Reviews (page 12 of 14)
Didn’t do much of anything for me. 13JUL26 EDIT: yea still didn't do much for me, but I change my mind on it being a 1/5
First time listen First Beck album, was ok, most of it didn't really grab me to be honest. I like some of the singles I've heard by him but this album felt all over the place stylistically. For some reason develops a hip hop sound toward the end of the album I wasn't a fan of. Will have to try another album by him. Fav tracks: Where It's At, Novacane Least Fav: High 5 2.5/5
te vaag voor mij. stukken zijn echt wel chill maar dan weet hij het op een of andere manier te verpesten
I just don't click with Beck. Pretty sure I've never heard a song by him that I want to play again.
There’s just something about this I don’t like. I’ve never liked New Pollution or Devils Haircut, but they’re the best tracks on the album
Oh shit that guy from Futurama... wait a minute I've already made that joke. I need other artists so I can come up with new material
honestly just not my type of album some iconic songs for sure but I do agree with alot of reviews it seems to be to experimental and it just feels like its being to werid without reason and some of the songs have potineal i just think this album is okay
Good grief! Suddenly we’re almost half a year further on — three days short, to be precise — I live 200 kilometres away and I’m still trying to find my footing, or more importantly, my rhythm. Moving house and everything that comes with it — if you’re considering it: A LOT — took priority. And once I was reasonably settled, I mainly wanted to catch up on my regular playlist: all those albums I’d bought over the past two years and barely listened to. But… we’re getting back into the swing of things, and then this album landed in my lap. Hooray. I was hugely prejudiced against it, for reasons I’ll explain in a moment, and after the first listen I thought: I’M GIVING THIS A 1 (out of 10). The prejudice turned out to be justified, although after a few more listens I had to admit it was slightly better than that first impression. Look, I was there. This album came out in 1996, just past the halfway point of my student years. I listened to alternative radio — Studio Brussel — and presumably had a subscription to Oor. Beck was everywhere, and Beck was being hailed as the second coming. Yes, the breakthrough hit Loser, later included on his debut Mellow Gold but actually released earlier, was undeniably catchy. Its lyrics were probably catnip to the permanently depressed Gen X generation. But I thought the rest of his stuff was awful. Massively overrated, ugly music. And I still do. This album sounds hideously ugly at times. Painfully ugly. It’s a bizarre mixture of real instruments played by Beck — guitars, keys — electronics, samples and occasional real drums that sound as thin as tracing paper. Beck then mumble-sings over the whole mess. The point, presumably, is to create a lo-fi aesthetic. That’s where Beck came from: Loser was cobbled together at home on a knackered tape deck, unexpectedly became a huge hit and made Beck impossible to escape on MTV. Record labels queued up, with Geffen eventually winning the prize. Yet Odelay is not remotely a lo-fi recording. Much of it was made in the home studio of the Dust Brothers, the hip-hop production duo famous, among other things, for their work with the Beastie Boys. So this is high-quality recording technology being used to pretend to sound like shit. Hence all the clipping and distorted microphones. Lo-fi singer-songwriter music or alternative rock can have a certain charm — Guided by Voices, for instance. But pseudo-lo-fi electronic music is, well, a curious proposition. My problem with the album can be summed up by one of its singles, Where It’s At. It starts beautifully, with a wonderfully battered-sounding electric piano. Presumably played by Beck himself; I can’t find evidence that it’s a sample. It’s also a perfect example of the album’s fundamental problem: that piano riff is repeated, unchanged, for more than five minutes. I honestly assumed it had to be a sample. There is virtually no musical development whatsoever. And yet the melody is catchy. Because Beck can clearly write a hook. He produces good song ideas and melodies almost effortlessly, and that’s evident throughout the album. Several of these songs stubbornly lodged themselves in my head after repeated listens. The problem is what he does with them. Then comes the chorus. Good Lord. The monthly Monday alarm sirens go off. Beck starts shouting through a microphone that is clipping like a chainsaw, turning the whole thing into electronic gravel. The same trick appears approximately 328 million times throughout the album. It takes what is basically a good song and completely wrecks it. And that’s the story of Odelay. Every now and then some absurdly loud sampled beep, squeak or unidentified electronic noise jumps out of the mix. It is, once again, ugly as sin. Which is a shame, because there really is good material here. Where It’s At, obviously. Devils Haircut. And the surprisingly restrained, if slightly dull, Ramshackle. That title is actually an excellent description of the whole album. And just when you think: well, perhaps it’s not quite as bad as I thought, along comes the closing track, Diskobox. Presumably this has the same effect on me that Napalm Death has on most normal people: a gigantic wall of noise from which you desperately want to escape. So: 1 for the aesthetic, 6 for the songwriting ideas, and we end up somewhere around a 4/10.
The 90's was the time for grunge. A low-fi rebellion to the hyper polished sound of the 80's. Band like Pearl Jam and Nirvana stripped down production in favor of raw sound that seems chaotic and random. Some bands that followed focused on the random, distorted sound and forgot to add the music. This is how Odelay feels. There are some bright spots, the radio hit "Where It's At" "the New Pollution" and "Devil's Haircut" have moments of melody and even some hook. But so much of this record feel like trying to be edgy and it comes across as cringe. 2/5
Appreciate the originality but it was too scattered for my taste.
Some nice noise but didn't do much for me.
Had its moments, but overall I don’t think I’m really that inspired by Beck and his stuff. He’s a talented musician and songwriter for sure, just not really my thing.
