Beck “Sea Change” (2002) – got it
Relationship breakups sometimes make for the best albums. That was the
case with the end of Beck’s 9-year relationship to his fiancée, after
she cheated on him. What to do when your heart has been broken by a
cheatin’ woman…. Go country of course!
Beck wrote most of the songs in a week and then sat on them for a
while. He felt that the songs were too personal and that
recording/releasing them would seem like airing his dirty
laundry. Not a surprising attitude for a guy who’d previously made his
name laying abstract and cynical lyrics over a rapidly shifting
collection of musical genres and sampled sounds. Eventually he decided
the breakup theme was universal enough to not seem too self-indulgent
and recorded the songs.
‘Sea Change’ lives up to its name with Beck largely shelving his genre-splicing
approach to largely stick with a ballady alt-country sound, and
as mentioned, displaying much greater introspection with his lyrics.
There are still interesting audio touches. The opening track “the Golden Age”
is, on the face of it, a pretty straightforward ballad but with
atmospheric washes of noise underneath. The following track “Paper
Tigers” has an almost Jean-Claude Vannier/Serge Gainsbourg vibe to its
sound and string arrangements. Strings are one of the main
embellishments on the album and range from subtle backing to bombastic
attack. The mood througout is definitely sombre, with song titles like “Lost Cause” “Lonesome Tears” and “I Guess I’m doing Fine”.
The album manages to maintain its quality without a 'side B slump'. A couple of the last few tracks "Sunday Sun"
and "The Little One" kind of have hints of Chris Cornell's slanted
melodic sensibilities, maybe with touches of Radiohead thrown into the
mix. Radiohead's regular collaborator Nigel Godrich produces, so one of
those influences is perhaps unsurprising.
