Beck - Odelay - Music & Performance - CD

Described as a "sort of cosmic curator of sound," Beck's platinum DGC debut, Mellow Gold, lifted him from the underground and garnered him notoriety and acclaim in the mainstream (his gold single, "Loser," was a #1 alternative hit and an MTV Buzz Bin clip). for his new invention, Beck spent a year in the studio writing and producing with John King and Michael Simpson, aka the Dust Brothers (Beastie Boys, Tone Loc); the result: "Beck's most cohesive and catchy mutation to date" (Rolling Stone). Focus track and video: "Where It's At."

Beck's debut, Mellow Gold, was a glorious sampler of different musical styles, careening from lo-fi hip-hop to folk, moving back through garage rock and arty noise. It was an impressive album, but the parts didn't necessarily stick together. The two albums that followed within months of Mellow Gold -- Stereopathetic Soul Manure and One Foot in the Grave -- were specialist releases that disproved the idea that Beck was simply a one-hit wonder. But Odelay, the much-delayed proper follow-up to Mellow Gold, proves the depth and scope of his talents. Odelay fuses the disparate strands of Beck's music -- folk, country, hip-hop, rock & roll, blues, jazz, easy listening, rap, pop -- into one dense sonic collage. Songs frequently morph from one genre to another, seemingly unrelated genre -- bursts of noise give way to country songs with hip-hop beats, easy listening melodies transform into a weird fusion of pop, jazz, and cinematic strings; it's genre-defying music that refuses to see boundaries. All of the songs on Odelay are rooted in simple forms -- whether it's blues ("Devil's Haircut"), country ("Lord Only Knows," "Sissyneck"), soul ("Hotwax"), folk ("Ramshackle"), or rap ("High 5 [Rock the Catskills]," "Where It's At") -- but they twist the conventions of the genre. "Where It's At" is peppered with soul, jazz, funk, and rap references, while "Novacane" slams from indie rock to funk and back to white noise. With the aid of the Dust Brothers, Beck has created a dense, endlessly intriguing album overflowing with ideas. Furthermore, it's an album that completely ignores the static, nihilistic trends of the American alternative/independent underground, creating a fluid, creative, and startlingly original work. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Performer	Beck
Music genre	Rock
Media format	CD
Original release date	1996
Language	English
Has parental advisory label	N
Number of discs	1
Track listing	Devils Haircut, Hotwax, Lord Only Knows, The New Pollution, Derelict, Novacane, Jack-Ass, Where It's at, Minus, Sissyneck, Readymade, High 5 (Rock the Catskills), Ramshackle
Record label	Geffen Records
Songwriter	Beck
Track name	Where It's At
Music media format	CD
Is edited	N
Is enhanced	N