All over de place, westerns, schurend
Wasn’t a fan of this. Gimmicky at times, boring at others.
it was almost good and then it got annoying
64. beck
I like Beck. Don't like this album. But not unlistenable.
Ekstremt stort spænd af genre og ideer, men de fleste af sangene er desværre ikke lige min kop te
The random sound effects on the songs caught me off guard and destroyed the flow of the songs. I enjoyed a few songs though
I did feel the vibes, but they were difficult to reach behind the screeching of an untuned unidentifiable instrument. I did enjoy it sometimes, but I guess lo-fi just isn't really my style.
It’s Beck which means it’s meh in my book.
I don’t really like Beck. He came along when I was a little angry at pop music. I was into hair metal, and while I did like the grunge movement, even though the term grunge paints with broad strokes, I wasn’t too into the alt scene that mixed hip-hop, sampling, folk, and rock. It just made me cringe. Beck was at the forefront of that scene, so I never messed with him. Since I’ve been doing the 1,001 Albums list, I listened to Beck’s Sea Change and loved it. Thought it was one of the best pieces of music I’ve ever heard. But it wasn’t like his early stuff. Like Odelay, Beck’s fifth album. Fifth! I was certain this was his album with Loser, but no, that was Mellow Gold, of course. I remember all the singles off this album, and God help me, I dig some of them. I may hate the player, but you give me a good funky bass groove, and it's hard for me to hate the game. Or a good fuzzy guitar riff will melt me. Devil’s Haircut, track 1, and the second single, just makes me think of the 60s music I dislike. I also hate Beck’s nonsense lyrics. What the F is a devil’s haircut, and what's the big deal that’s in his mind? Again, I’m not the biggest lyrics guy, I love KISS for God’s sake, but Beck always seemed a bit….try too hard. Like I’ll make up some nonsense, and the kids’ll love it. Bah! 60s-like The first single was Where It’s At, track 8, and I can’t deny the keys get me on this one. The lyrics again are nonsense, but the groove and the instruments are fire. It reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite, which I love. The New Polliction starts out annoying me with bleeps and bloops, but then kicks into another 60s like groove. I think this may be the best vocals that Beck lays down on the album. But like on all his songs at this time, he sounds like he couldn’t care less about singing or cut all his vocals after taking expired quaaludes from 1977. It’s so lazy, and that should be punk rock, but it’s just lame. Damn, there were five singles off this album? Sissyneck was a single, and it’s just not for me. Jack-Ass is the last single,e and I can tell where Julian Casablancas, lead singer of the Strokes, got his vocal style from, as Beck lazily sings about who the F even knows. Lord Only Knows sounds like a fuzzy Kinks song, and Beck sings just like Ray Davies. So it’s alright, but I’d rather just hear the Kinks. Ugh. Writing this is making me angry. I’ve got 4-5 inches of snow on the ground, and it's like 8 degrees outside right now in Kentucky. I’ve got no time for this torture. To read that many thought this was the best album of the 90s reinforces my thoughts that when it comes to music, the 90s sucked. I’ll not be adding this to my rotation. Beck has always bothered me, and except for Sea Change and perhaps albums after that, he’ll continue to bother me.
I liked Beck a while back, but I’m too happy for this
Musical potpourri that didn’t speak to me. Could have done better with the cover, too.
When I was 11, I discovered Musescore, and pumped out a dozen half-baked incoherent pieces. This album sounds a bit like if I had discovered GarageBand instead.
not my style
An example of how you can recognize something as objectively good but still dislike it. The instrumentation is frequently interesting enough but Beck’s voice is so unemotive, I’m bored listening to him. It feels like an album a dude would argue about, saying I just didn’t get Beck’s brilliance.
There's a lot going on in here.
A US version of Neil Hannon
Best: Derelict Worst: High 5 In my head Beck is an even less serious version of Weezer so really didn’t expect to like this album much, but it definitely had a few enjoyable tracks. The lyrics on the opening track especially were pretty interesting as was the use of samples. As much as I enjoy genre mixing but this gave me whiplash, some of the tracks felt totally alien to the rest of the album. Overall, this album felt pretty silly and muddled, sometimes the music felt more like scratchy whining in my ears, I did not like this.
If an identity crisis was an album, this would be the album. It goes through a lot of genres- some almost rap, some leaning into indie, a proper folk song and some bogstandard rock. Normally, I would cite something like this as groundbreaking. In this case, it is not. Enjoyed a few tracks but overall confusing and not consistent. Favourite track- Ramshackle
Favorite tracks: Sissyneck, Devils Haircut, Derelict A little too messy and disjointed for my taste, but there were a few I liked on there
When this was new, it was not my favorite. Many things have changed since then, but it is still not really happening for me.
Quite a few songs I hated and I do not like his singing at all in most of his songs. There’s a few songs saving it from a 1/5.
forgettable
Brother this was something
2⭐️ felt like a bit of a strange blend of genres songs I already knew: n/a fave new song(s): devils haircut
90’s Alternative ⭐️The New Pollution
i really like their song loser so i'm excited -devil's haircut sounds like 3 is the magic number -okay don't really like it kinda just sounds like random noises -i like jackass!! -fav song is ramshackle overall it was okay, some good ones but also some real stinkers 2.5/5
would have loved to bust it down to this in the club. weird but not too weird. just weird enough. def not the album to listen to while going to bed.
Dont care for beck. Listenable i guess. The end of novacane might be the craziest shit ive ever heard what the fuck was that shit
What exactly do folks feel is so great about this album? It’s certainly a good representation of the 1990s generally- fake, false, a facade, with no true substance underneath. Alternating between annoying and depressing.
