Guero

(5/5) Beck is a musical chameleon. The colors and tones he takes on from song to song, and album to album, are so wide and varied he honestly defies easy categorization. I respect that mercurial nature and his vast talent makes even the stuff I don't like at least musically competent. This album, however, is my second favorite of his. The dance-y, hook-heavy beats on the best tracks elevate it so high the filler still sounds good. There's tracks that see **heavy** rotation for my casual listening. "Black Tambourine", "Hell Yes", "Scarecrow", "Go It Alone", & "Farewell Ride" are top constant favorites, but the ear-wormiest song that will live rent-free in my mind for all eternity is "Girl". It's such a beautifully crafted pop song with fun, intentionally cryptic lyrics. Is it 'cyanide' or 'sun-eyed'? Absolute classic album.

232. Guero - Beck (2005) 10.12.26 Variety: 5 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 5 Uniqueness: 4 Emotionality: 4 = 4.6 rounded up to 5 "TJ cowboys hang around/ Sleeping in the sidewalk with a Burger King crown" Beck is one of the handful of musicians that have been around long enough to now be considered an elder statesman of sorts. Dude started releasing albums and had four under his belt before he finally got some critical love with Odelay. Mellow Gold sold well, but largely on the back of "Loser" which I think most people saw as a fluke and he was quickly written off as a one hit wonder. That's pretty much how I saw him, though I was aware he had done other stuff. It wasn't until Odelay came out and melted some faces off ( mine included) that I decided to dive into his back catalogue. It was... ok. There were quite a few bits to like, but none of his albums before Odelay would get any higher than a 3 from me, and possibly less. Mixed bags at best, with nuggets of gold that hinted towards better things. But Odelay fast became a favorite, and his single in between albums "Deadweight" made it into heavy rotation and felt like it could have been a track off of Mutations ( insane this is not on the list!), which I also loved. The streak continued into Midnight Vultures ( also crazily not on the list!) and abruptly halted with Sea Change (on the list), which I remember liking quite a bit, but being disappointed that the highs were not as high as they were on the previous three. After that I did listen to Guero, and liked it a lot, but felt pretty simarly and did not buy it. And then after that I think I maybe have heard one or two singles off each subsequent release, and a combination of a step back from new music and a feeling that I could just go back and catch up at anytime took over. I ever did. The biggest dive I did back into the man's work was when I found out about his Record club project where he would cover a classic album in it's entirety with a rotating group of other superstar musicians and friends. Some of those were great ( Velvet Underground), while some were perplexing (Yanni Live at the Acropolis) or just boring ( INXS's Kick). It's probably been a good 15 years or more since I last listened to Guero, but I recall at the time thinking it felt like Beck was settling into a mode and was making the slightly different versions of what had come before, with slightly diminishing results. Granted, those diminishing results were less than some all-time classics, so... I'm curious to see if I might be able to appreciate it any more now with a good two decades of listening experience under my belt. Maybe I'll pick up on some influences I didn't notice before or notice a melody that sticks in my head longer. THE TRACKS "E-Pro" - Ok. Right away we've got a chorus that I'm sure will be stuck in my head for at least a week. It's no accident this was given the most creative music video of the bunch ( that I recall) to get the word out. Beck takes the, at this point, tried and true catchy as hell, but oddball flavored pop sensibility he honed on his last few albums and gives us more of the same. This time with maybe even a bit more whimsy, and straightforwardness. The rhythm track of the Beastie Boys' "So What'cha Want" is sampled here, but everything around it is so chunky and charmingly distracting that you might not even recognize it at first glance, even if you live that one ( this guy did not). We get the nonsense lyrics of Odelay mixed with the danceable playful rhythms of Midnight Vultures here, and if you want to say that Beck has found a formula and is doing his best to put that ultra radio-friendly foot forward, than he's doing at the highest level here. It's got a shambly, crunchy, rough texture to it that contrasts SO well with the super poppy chorus. A++. "Qué Onda Guero" - Full of sound effects, and almost, but night quite as catchy as the previous track, this one is charming as a motherfucker, and let's Beck play around with his ( probably) poor Spanish skills, over top of a funny little, simple funky hip-hop beat. Light as air, and pretty danged delightful. "Girl" - Beck pulls in some electro vibes with com bleeps and bloops and mixes them together with some folky guitars and joyous toe tapping beat to create some more top tier melodies in both the verses AND the chorus. It's bouncy and fun in the instrumentation, and ambiguously dark in the lyrics, with death imagery throughout. There's a really fun Mad Magazine fold-in inspired video that's worth looking up for this as well. Three for three. "Missing" - Beck manages to fuse together the sound of the improvised bit "Can You Take Me Back?" from the Beatles White Album with some Latin flavor, and ends up with a very cinematic piece that has more than a bit of an echo of the Tropicalia inspired stuff from Mutations. The strings add drama, and the lyrics are a bit more comprehensible, if still very impressionistic, and this one feels like a more serious, but still pretty funky song about relationship troubles. "Black Tambourine" - The funk dial gets turned up ever so slightly, and we get some massive bass lines built around a break beat and, yes - plenty of tambourine. Simple, but effective. The scratchy fuzzed out guitar just ties it all together into a tight, catchy package. Guy is showing no signs of slowing down yet. Might I like this even more than I thought I would? "Earthquake Weather" - Some more Latin rhythms, this time with a bit more of a dark tone, and filled with doubt and paranoia and the smell of death. It's still funky as hell though, and filled with some great melodic hooks. When the mic of psychedelia and turntablism comes in at the end it feels just as natural as any of the other weird blends we've