the ferrets control Alta Donna (the details of this are quite neat).
But the big thing missing from all of this is Pumpkin. And Nola knows it, too. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 