"Devils Haircut" is a track I'll definitely be returning to. Lots of experimental sounds on this, and some work better than others imo. Overall Rating: 5/10
Couldn’t get on board unfortunately.
So many similar tempos in the mid section of the album, hard to tell when one song ends and the next begins. At least "Minus" kicked this one out of the doldrums for a short bit. I don't need to hear this again, not sure why I needed to hear this once.
Favorite Songs: Where It’s At, Novacane, Ramshackle Least Favorite Song: Minus Very interesting blend of genres.
This is just Kid Rock for people with a college degree
pretty okay, i do like aluminum and dead leaves and the dirty ground, but the rest of it kinda blended together
Pretty impartial to this. It was on, it played, it was music. I didn't feel anything either way.
para nada me esperaba el género de los temas viendo la tapa del álbum!! jajahahah flashé mal definitivamente no es algo que yo escucharía todos los días pero a la vez no me parece malo
An interesting album, I liked “the new pollution” and novacane. I also enjoyed that is was a mixed album so you got some slower and some more up beat songs!
This album is like sitting at your desk at work with a big list of tasks that need completing, all of which have fast -approaching deadlines. You try to focus on one task, but all of a sudden you get a thought about one of the other tasks, so you shift focus to that. After twenty minutes you panic that you really do need to get that other thing done first, so you go back to it. Then you get lunch and realise that there was actually something else that was more pressing that both of the things you worked on in the morning. You scramble to work on that, but you can't really focus on it because you are still thinking about the morning's tasks. Now it is 5.30 and you need to pick your son up from football training. You're not even sure if you got any work done today.
Feels like an album I should like but was just too weird. Lots of random noises, obscure references and sounds. Some ok tunes but not for me.
it was good i give u thatt
pourquoi c'est vibe country j'aime pas sorry beck
i feel like if the vocals were better i'd like it more. fun, silly noise intermissions. derelict reminds me of within you without you by the beatles, so that was cool. sissyneck reminds me of the stones. experimental, i see the appeal. saved: lord only knows, derelict, minus, sissyneck, ramshackle.
Interesting alternate rock, not my favorite but cool!
i know Beck and i know i liked some songs in the past. but this album just feels bland and mediocre
Instrumentals are kind of all over the place, not in a bad way but in an organized chaos kind of way. Not a huge fan of the cadence and flow present on most of the tracks. Was good after a single listen. They didn't save the rest of the review so I don't remember faves/least faves.
Beck is one of those artists that I am (for the most part) just unable to get into for some reason -- and I really wanted to like this one. It has a few hits near the end, and that surprised me, but it was really underwhelming.
Did nothing for me. A mess.
A mismatch of genres, sounds and lyrics that doesn't really work for me. A couple of ok-ish songs but overall it doesn't appeal. That being said, I can appreciate the experimental nature of this album.
A little bit of Beck goes a long way. I really do not get the hype around this album as a full experience.
The sound of the 90s! Some of the beats were cool and I liked the hip hop and scratches but the singing was forgettable.
Can’t quite make my mind up on this, like I; parts, dislike in others
Feels like that teenage rebellion phase you look back on and cringe at - different just for the sake to be different but not very good
Solid.
Not for me.
Very frustrating album. Almost feels *too* sloppy, even though the offbeat swing is very intentional. Some very bizarre production choices and effects use as well that almost always make the songs significantly more unpleasant to listen to. Some decent hidden hlgems but a lot to skip over. Top tracks: Hotwax, Ramshackle
Not a big fan
Die Mischung aus Lo-Fi-Ästhetik, Sample-Collagen und Sprechgesang verliert schnell an Reiz – zu oft verheddert sich das Album in monotonen Beats und einer raplastigen Struktur, die wenig Raum für musikalische Vielfalt lässt. Zu monoton und zu stark auf Rap-Elemente fokussiert. Die Tracks ähneln sich zu sehr, wodurch das Album schnell an Spannung verliert.
não me pegou, mas tem umas que não são ruins (tb não são boas)
This makes me feel uneasy not in a good way. Pass.
Ok. Went a bit weird toward the end.
Shit except for devils haircut and I knew that already
There’s like 3 good songs here and the rest is super experimental and maybe hit in the 90s but def not for me today.
Some undeniably great grooves, but not really for me. Album felt a lot longer than it is. Fav tracks: Devils Haircut. Saved a song: N RYM: N
I once found myself trapped in a conversation with a guy who wouldn’t stop raving about how Beck was the true genius of ’90s alt-rock. I nodded along and didn’t push back—mostly because I hadn’t really listened to Beck at the time. Now that I’ve actually heard this album, I’m starting to think he might’ve been completely full of it.
eh, its okay
au risque d'heurter certaines sensibilités, j'ai vraiment eu du mal à finir d'écouter l'album (High 5 était presque la goutte de trop). je pense qu'il faut se remettre dans le contexte de la fin des années 90 pour apprécier la nouveauté de la proposition, mais personnellement rien qui se démarque pour moi dans cet album de rock alternatif/expérimental, peut-être car je manque de contexte historique. petite mention pour Where it's at que je trouve très intéressante du point de vue instrumental. 1.8 étoiles.
Lots of noise without saying anything. I just don't get it.
I like this so far (through hotwax)! Ok it got weird at Novacane.
Some great instrumentals but the vocals, man. So bad.