gotten, and it ends with a sound like some horrible robot dying as it loses power. Maybe it's one of the robots from the music video for the next song. "Hell Yes" - We get much more of a hip-hop track hear that would have been right at home on Midnight Vultures, full of some speak-singing not-quite-rapping that Beck pulls out occasionally. This thing was a blast from tip to toes and is maybe all the proof you need that Beck's not taking any of this too seriously. "Broken Drum" - This one opens all slow with what sounds like distorted violins off some lost ELO track, and Beck dropping into his romantic mode, and laying some pretty vocal melody on us that's doubled by a piano, and has a more melancholic vibe, similar to the stuff from Sea Change that I remember. Beautiful and atmospheric, and full of more emotion than you normally get from the man's vocals, though I think his instrumentation more than picks up the slack in that department throughout. "Scarecrow" - The spacey, dreamy vibe carries over here a little with some screeching, seagullesque synths that sound right out of an early Pink Floyd album, but then the folky guitars kick in and bring the tone back up into something a little more optimistic sounding. There's some folk-blues vibes here that seem like he's reaching WAY back into his pre-Odelay days, and it mostly works. It's just a bit too middle of the road compared to everything else on here, and is lacking any real dynamism. The harmonica that comes in near the end mad me think for a moment we'd get a return of the braying donkey from "Jack-Ass". "Go It Alone" - Easily the grooviest track on the album, with an awesome handclapping beat, and a funky, fat jazzy bass providing the fuel here. We also get another VERY hummable chorus that doesn't quite make it up to "E-Pro" levels, but is fine just the same. Just try not to nod your head to this one I dare you. It ends with a "Where It's At"-ish drum loop that is very satisfying. ( edit: just read that Jack White played bass on this one!) "Farewell Ride" - Beck's a bit of a musical magpie himself, and certainly no slide guitar innovator, but I wonder if the composer for Breaking Bad ever had this track in the back of his mind when coming up with that show's theme and score. It's a big bayou blues vibes, and chugs along with the kind of stomp-clap that actually does not annoy me. It was pretty good, but it did feel like Beck's audition for the theme song to some supernatural western tv show. I', guessing premium cable. "Rental Car" - More handclaps, some twangy fuzz guitar, and even what sounded like organs gave this a very swinging 60s feel, and made it seem like a cousin to "The New Pollution" off of Odelay. There's a kind of sludgy guitar solo followed immediately by some campy vintage vocal samples that further reinforce this comparison. This one was lush and very packed full of ideas, but never felt too busy. "Emergency Exit" - We close things on a bit of ... industrial electro-folk? A pounding four on the floor beat, and some mechanical sounds interweave with some bluesy acoustic guitar ( nylon strings?) for a nice finish that isn't to fancy. I was reminded quite a bit of the Beta Band, who in their turn seem to have been influenced by Beck more than a little. HIGHLIGHTS - "E-Pro" - "Qué Onda Guero" - "Girl" - "Missing" - "Black Tambourine" - "Earthquake Weather" - "Hell Yes" - "Broken Drum" - "Go It Alone" - "Farewell Ride" - "Rental Car" - "Emergency Exit" MIDLIGHTS - "Scarecrow" LOWLIGHTS - Is the man capable of a truly garbage song, post-Odelay? FINAL THOUGHTS Of Beck could be considered the best possible version of a AI, taking in influences from pop, folk, hip-hop, dance, funk, R&B, and world music and more, then this album is the BECK AI scraping his own back catalogue ( the more radio friendly stuff anyway) for content, mixing it all up and spitting it back out in what is a very familiar sounding, yet still very entertaining and convincing bit of slop. If only AI music could be this good though. Maybe a better analogy would be that he's created a sort of liminal Backrooms type space ( to horribly date this review) where his old sounds have all been scanned and recreated, but they all came out weird, and fucked up but still pretty awesome. Production wise I'm not sure this guy has never not hit it out of the park, and has made very smart choices on who he works with after he blew up. This one sounds just as warm and impeccably recorded as everything since Odelay, and had just the right amount of grungy film laid over top of things. I came into to this one ready to give it a solid 4-star review, based just on my memory, but I'll be damned if coming at this with fresh ears hasn't paid off for Mr. Hansen incredibly well. It was entertaining, full of a ton of variety, well performed, and packed with plenty of great hooks and melodies. It wasn't necessarily bold or innovative, and looked backwards for all of it's ideas, but that didn't really bother me too much. More of what I like? Yes please! Possibly against my better judgement, I think I gave to round this one up. That messes with my rankings slightly as I still like Mutations and Midnight Vultures as my 2nd and 3rd after Odelay. But if Odelay is a perfect 5 ( it is) then those are 4.8's at the lowest, and this one just scrapes by. I could see myself liking it even more with a few more listens under my belt. Possible turn-Offs might include: - a very schizophrenic infusion of influences - lots of deadpan vocals - some recycled ideas You Might enjoy this if you: - loved his last four albums and want more of the same - are folky in the streets but funky in the sheets - could use some high caliber pop music that's still a bit scruffy around the edges PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - Nah FURTHER LISTENING Precursors: - Os Mutantes by Os Mutantes - Histoire de Melody Nelson by Serge Gainsbourg - All Directions by The Temptations - Under the Influence of... Love Unlimited by Love Unlimited - The Concept by Slave - Gate of Dreams by Claus Ogerman - "Shack Up" by Banbarra - Computer World by Kraftwerk - Check Your Head by Beastie Boys Contemporaries: - Demon Days by Gorillaz - Get Behind Me Satan by the White Stripes - Good News for People Who Love Bad News by Modest Mouse - Gimme Fiction by Spoon - At War with the Mystics by The Flaming Lips - The Life Pursuit by Belle and Sebastian Descendants: - Oracular Spectacular by MGMT - Sound of Silver by LCD Soundsystem - Made in the Dark by Hot Chip - Omnium Gatherum by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Three by Phantogram

