A Different Shade of Beck

By Hunter McGahan, Staff Writer

Beck’s latest album, “Colors,” is another memorable addition to his record of polished albums. Contradicting the previous album “Morning Phase,” a woeful masterpiece, “Colors” is filled with popular alternative rock with the purpose to make the listener get up and dance.

The most notable singles on the album are “Dreams,” “Dear Life,” and “Up all Night,” which all contain upbeat, albeit repetitive, musical techniques. These songs all serve to fulfill aspects of what Beck felt during production. Not one of them truly stand out, but rather, flow as a whole. Each one of them provides a step to create the staircase of a successful album.

The album’s upbeat music reveals a new side of Beck as he conquers pop. The songs are guaranteed to get stuck in the listener’s head at least once, and all contain a variety of musical segments such as guitar riffs, and retro ‘80s sounds that help individualize each piece.

However, the album suffers from some of the most lyrically inept lines, like in the song “Wow,” which is smooth until the listeners pays attention to the actual lyrics: “My demon’s on the cell phone/ To your demons, nothing’s even right or wrong/ It’s irrelevant, elephant in the room goes boom.” If you are into lyrical geniuses, you might want to turn your head on this album. Beck’s purpose was to create a sound that sticks, not lyrics, which is how it should be. Of course, there are exceptions like “Fix Me,” which is one of the most calming pieces of the album. Keep in mind, he has also proven in previous albums to be capable of sophisticated poetry.

In comparison to his other albums, “Colors” has a good foot in the door. The album, from the amount of Beck’s work I have listened to, encompasses a relatively new genre for him to tackle. However, it lacks what most Beck fans crave from Beck, which is an alternative sound trip. It is well done, but doesn’t scream Beck.

In Beck’s album, “Colors,” he has created yet another great piece. For those that generally listen to mainstream music but are interested in breaking into alternative, Beck’s album “Colors” is relatively safe and worth giving a chance. It pleases a broad audience rather than the few groups of fans that Beck has had, and is worth the $10 price tag for the music itself.