Meh
Not my favorite artist. But during the listen I realized why. His voice and lyrics are just not for me. Doesn’t resonate with me. That being said, this album has some surprise jams. I enjoyed roughly 4 songs. I’ll give it a 1.7
One of the albums where I ask myself why somebody thinks it is important to listen to. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there, which like the album. But that can't be a reason. The worst pop music is listened to by a huge amount of people. So what makes it so important? That would actually be interesting. Why is it considered so important?
I just don't get Beck. It's oddly 90s without any of the good parts. Had to stop listening to Novacane due to all distortion. It's like a weird mix of 808 hip hop beats and noise. Not my jam.
Beck is boring. That's all I gotta say. Favorite Tracks: Devils Haircut, Novacane Rating: 2/5
Where it’s at is pure nostalgia. 13 year old me watching Much Music in the basement. Nothing else really popped for me. Wasn’t interested enough to buy this then, not interested enough to play it again now.
Wanted to like this but couldn't get behind it.
ramshackle
OK, so, 1001 Albums Generator? You've been cooking so far. I feared the day that came where I had to question your culinary skills. Monday, September 22nd. Mark it. I've heard of Beck; I very recently learned he was, at least at one point, a Scientologist in the same breath. I know people enjoy Beck, I read the album is super critically-acclaimed, I love the album art, that's a 10/10, but apparently some music producer told him a couple months before it came out not to release it. I'm that guy! Driving home, I worried about giving a critically-acclaimed album my first 2. Then I started worrying if it should be a 1! Also, these are my reviews, I set the rules. This is the first review I wrote on a computer just to get this all out. I'm sure you can tell, future me. I liked "Devils Haircut," felt like what I thought Beck was going to be, very avant-garde singer-songwriter – I even added that to the ol' library. "New Pollution" I rolled with, sort of a trance-like Gorillaz-esque vibe (Apple Music breakdown mentioned how it sort of predicted that kinda music, I get it). "Jack-Ass" feels like a real song, "Derelict" and "Ramshackle" are aight. I even roll with Computer Rock, I get that one, I'm in on the bit! "Lord Only Knows" was especially bad if we count sounding good as a positive quality of music and "Novacane" was one of the worst songs I've ever heard in my entire natural born life, to be honest, just noise. It was at that point that I considered the 1. Everything else, I might just not get, but it sounded like shit to me. I'm listening to the groove on "Where It's At" towards the end and thinking, I dunno, did I go too far? And now it's turning into auditory assault as I'm writing that out. Beck is now the benchmark for a 2.
2- Stars (4/15)
Not my thing
Coulnd't get through it. Reminded me of Shrek
Bad rap/folk mix Sissyneck is the inly listenable song
Not my cup of tea
I think I’m supposed to love this, but nah…
This is the second Beck album I've had on this list and again I feel like I'm missing something. I normally like stuff like this but Beck just doesn't do it for me for some reason
mixed emotions on this! listened while erging so didnt give it my full attention but i liked some bits. fee like the instrumentals and production were interesting, liked the drums. will relisten bc i feel i didnt give it a fair try
I've heard people say it's one of his better albums. I've heard its awful. The truth is its something else entirely! It's completely mid!! 5/10
The production is good, it's a novel album and plays around a lot with samples and instrumentation. It also just happens to be boring as fuck. I can appreciate the craftsmanship that went into it and clearly there was some fun and creative collaboration between Beck and the Dust Brothers. There's a lot of ideas and sounds that are explored in this, it hops from genre to genre and frankly all it does is make me wish it would just stick to one. If you were generous you would describe this as eclectic. This is my second Beck album in this project, I cannot remember the first one. I didn't particularly enjoy this one and I am not looking forward to the next one. It's really just not my thing. Highlights: High 5 (Rock the Catskills)
Nice to see you again Beck… (My first repeat artist) This album started out strong with its experimental instrumentals and good vocals that resulted in good vibes, but after “Where It’s At”, the album’s standout track (and big hit), the whole thing fell apart I was ready for it to be over even with a few tracks left and although I gave all of them a listen (which I do for every song on every album because it would be wrong not to), none of them stuck with me After writing this out, I’ve decided to go with 2 stars (due to the lack of standout tracks) although 2.5 is what I would actually give it if I could Favorites: None Honorable Mentions: Where It’s At
The usage of sampling is creative, especially with how many obscure sources Beck pulls from. Yet he seems to be concerned with being superficially cool and clever over anything else, resulting in an at times interesting, but otherwise unmemorable listen.
I don’t get it. Beck is trying something different but it doesn’t settle into a distinct, cohesive style. The lack of cohesion is almost the style, a sort of experimental slacker rock, which is not for me.
This album is all over the place in a way I don’t particularly like, it’s doing loads of different things i don’t really like 🙃
Two songs in and I'm waiting for the end. Jesus, this is boring yet also annoying - not a great combo. Only upside is that Beck makes me think of Futurama = one bonus star. Five songs in and I'm waiting to the sweet release of death.
Не понятно. Некоторые песни вроде ничего, но большинство явно не в моём вкусе (те, что с элементами рэпа и слишком перемудрёные). 4,5 из 10.
Sådär, lite svårlyssnad och stolpig. Häftigt album men det blev svårt att ta sig igenom hela imo
So boring, next please.
patika Jack-Ass un Sissyneck uzrunā tikai dažas dziesmas, bet tāpat forša mūzika!