Beck is an absolute genius, and this may very well be his magnum opus. The beats and hooks are some of his catchiest, his nonsensical lyrics some of his most endearing to date, and the flow and composition of the album as a whole mark an artist at the peak of his craft. It's an easy 5/5 that I've revisited at least a few times a year since its release.

The more I listen to beck the more genius comes out. His creativity shines on this album blending genres and it never feels forced, genuine experimentation with great results.

Bit of a mixed bag this one. It features E-pro which is probably my favourite song, but the rest of the album is pretty variable in terms of music styles. featuring a mixture of alt rock, country, hip-hop and blues. nothing really wron with it but can feel a bit unfocused at times

Pretty good enjoyable album with a little bit of generic filler

‘E-pro’ is a great opening to a Beck album, instantly delivering loud guitars over an almost hip-hop beats and a classic Beck vocal. It very much sets the tone for the album as a whole which manages to maintain the fresh sound of Odelay and Mellow Gold era Beck but with slightly more polished consistent approach. Tracks like ‘Black Tambourine’ and ‘Que Onda Guero’ are just bangers. It surprised me quite how much I enjoyed this, I suspect as someone who has always liked Beck, but only listens to him occasionally He’s someone who has grown on me more with age.

I absolutely despised the first two Beck albums this generator foisted upon me. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I rather liked this. Compared to other Beck albums I’ve heard, it just had more life and energy to it.

