Beck - Guero

Alex Yamakazi - Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - Print Version

Beck was always an artist that I felt a social pressure to appreciate. Friends constantly recommended his work to me and whilst I enjoyed his albums I never really felt a strong connection. He always seemed a bit self consciously smug, arty and purposefully clever... perhaps I'm just suspicious of people with the last name of Hansen. I guess it's Hansen not Hanson but damn it's close enough to scare the bejesus out of me.

After listening to Beck's latest offering, Guero, I now understand the hype. I was wrong. The man is a genius.

Produced by the Dust Brothers, this effort manages to remain faithful to the distinctive Beck sound whilst also exploring new territories. Beck seems to be a genre unto himself fusing trip hop, rock, funk, folk and even country to become something more than the sum of its parts. It works immediately and the more you listen to it the more it reveals itself. It works to dance to and it works on an emotional level. It works through standout tracks and it works as an album. Oh let me count the levels on which it works...

Highlights include the driving, chunky, distorted guitar stomp of E-pro, the mysterious, sexy, almost eastern, wind of Missing and the amazing nostalgic electro ballad Broken Drum. There's a near miraculous absence of filler tracks.

Music that paints a picture in my head or takes me on a journey always seems to hold a special place in my heart. Guero is a sun, dust and drug drenched journey south of the border and into the psyche. Here we have ghettos, steamy latin loves, washed up cowboys and dope drenched, impossibly red sunsets. It's progressive, it's retro and it's worth buying.

Alex Yamakazi

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