Beck is one of those artists that I liked initially because I felt like it was the right thing to do. Not to say that he’s untalented-Mellow Gold, Odelay! and Midnite Vultures are good albums, but I don’t pull them out for replay very much.
Sea Change, appropriately enough, is the album that changed my opinion about Beck from “he’s OK” to “my God, this guy is a genius.” Guero was his masterstroke, and The Information and Modern Guilt were pretty damn good too.
Apparently, Beck is working on not one, but two albums to be released later this year. One is a lo-fi, folky album reminiscent of One Foot in the Grave (the album he dropped between Mellow Gold and Odelay!) and the other is a more traditional pop album.
To tide fans over until those albums are released, Beck has dropped “Defriended,” a spacey midtempo jam that, while not his best work, is good enough to leave me wanting more. Note: it is not scheduled to appear on either of his upcoming albums.
Check it out for yourself.