I am starting to feel like even a bad album by Beck's standards is not a bad album by anyone else's, and this was not a bad album. This, was fantastic. Loved everything about it and as I'd only heard E-Pro and Girl before, that meant I got 50 minutes of new to me, massively enjoyable music. I think my favourites were Farewell Ride and Rental Car, but honestly, it was very hard to pick. Why don't I listen to Beck more often? I need to get on that.... 5/5

November's been a great month for me. I've only gotten albums that I've rated 3 stars or higher. "Guero" is no exception. I think "Missing" is the best song on the album. The bonus tracks were a let-down, unfortunately. 4 stars for "Guero".

Great album

I like it it’s better than I expected it to be

I’m not a beck fan but this had its moments

meh

Good I really like the style

This is more serious singer songwriter Beck than silly Beck. I prefer silly Beck.

Да норм че Типа блюра и радиохэда

eclectic, groovy, folky

A great album I didn’t know. That’s what “1001 Albums…” is for. (Listened to it on Apple Music)

Baš sam se iznervirala što imam još jedan Beck album ali je ovo u rangu njegovih podnošljivijih, par pjesama mi je skoro na nivou Devils Haircut što je još uvijek jedina njegova koju volim.

eh it's fine, it's just not for me girl is alright always thought he has a nice voice though it's good, i'm just a little impatient (earthquake weather) oof the hip hop-iness(?) is really not for me a little bit of an eddie vedder quality actually

Not an unpleasant listen but didn't really move the needle. I still think "Loser" is the best Beck song and while most of his other stuff sounds similar it just doesn't hit quite the same way.

2.75 - I'm not a Beck fan, but this was better than I expected.

Familiar styles in line with Odelay and Midnight Vultures, overall enjoyable minus a couple tracks. 3.75/5.

Another weird thing that I am not a fan of

Cool album with Hispanic elements and many genres.

A genuine surprise; I enjoyed this a lot, and it comes close to going on the 'must get myself a copy' list. Interestingly eclectic and seemingly with something to say, it maintains interest for the full running time, and never veers into self-indulgence which I suppose was my biggest worry about spending time with an unfamiliar modern album. Listen to me, it's not 'modern', it more than 20 years old. Sheesh.

I will admit, this is another one of those albums that I grew up with, so I’m a bit biased here. That being said, “E-Pro” and “Go It Alone” are worth the price of admission alone and by themselves are enough to push this album to a 5. I rolled Sea Change earlier, and I still gave it a 4 because I love Beck and his unique voice, but that album just has an overwhelmingly sad tone. It matches with what he was going through at the time, but Guero is at the bare minimum a little more hopeful and fun. This above anything else is what I know Beck for, and in my opinion this is his magnum opus. It’s weird and verbose, every song is different from the one before it, and it absolutely bops. 13 songs and 49 minutes that feel like they’re over in the blink of an eye, with some iconic album art to match. This one is a 5 for me and I don’t even have to think about it. Odelay is pretty great and weird as well, but this album is peak. Speaking of, this is the second of 3 albums by Beck I have rolled for the project, with only Odelay now remaining. I’m expecting to give it a 4 or a 5 as well. Beck is pretty damn good, and it’s never easy to pin down his genre of music, which is what makes it so good. You never know what you’re going to get with him, but you can be sure it will be good. Sure, it’s all Rock and maybe just a little bit of Pop thrown in, but listen to just how different the first 5 songs on this album are from each other and you’ll get it. There’s going to be something specially made for you somewhere in this album. Or in my instance, the entire album was made for me. It effortlessly shows the growth Beck went through in his career up to this point, and keeps the signature weirdness, but eliminates the depressing tone of his more recent albums around that time. “E-Pro” is my favorite song on this album, and I don’t know how it couldn’t be. It simply rocks, and every part about it from the lyrics to the beat are simply iconic. It’s my favorite Beck song in general and one of the ones I always find myself coming back to. And there are quite a few I come back to frequently. This album rocks, it’s a 5 star album for me and that’s all I need to say about it. I’d excitedly been waiting to roll this one, and now I’m going to be bummed I’ve already done so. Beck is a great musician and I’m always very happy hearing him in whatever he’s in.

Pretty good. Some of the songs were not entirely my style but many got into a nice groove.

Cool album, I quite liked it. I will try to revisit it in the future and I want to check out more of their stuff. Though one of the longer albums here, at almost an hour long, it didn’t drag on because it didn’t feel samey - it was quite varied and kept things interesting.

Rate: 7.5/10.

