Beck
Morning Phase
Capitol Records
Street: 02.25
Beck = Glen Campbell / Nick Drake
Beck, once pop music’s most reliable shape-shifter, now finds himself compelled to rehash his past glories; namely Sea Change. If you ever wanted him to make that record again, your prayers have been answered. Be forewarned, the old adage about wishes rings as true here as it ever has. Everything, from the overly-compressed acoustic guitar, to the syrupy strings, right down to the feigned depression and chord progressions, have been replicated here in their entirety—with massively diminished returns. That said, this record is not useless. I can speak from personal experience that it cures even the most stubborn insomnia quite speedily, and for that I applaud Beck on his remarkable contribution to science. –Dan Vesper