Conjuring up some of the same beats that made Odelay a critical and fan favourite, Guero will have you bobbing your head and taping your toes — to lyrics about graves, the devil and maybe even a serial killer. And on this, his eighth album, Beck reunites with the Dust Brothers to bring back some of that kick-butt sound of Odelay.
Yes, the lyrics are just as sullen and dark as any on Mutations or Sea Change, but it's the beats that set this album apart. But while Guero is drawing comparisons to Odelay it is not a remake of that 10-year-old album. The layers are deeper, the rhythms more complex and the message more mature. Guero is the vision of a grown man, not a 20-something slacker, who has come to terms with the fact that day-to-day life won't ever completely live up to the promise.
"Qué Onda Guero" brings the sounds of the East LA neighbourhood where Beck grew up. The lyrics dance along to the Spanglish of barrio boys calling out to the guero (white boy) walking down the street. The funk and beats may be back but it still low to the ground stuff as exhibited by "Missing" with its strings and percussive musings. Here he combines jazzy Latino guitar beats with the words of a lost man lamenting a relationship gone wrong, giving the tune a hypnotic bossa nova sound that is a pleasure to listen to. "Hell Yes" revisits the two tables and a microphone but dances around the outside of the lines with a hillbilly harmonica, while "Scarecrow" feels like mid-era Cure stuff, kind of haunting and gothic at time, but still with enough bump in its ass to make you forgo the darkness. The Latin groove, and sense of foreboding, continues on "Earthquake Weather" ("Something's coming/sky is purple") and the funk-infused "Black Tambourine."
This is a must have album for this year - intelligent, yet laidback and soulful. Guero is the sort of album you can put on in the background while having a few mates around for a BBQ. Yes, the lyrics are dark but the mood of the album is far from foreboding, an excellent party album that is perfect for the summer. Coming on the heels of 2002's "Seachange," a somber acoustic album of mellow, even depressing songs, some may wonder whether "Guero" is meant to rekindle past glories amid slipping sales and unfavourable criticism.
Maybe, but what separates "Guero" from Beck's past albums is his maturity now: what he sings about and how he does it. He’s having fun with his morbid thoughts, and dancing his way through the graveyard. A highly recommended album.
Tracklisting:
1. E-Pro
2. Que' Onda Guero
3. Girl
4. Missing
5. Black Tambourine
6. Earthquake Weather
7. Hell Yes
8. Broken Drum
9. Scarecrow
10. Go It Alone
11. Farewell Ride
12. Rental Car
13. Emergency Exit
14. Send A Message To Her
15. Chain Reaction
Also, I'd be worried, I think a Ms Denise Hazlick of MSNBC is ripping off your review, yet cleverly posted last month, before yours ;) (Posted by Si)