Great album. Beck is one of those singers that I always enjoy listening to but it’s quite rare that I take a notion to do so. E-Pro, Broken Drum and Go It Alone were all cracking songs. The rest of the album was strong throughout as well. It’s one of those hard ones to score where it’s hard for me to find a fault with it but it’s missing some element that makes me give it top marks. Top Track - E-Pro

Es fühlt sich ah als hett ich es schomal glost, will es so vieli verschiedeni genres hett vo country über rock bis hiphop isch eig alles debi. Ich finds mega cool vom style her und au die einzelne lieder recht guet.

Broken Drum is fantastic. Chain Reaction is super cool. The hits are the hits. Beck is immensely talented at creating unique, genre-spanning songs. I don't normally listen to music like this but it's easy to see the genius that goes into it.

Beck at his creative best, such a great mix of styles and genres in this album.

interesting album, lots of good songs

Thought this was alright but I've heard better Beck albums.

Blimey RGP, this is the 3rd Beck LP you’ve given us and we’re still yet to get anywhere near his best work. I love Mr. Hansen but this album was new to me, there were some good songs, I enjoyed “Broken Drum” very much but there was quite a lot of “Beck by Numbers” too, which is much more listenable than most music ever written but not as interesting as the most interesting music Beck has written. 2 stars. Tom.

Honestly excellent. Will listen again, still sad Mathew influenced me to leave his concert after his first song (it was loser so I was okay because it was 1/2 the beck songs I knew at the time)

Dope

3.5/5

After the first 2 singles, this reeeeeeeally drags until ya get to "Farewell Ride."

Favorite songs: E-Pro, Girl, Earthquake Weather, Broken Drum, Scarecrow

Overall Rating - 2.85/5 (5.69/10). Forgettable mid 2000s alt-rock.

Dacht dat Beck vooral kut was, maar deze is prima

Decent album. Could have gotten 4 stars if it had held my attention throughout

I love this album and cannot judge it subjectively. It doesn't sound like other rock or alternative albums. It's unique without being outlandish or weird. I don't know how else to describe it. It puts a smile on my face whenever I hear it.

Every track is a bit of a surprise. No two are alike, but they all match the vibe and create a stellar album. I’ve enjoyed Beck since the 90s. His eclectic taste and style really engages me. E-Pro Girl Black Tambourine Earthquake Weather Hell Yes Go It Alone

Beck tiene tantos discos con buenas canciones que uno no sabe qué escuchar de él. Luego te pones con uno entero así seguido y lo mismo se hace pesado. Empieza bien con E-Pro. También me guardo Girl y como siempre esto es más bien un 2,5, pero le daremos 3.

“Odelay” was the third album I got on this list. Now it’s “Guero”, which I like more - it feels completely different in tone, lighter. This must have been so cool back in 2005. There are so many little details on this album that you can keep coming back to it and discovering it layer by layer. Good stuff! 7/10

Beck es el artista moderno con mayor número de discos en este listado. Aquí tras Mutations (1998), Midnite Vultures (1999) y su obra maestra Sea Change (2002) retornó al estilo caleidoscópico de Odelay (1996) junto con los Dust Brothers. No está al nivel de su otra obra maestra pero se acerca. E-Pro lo deja bien claro. Qué onda Guero ya no suena tan novedosa como haría 10 años atrás. Girl sigue lanzado y Missing es una de las mejores del disco. Broken Drum es la joya. Rental car es una ida de olla. Send a message to her remite a la inicial y a los propios Beatles. Además recomiento su apéndice de remezclas Guerolito con excelentes remixes a cargo de Air, El-P o Boards of Canada. Y aún quedaban Morning Phase (2014) , Hyperspace (2019) y Ride Lonesome (2026

This was an amazing album, no notes. I dont know what to say that hasn't been said, the whole album is fun to listen to, with hardly a weak track on the list. I really like this album, an easy 5

So freaking groovy. Amazing for casual background music, a lil dance after a shit day, or calming rock. Love that every song sounded so different.

3/5. Something I’ve realized throughout my journey on this generator so far is that I like Beck’s music far more than I thought I did. That being said Guero feels like a step down to me from a few of Beck’s previous albums like “Sea Change” or “Midnite Vultures.” Though not without its highlights such as the groove machine that is “Missing” or “Black Tambourine” which features in the David Lynch film Inland Empire. In some ways it feels like Beck revisiting everything he’s previously done up to this point whether that be tracks akin to his 90’s alt-rock/rap fusions or some tracks that are slower and more meditative like the ones found on “Sea Change.” Not his strongest work, but still a solid enough listen.