Not my jam but I can't put my finger on why. It feels like not my type of lazy. Standout track: Hotwax
It’s ok. Definitely a product of its time. A bit corny with the slide guitar and record scratches. Beck makes very safe, hard to dislike music. It’s also hard to love.
A lot of the songs sounded the same.
Han er musikalsk, men lidt for meget country til mig. Og lidt for langt. Så det endte med at trække ned. Det kan godt være et album, der ville give noget ved flere gennemlytninger, men det bliver ikke nu.
I was really scrabbling around for reasons to not give this a one - I am having a very hard time. If this had caught me on a grumpier day it would've gotten one. Stop rapping you're shit.
Crunchy in a bad way. All the laziness of post grunge with all the sound tuning of nu metal. Unfortunate.
Fine, kind of boring. 2/5
Gonna be honest, I just don’t think that I understand Beck. The first two tracks I was into, but then the rest of the album just feels so disjointed. Don’t think Beck is ever gonna be my jam.
Well you can derelict my balls - Hansel Not an enjoyable listen.
Kinda knew what I was getting into with this album, and Beck in general. I really enjoy Devils Haircut and Where It’s At, but this particular genre experiment from Beck isn’t my favorite of his. The length and the musical choices made on Novacane and the end of the album are definitely something. I don’t think three songs I like on this album can bring it up to a three.
My expectations for Beck albums are always too high. I'm disappointed every time I listen to one. My exposure to Beck is "Loser" and the Scott Pilgrim vs the World soundtrack. These albums are less that, and more random. I don't know how to explain it, but I was disappointed.
Eh. Two beck albums this early on?
I thoroughly disliked pretty much all of this album Best Song: Where its at Rating: 4.0/10 Stars: 2/5
The walkie-talkie style of sound really put me off. I struggled with even finding the tune within most of the messy songs. The lyrics are very repetitive as well. And don’t even get me started on that last “song”.
I liked a couple of the songs however most of the sounds did not sit well with me.
I really only know Loser by Beck and I think that's still true. I think this album may need to be listened to quite a bit to really open up if it ever really will for me. It's quite weird and unusual but not in a immidiately cool or fun way Standouts Devils Haircut 2/5
mid
It was just ok
I didn’t enjoy this as much as Guero but I liked the last song.
Not my cup of tea.
počne okej i postane sranje, rendom zvukovi pogotovo maloumni. rep dijelovi posebice krindž. eh
If you weren’t into punk, metal, indierock or synth in the 90s, you probably drank herbal tea and listened to this. You cared about music. But only this little.
Holy shit is this a long ass album, they're just okay songs
35/100 hat mir garnicht gefallen und die lieder hören sich gleich an, aber im schlechten sinne
4/10 Favorite: Devils Haircut
Too much squealing in the background.
Some fun beats but not really a cohesive album. At times low effort and uninteresting to straight up annoying.
Bland
One day a guy walked into WFNX in Boston with a white label 12-inch and dropped it off. That guy was Beck and the track was Loser, and for months I had folks looking to buy it at the record store. I remember the first one I brought over to Jeff Beck and he looked puzzled. Having to say "no" every day for months kinda soured me on Beck. This was probably the first time I heard this start to finish since it was released, if ever.
I like a song and a half on here - the rest, not much.
I always wanted to like Beck. I thought it was the cool music that cool me should be listening to. Nope. There are too many random beeps and bells to make it sound deep. It is music that, if you say, 'I don't like it', someone will inevitably reply, 'You just don't get it.' I just got a whole album, thanks. 2 stars instead of 1 because there are one or two good tunes here, but they've been connected together by irritating collections of sounds.
If you're in the mood for Beck it is a good album.
Hadn't heard track 2 before, it was ok. 1,3 are sleepy Pretty easy to see how the songs that made the radio got there. Everything else is pretty sleepy.
i've always been aware of Beck but never actively listened to his music. ofc Futurama and my friends that had this on their iPod, but i became cognizant of his actual songs way after the fact. its surprising how early he started and how skilled this album is for 1996. I don't care too much for Devil's Haircut, but its a good start for a record. hard to pin down what to call his approach: chill rock, modern folk, subtle hip-hop? that's prob what makes it unique. one thing is certain, its a prime example of the temperature of music in the 90's. as a fan of Cake, this fits right in. its unmistakable how in love with music Beck is playing on this record. nothing epic but its still impactful. any fan of music going back 3 decades from its release is represented here. styles are all over the place and move fluidly. ngl, its 2/5 for me based on my familiarity but also that i don't hate this record at all. def a show that would be amazing. a great example of subculture rock approaches hitting the mainstream. Novacane is fun. no song resembles the preceding or following. Where It's At is for sure a standout single that still gets played today. Minus speaks to me the most with a garage punk crunch to it. High 5 is great too, again making it hard to describe this album as anything other than "1990's." the end track feels like a glitch which is funny. from start to finish its an up and down, highs and lows record. i can appreciate all the influences and genres that have gone into making this work. experimentation was the name of the 90's game.
