Album Review: Beck returns to melancholia with new album
With a wealth of sunny music flooding the market this year, Beck's new album "Morning Phase" brings a warming melancholy he left nearly a decade ago. "Morning Phase" serves as a companion piece to Beck's 2002 album, "Sea Change," shifting back to more alternative rock and country music elements than the myriad of genres he dived into prior to this.
Don't expect this album to come out the gate sprinting; Beck wants you to go on a journey and each track makes sure you take your time in the trip.
You can immediately feel the gentle melancholy in the first song "Morning." Hitting you with a soft acoustic guitar with brilliant lyrics, the similarities in sound from his 2002 album "Sea Change" are heavily apparent. Both albums have tracks that are indistinguishable from one another, and "Morning Phase" features musicians that worked on "Sea Change" as well, giving this album an extra layer of familiarity to those who are interested in comparing both albums.
Fans of Beck will notice his return to acoustic guitar in nearly all the tracks here, accompanied with string instruments and arrangements that hit you not with a bang, but with soft plucks that you can hear in a track like "Blackbird Chain." However, the final offering, "Waking Light," ends the album on a particularly grand note, marking the end of the journey that is this distinctive album.
Recommended tracks:
- Morning
- Blue Moon
- Heart is a Drum
- Don't Let it Go
- Turn Away
- Waking Light