Fuckin' groovy, super hard to not dance too, good amount of variety going on. Def gonna be revisiting this one

2.5

Terzo album di Beck presente nella lista.

#483 Beck probably has too many albums to mention but among those that I know this and The Information probably struck the biggest chord with me, although Odelay deserves a mention too. Guero has a great mix of what makes Beck great, with the off the wall lyrics and humour coupled with great hooks, and songs, particularly in the first half, that are upbeat and a lot of fun. There are slower more reflective songs too and those quieter moments produce some of the highest quality songwriting here. My only very minor criticism would be that I always feel like it’s a bit too long and could be even better with a trim, not that any of the songs are out of place. Heard before? ✅ Would I revisit? ✅ Listen before you die? ✅ Fave track(s): Missing; Qué Onda Guero; Broken Drum Rating: 8/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

nice sounds. i see why he is special. but something deeply boring about his voice. i suppose the work is important given the chicano influence. unfortunately for him, this stuff sounds like music made for Apple commercials. I guess the Cali upbringing is no accident there.

Beck at the height of his pop powers in a way that kinda made him uncool for all future albums. Still great.

loving the combo of noisy Latin street vibes + indie pop? rock beats. the sound of Eminem's rock-leaning cousin visiting Comuna 13 in Medellin and then making a solid album out of it. 3.5/5

Capa foda, disco credível

This artist is legendary, not surprised one of his albums are on here. Classic album

White boy goes Latino, with questionable results.

Een paar heerlijke nummers, plaat heeft lekkere vibe

Boring. Does nothing for me.

Groovy

(4/7) a couple good ones at the beginning

I have listened to a lot of Beck over the years, despite never considering him one of my favorite artists. While I prefer his more upbeat tracks, his slower material is probably the closest I will get to enjoying anything folk adjacent. The thing I appreciate about Beck is his willingness to explore different musical ideas and genres on a single album, and Guero is no exception. From the chugging guitars on E-Pro to the electronic tinted Hell Yes, this record really does try out a lot of different musical ideas while still remianing quintessentially Beck. However, his strong suit is also his weakness, as not everything here completely works, which is the risk you take when trying out so many ideas. I appreciate Beck for his willingness to explore, even if everything doesn't turn to (Mellow) Gold. 7/10

I can't believe it took me this list to finally listen to this album. Really enjoyed it, it's a fun listen with a few boring tracks then and there but many good songs overall and an interesting sound. It starts off strong with E-pro and closes up really nicely with emergency exit, with some great tunes like Girl and Hell yes in the middle.

something cool, something boring, a bit of a mess

Very high highs, and no lows. Some tracks are a bit forgettable, but the album tracks keep things moving along. No skips on this one.

Beck's is best served when listening to Beck.

Amazing album, I've always found Beck to be a creative and talented musician able to produce great songs in several different genres. This album has great examples, and the first three songs are excellent. All around great songs, with each song keeping it interesting.

This is an excellent album with a lot of variety, blending themes like folk, country western, and alt rock. Each song is of high quality and earns its place on the album by providing a strong sense of its own thematic and emotional appeal.

It's fun! A fun album. Not mind blowing, but I had a pretty good timing with it throughout the day

This is not my jam😪

Im in my last 10 albums and its still givinbme gifts like this. Ive always been a Beck fan. but had somehow skipped over this album and I'm glad ive discovered it now as its brilliant I listened three times and was trying to be specific about why it was so good. Firstly, the rhythm section is top class all the way through, especially the base. Secondly, the conposition just works: each track is beautifully structured to lift the spirit and balances between giving you what you expect next and suprising you. Most importantly Beck seems to pull all these elements togther to make a damn good pop song everytime and the little details ontop of the hooks are what make this so fun. I found his voice is quite far back in the mix and is used more as an instrument to set a tone that works really well.

Good I liked it but I didn’t pay much attention I’ve been busy not wanting to do anything ever and hating everything Highlights: E pro (fav) Girl Missing

yeah i really like this. great to work to but also so much to notice when you tune in. title track probably my fav. also was NOT expecting beck to look like that.