In het 2e nummer nu, en opzich best lekker. Alleen soms komen er van die rare hoge klanken doorheen die erg afleidend zijn. Hoop niet dat dat doorzet in elk nummer. Verder heel erg Gorillaz vibes, best leuk. In Derelict worden ze in ene arabisch.. Heel interessant. Album gaat echt alle kanten op, wat dat betreft wel echt heel tof. Maar daardoor ook genoeg die je wat minder gaat vinden. Toch echt zonde dat het lijkt alsof er in elk nummer wel een deel zit waarin ze echt full experimental gaan. Hierdoor gaat mijn irritatie gehalte toch wel flink omhoog. Algehele conclusie na disc1, want ik ga disc 2 overslaan. Excuses. Elk nummer denk ik poah best leuk. Maar in elk nummer hebben ze ook een deel waarin het volledig wordt verkracht. Zonde want dit had echt de potentie om een 4 te zijn, maar wordt hierdoor een 2. FAV: Jack-Ass
Musically all over the place - Alternative Rock / Alternative Hip-Hop / Experimental Rock / Folk Rock / Neo-Ppsychedelia! The old saying "Jack of all trades - master of none" applies to this pretentious and boring album.
alr
I totally get why this is on the 1001, but I think this style is hard for me personally to listen to. Then Ramshackle comes on and I love it.
not rly for me
Okay, first, this album is too long. Next, I do not think the genre blending works well here. To the extent he is incorporating what seems like rap (maybe it's just talk singing), it sounds poorly developed and childish. The incorporation of distortions that other musicians (White Stripes) sometimes pull off is not pulled off here. Uh, High 5 kinda pulls it off, but it honestly the whole album feels disjointed. The album starts okay. Devil's Haircut is a serviceable opening track. But each subsequent song drags on an album with no broader vision. I'm thinking 2.5, but I'll round down, because that's how I feel.
Found this very boring and at points irritating. Not bad enough for a 1 but only scraping a 2
It's a nice album.
pretty weird album, i guess i just don't really vibe with it
Do I like Beck? Sure, and a lot— he has some great songs and his shows are incredible. Do I like this album? Not really. The kookiness and novelty, which I do like, is there but the songs don’t really hit me.
Lite whack o kul att lyssna på ibland, men inte min smak o överlag rätt ointressant.
🎧stfu beck
I find Beck’s vocal delivery to be generally very unpleasant, and the mixing and textures on this are a little busy and frantic. The instrumentation itself is pretty decent, with some classic guitar work. Standout tracks is: The New Pollution
Eh Beck more like boring Two turntables and a microphone
I don't like Beck. it exemplifies 90s California rock along with Red Hot Chili Peppers. Where It's At is the standout
i didn't like this and that's MY prerogative
It’s got 2 good songs
Never been a huge fan of Beck, know a couple of his songs but a bit meh for me
Habe schon so viel mal in Beck rein gehört aber es hat mich nie gepackt, auch dieses Mal nicht.
Progressive I guess. One song made it to the playlist. 2 stars
Some of this shit is hurting my ears and head bruh devils haircuts was alright The new pollution was a vibe where its at sounds like butt ass high 5 was fun the album was certainly a adventure
I don’t think I get the vision here. The lyrics are obscure and almost every song sounds the same. My favorite tracks: Devils Haircut, The New Pollution and Derelict. The saxophone that was audible a few times was good. But the rest of this record… an interpolation of Swan Lake? Beeps noises? Distorted voices? What is going on?
Not really my vibe off first listen. Favorite track is devil’s haircut.
I don’t know what to think about this album. It was certainly an interesting combination of genres and influences, but at times I felt like the sounds were distorted or weird just for the sake of it and it was very all over the place. But, I must give him this, he’s a very unique artist - this album sounded like it came from a completely different person than the last one I listened to.
A few good songs plus robot noises.
I've never listened to this Beck album and it sounds like the kind of early Beck I don't like much. (31 known/64 new)
I've never been able to get into Beck. For somebody that genre hops so frequently you'd think there'd be at least one song that speaks to me but you'd be wrong.
Like, kinda vibey, but I'm not in the mood right now
I don't get Beck. Or, I take that back; I do get Beck, but I don't understand his appeal. His whole thing, with my two-album sample size, seems to be laid-back, flat, "cool-guy" vocals over passable blues-tinted '90s alt-rock production. Now that cool-guy, "I don't want to be here" vocal style is what makes these 50 minutes practically unbearable for me. Like god, these melodies are so lifeless, and even when the vocals "ramp up" in intensity, like on, say 'Minus', they still sound so washed-out when propped up against the production here. I think more than anything, I don't see any situation where I can enjoy these vocals or this aesthetic. I guess it sort of feels like a summer day, but one where I'm like sweating profusely and waiting at a bus station at noon type thing - basically annoyed out of my mind. I guess maybe if you're stoned, I can see this type of thing hitting, but I'm not stoned. Maybe my least favorite song was also the most popular, 'Where It's At' - I guess the verses are smooth enough, but those interludes and the refrain are unbearable and take me out of the groove established during those okay verses. I'm not going to be too harsh on this record, I sorta liked the song 'Novacaine' because Beck tends to show infinitely more character when he's doing his cheesy white boy rap thing, which is at least charming with a few genuinely solid bars. This song, 'Novacaine' has a cool hip-hop, Rick Rubin production feel to it. 'Jack-Ass' went in another more enjoyable instrumental direction and probably has my favorite Beck singing on here. Hey, I geuss Beck is unique...I'll give him that, I haven't heard someone be so bold in just how fucking laid-back their style is. Like this man overdoes it, and he knows it. So I guess he comes out the winner for making me sit through 50+ minutes of this.
Strange mix of rock, rap, and electronic music, but not bad. Some pretty fun songs every now and then but also a lot of boring songs, or songs where too much is going on. An experimental feel, that once again was strange, unique, and different, but as many other feel, this album is all over the place. Definitely some songs on here that I will listen to again, but for the most part I am okay with only listening to most songs once.
Never resonated with me on its original release and still doesn’t.
