Band of the Week: Beck (belated)

oh look at that, a lovely alliteration.

I've been in a semi-nostalgic mood lately, and when I get like this, I don't look through photos or cry over past lovers...I watch my favourite movies and dust off records I haven't heard in a while.
I get nostalgic for my past, not necessarily for people in my past.

but anyhow, I was rewatching Eternal Sunshine for the goodness-knows-how-many-th time, and found myself, once again, in awe of Beck.

one day, Beck will go down in history as the poster boy for alternative rock. he has established himself as a force to be reckoned with, the very epitome of an entire genre, much like Bowie and Cobain did before him in glam and grunge.

how can I make the claim that he stands for Alternative rock?

Beck is versatile. he's fresh. he has a cool voice that can lull or invigorate. it's up to him. he keeps good company whom he ends up making impromptu cover albums with.

he doesn't have a "sound". he changes constantly, dabbles into so many genres that it's hard to keep track of sometimes, and ends up being channeled in the most unlikely of places.

for some reason, he always reminds me of a musical Aldous Huxley. I don't know much about his personal life other than he's a Scientologist, but, like Huxley, he seems like the kind of guy who would write tracts about the benefits of LSD. or, in his case, express these slightly erratic views musically, which I think he does.

to put it simply, he is an incredibly interesting musician. I think it's quite impossible for anyone to say "I know everything about Beck, and know all of his songs by heart, let me hum out his fourth album for you"

his latest studio album, Modern Guilt (2008), is a heavy dose of aural happiness, and was produced by Danger Mouse (of Gnarls Barkley and Dark Night of the Soul)

oh, and, of course, Alt Rock wouldn't be what it is if it didn't break into the mainstream just a little bit.

I really love Beck, and think you should listen to him too. I'd go to a local record store and pick up which ever cd of his that is cheapest...it's all guaranteed to please. his albums are so eclectic that it doesn't matter where you start--the journey through Beck's discography is always intriguing, captivating, and often strange in a lo-fi way which would put Black Lips to shame.

his website is plenty of fun and is updated regularly, so check it out! he's currently covering Leonard Cohen's debut.

Beck - Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime (The Korgis cover) [mp3]
from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind's soundtrack

Beck - Modern Guilt [mp3]
from Modern Guilt

Beck - Nicotine & Gravy [mp3]
from Midnite Vultures

I have 135 of his songs and STILL can't wrap my mind around it all. it's great though, Beck makes the kind of music that you can just enjoy, and not have to worry about knowing every little detail about (or being obsessively faithful to).

he's like a musical fuck buddy.