I rember enjoying this when I listened

Beck always be doing some random shit that sounds kinda fucking awesome. Loving the Latin influences here

The first artist on my 1001 albums journey that I was very familiar with, although despite owning six Beck albums I don't own this. 13 tracks clocking in at just under 50 mintues. The opener three tracks are great E-Pro is classic Beck vocals and guitar sounds. Qué Onda Guero is fantastic, you can hear the Dust Brothers production, and this is a throwback to the type of tracks all over Odelay. Owes a debt to A Tribe Called Quest which is always a good thing. Girl is a great little polished harmonized pop number filtered through the twisted Beck lyrics and delivery. After this the album starts to meander a bit, it's not without high points but it's not forcing me to listen. Missing is a laid back funky little number, probably not as strong as the opening three tracks and fades out almost as if the artist didn't quite know what to do with it. But it's still important for the pacing of the album Black Tambourine brings back the energy with a hint of menace under the surface. Scarecrow has a nice rhythm with the classic distorted harmonica. Overall I'd give this a 3/5 - maybe feels a little harsh but I don't immediately want to listen to it again and despite some excellent moments there's a fair bit of filler to my ears.

Enjoyable alt rock. I think I enjoy Beck's eclectic-ness.

I like Beck

This is, insanely enough, the third Beck album that I have encountered in the first 123 days of this project. That’s about two too many. This is Ok, I guess. But nothing more.

Not exactly Beck's finest work in my eyes, but it's a fun album with a few songs that I've always personally enjoyed. Girl is one of my favorite Beck songs (post-2000) and E-Pro is some solid stuff, as is Go It Alone.

lo-fi unc beats. Really fun, among the last albums he'd do in this style which is a big shame because this sort of feedback, reverb, rapping Beck is my preferred Beck. Even so, you can sort of see him starting to get lost in the pop production world. Lots of catchy stuff but doesn't feel as errant as Odelay or ambitious as Midnite Vultures. Beck can write a good hook and some songs go off on ambitious detours but only a few of these tracks measure up to my favorite Beck songs.

Fun unique listen, just wasn’t feeling it during my listen should probs relisten in a better mood.

I thoroughly enjoyed this album. They were a couple of weaker songs for me but all the other ones I enjoyed.

Beck is to me a '90s artist through an through so what do I do with a 2005 album from the guy. Well, I enjoy the hell out of it. I'd never heard most of this one. I think maybe "E-Pro" and that's about it. Also, as ever, I'll never know if he is being intentionally cryptic with his lyrics or slightly absurdist and nonsensical. In the end the truth is I don't care. Now, I preferred the alt-rock sound that Beck was known for in the '90s, but of all the artists that can bring in computer sounding touches and have me on board it is Beck. "Girl" and "Hell Yes" both have that midi-8-32 bit video game sound in their DNA and I kinda love them for it. This was a pleasant day of listening that I'm going to be happy to revisit. 4/5

I have the hardcover book CD edition of this one. 4.5 (wish we had half stars on this site).

This was pretty good but I wonder when we’ll get the one with the sweater song.

Favourite Songs: E-Pro Que' Onda Guero Hell Yes

Love love love this album

Kinda went in the with low expectations but I wound up enjoying the funky off beat sound. Some tracks remind me of Gorillaz of their first album

I enjoyed it but it wasn't ground breaking

Pretty unremarkable. Inclusion on this list is highly questionable.

Beck is an artist who I'm not exactly well knowledgeable on but man this was an amazing introduction. Such a dynamic sound merged in with western themes and rock fused into this high energy jam session of a project. Really loved this one.

I am somewhat new to Beck still. Most of my narrow knowledge comes from a select few songs from his one album I own on CD; Odelay. I don't think I've actually sat down and listened to it in full yet, but I enjoy the songs I do know. I imagine if you're more of a regular listener this ninth album may be more of the same and not rocking the boat, which is the opinion I see often held in reviews. Lacking that depth of knowledge, or at least play-time, I am more judging this as a judgement of Beck's sound and style, rather than ranking Guero compared to every other Beck album. And I like it. Nothing on this album drags, the run-time is well used and on the right side of lengthy for its novelty, something many albums on this list struggle with, songs mix and meld in a way that is pleasing whilst still having individuality, Beck's voice is... peculiar for lead vocals but complement the tone and sound rather than dragging things down, again a struggle for many albums. I felt at peace with this on rather than bored, even with an additional two songs on the version I listened to knocking the runtime higher than Beck originally intended. Maybe on a second listen I wouldn't be as glowing, and Beck still isn't a musician I would want every other song on a playlist to be one of his tracks, but this felt like a solid, reliable outing from an artist I would do well to know better.