I don't think I've ever really understood the appeal of Beck, and listening to this didn't change my mind.
Very experimental but not catchy. Too crazy.
Yeah, fine. Devils haircut was good enough to want to get permanently, but nothing else jumped out. I see what Beck is and I understand the niche he's filling, I just don't need much of it I think. 2.5/5 stars.
Sometimes this was okay, sometimes it was a flashback to probably a car advert, and other times I wondered why it sounded like a low-tier Beastie Boys album. All over the place, and I'm not sure it's in a good way
Manchmal habe ich meine Füße und meinen Kopf zum Beat bewegt, manchmal habe ich aber auch darauf gewartet, dass das Album durch ist. Ich denke das sind zwei Sterne insgesamt
No me gusta mucho la banda, pero del álbum conozco 2 canciones
Throw a massive pile of diarrhea on the wall and see what sticks: The album. Most of it won't stick of course, this is pretty terrible, but at least it was unique for it's time.
Skateboarding backing tracks
I feel uncool, but I just don't understand the psychedelic experimentation in rock. I feel like I'm in an old timey sci fi movie, and it's just not my vibe.
2.5
Listening to this today reminded me of the reasons why I gave Odelay away years ago. I don’t like the fizzy guitar sound, neither the way Beck sings nor the occasional noise. I had bought the record based on the hype at the time, and I still don’t get what everyone’s raving about. At times I realize that fusing rock and hip hop maybe appealing, but that’s an abstract thought; I’m just not feeling anything when playing Odelay except a slight resistance and annoyance. I tried again and felt confirmed in my rejection.
Some good songs but alot of bad songs too
Meh… this one is not really for me. I can definitely appreciate the attempt to merge sampling and aspects of hip hop with rock aesthetics. But much like many other attempts from rock artists to add drum loops and an occasional rap verse to their guitar-based music, it never quite reaches the emotional heights of either rock or hip hop. What I will give Beck though is he does not sanitize his approach to rock. It’s noisy, loud and unpolished in a way that most later rap-rock attempts do not seem to capture, which seemed to lean more into the rap part most of the time. And from that perspective, it does make this record more interesting. I don’t find this particular execution of this idea to be one that draws me in sonically. It’s certainly not bad, and I can confidently say it’s more interesting and a better execution than nu-metal/rap-rock acts that try something similar. Generally, I think hip hop adjacent artists are better at incorporating rock into their music than vice versa (see JPEGMAFIA - I Lay Down My Life For You or Jean Dawson - Pixel Bath). And trip-hop artists like Portishead and Massive Attack approach sampling in non-rap in an ultimately much more satisfying way.
Immediately familiar - sounds like the soundtrack to a 90s film. I kinda find this album a very generic sound though so nothing really stands of it or inspires me particularly.
I’m not a big fan of Becks music this album was ok. (2)
I got Beck right after Moby. That’s a run to make you doubt modern albums can be perfect… Devil’s Haircut was good, but then it just devolved into and experimental soupy mess with grunge vowels.
The album was pretty bad. Some of the songs on this album had no part being here, like "High 5" or whatever "Computer Rock" was. It did have some okay songs, but other then that it wasn't the best. Or even close. 1.5 Liked Song: Hotwax Least Favorite: High 5 (Rock the Catskills)
i mean i do not want to be rude but he def became popular just because this was right after Nirvana and record companies decided to give a chance to non-mainstream, alternative, experimental sounds after seeing Nirvana’s huge success. I can understand what he was trying to do here but its just not revolutionary nor exciting, as I already am familiar (and in love) with the sound and tone direction (especially the dirtier and more distorted sounds of the first half) he was trying to go but there exists many bands and singers who had done it way better way earlier that i very much love. dunno what it is (i do) but he just sounds so pretentious and try-hard to be something that he is not. I was just about to write that he gives off rich nepo baby who can care-freely choose the ‘’art student/artist’’ path but decided to check his wiki first for a sec and lol what do u know both his parents’ names are in blue. had to laugh, i love being right🙏
Sea Change is far better
Big 90’s skateboard montage background music vibes…. Some of the instrumentals were unique and enjoyable but the lyrics or vocalists in general didn’t do it for me
- okay-ish 2,25
I liked parts of this album. Some snippets of songs were enjoyable to me, mixing what I think is hip hop and country in some passages. But that’s the problem, it was just snippets. And these snippets, even though enjoyable, were surrounded by jumbled mashes of in my opinion just irritating noise, rather than music. So because of this it’s a 2 star for me
Yes to the horns on The New Pollution! Can I have a GameCube and a copy of SSX3 to go with Derelict??
I feel like I just missed the boat on Beck. Maybe earlier in life it could have worked for me, but it feels basic, boring, and flat.
Quirky, Meh, a few classics i loved
Unfortunately I have never liked Beck even though I am a guitarist and probably should be a big fan of him, and this album just kinda reinforced that. There would be these great beats and great bass lines, but he seems obsessed with squeals and high treble dissonance that just takes me clean out of the song. Also he sings like he’s bored and then I’m bored listening. I’m sorry.
In my view, there is such a thing as "too eclectic" in an album. In my view, this album is a prime example of that. Two stars because apart from a couple of tracks, I didn't really like it.. and all the random noises didn't help.
Look, i really wanted to like Odelay considering that i listened to the other two Beck albums on the project with Sea Change and especially Guero being some good albums but i just can't like this one. I personally feel that this album has a huge identity crisis as it just doesn't know whether it wants to be rock, country, hip hop or electronic. This causes the album to try too many random things with almost none of them working out in the album's favor. I typically like it when albums are more unique and weird but this one tries to be those things so hard that it just forgets to make an album i would enjoy listening to. Best Song: Devils Haircut Worst Song: Computer Rock Side note: Since i have done every Beck album on this project, i will rank all his albums here: 1. Guero 2. Sea Change 3. Odelay
Beck is fucking garbage
Avant Garde end of the century attempt to bend the senses. Harmonies, heavy gain bass, record scratches, samples, harmonicas, organs, 808s, drum machines and reversed sitars. All stuff I love but not mixed together. But I see the stuff Beck likes. Loved folk, rap, rock,The Beatles. One song I like so far is Novacane but maybe because it reminds me a bit of a MF doom song. Apart from this middle song there’s not a lot I love. Just wished I wasn’t half way through. Non linear song writing/structure doesn’t do anything for me. If I think of why he made this album I’d have to guess: An ode to everything he loved and presenting the amalgamation of those influences in one person. Him. But like I say doesn’t do anything for me. You can find loads of cool sounds like the organ in Where it at or the 808s in Novacane. You’d find plenty to sample and reuse. So cool sounds but loads of annoying sounds done to be abrasive or attention grabbing.
Visibly cringed at “I’m the enchanted wizard of rhythm” and the album never really won me back round after that
Experimentation for experimentation's sake is maybe the most positive thing I can say about this. Boring and repetitive are soem of the less positive things to say.
Apart from a couple of good songs, the album is mostly bland noise.
Meh
Feels like an extension of that Mello Gold, Loser era of Beck. I like Loser but not that much. Nothing really hit as a result. I prefer the more experimental Beck we got on Sea Change. Not that I’m comparing and contrasting but stating my preference as to why quintessential Beck did nothing for me.
Not a terrible record by any means, just a little too artsy for me. There are some solid songs here, but most are just too out there in my opinion.
Beck is sorta hit-or-miss with me... He offers flashes of brilliance but then muddles it all up with what can only be described as noise... I can appreciate an artist wanting to mashup genres, but it's always seemed to me that Beck mixes in one part glorious with two parts laborious... I'll give it a 2 because I do enjoy the singles, The New Pollution and Where It's At, but I really must flush the rest of this rackety rot...
Didn't do anything for me.
Not a fan
Wasn't my jam. Not sure why
Jack-Ass is pretty good. Most of the songs ending with some weirdass sounds really not my thing tho.
Too stripped back for me
Worse than the other Beck album
Some good, mostly forgettable. ‘Minus’ is a highlight but a lot of it feels like background music. Quite strange how it flips between genres.
For me, the deeper cuts on this album didn't sonically cover any new ground from the singles off of it. It was a little ho hum for me.
The 90s is my black hole. Neither mine nor my parents era, but you hear of it as a great time for indie/alt rock (depending on if you are British or American). Neither label fits. The bands aren't independent and the only alternative about the rock is that it doesn't rock. This fits the bill for the genre. It has a heavy experimental side and hip hop influence but deep down it wants to be a rock record. But it doesn't rock. It just screams LA bubble
Vorige Beck album was dodelijk saai. Deze is dat eigenlijk ook, ondanks de poging om het spannend te maken met een ongevraagde schreeuw tussendoor. Ik ben er van overtuigd dat dat er alleen maar in zit om te zorgen dat de luisteraar niet echt compleet in slaap valt. Novacane is een bizar nummer met rare bleeps en bloops ofzo. Maar ook een soort dikke hiphop kick? Bizar nummer. Maar wel interessant, kan ik van veel van Becks muziek niet zeggen! Maar WAT is het idee om eerst dat bizarre nummer te hebben en dan meteen weer de meest zaaddodende alternative rock aller tijden er vlak achter? Weet Beck iets wat ik niet weet? Dit album is dus eigenlijk toch minder saai dan gedacht, het is zelfs vrij experimenteel. Jammer alleen dat het niet heel goed is... FAVO: The New Pollution, Novacane
Not at great as I remember. Super creative and some good catchy beats, but the use of random electronic sounds kills it for me. Gotta run to turn it down!
Talented but nothing I need
Not bad. Not good. Only ended up adding one to my playlist but some others had good sounds and that’s good enough for a 2 for me!
ight
liked songs: Derelict Some of the songs were more annoying to me than anything else. There are definitely interesting things happening, but I don't understand how this makes any list of the best albums ever. 2
I would've thought that I liked Beck, but now I've listened to the whole thing. And I still think he's neat, but this mostly isn't good music.
Cool sounding album, but it gets boring really quick.
I grew up listening to this album but unfortunately it hasn't aged well. Only the hits have stood the test of time, including: Devils Haircut, the New Pollution, Where it's At, and High 5. Outside of those, the songs were underwhelming or too "experimental" for their own good. 4/14 songs is not a good ratio (1.4/5), however the quality of the good songs bumps the up a tad. 2/5
Paar aardige nummers, het album begint leuk met devils haircut bijvoorbeeld, maar de meeste nummers niet zo interessant.
Forgotten
People that like this honestly have their head too far up Beck's ass to see that this album was crap. Just all over the place and none of it was really all that great. Pretty disappointing considering that he's a really talented musician and has plenty of awards. 4/10.
If you’d asked me ‘what style of music Beck is’ I’d have probably have said Indie. So I was quite surprised to listen to this album. Is it erm rap? I’m not quite sure what it is. I sort of appreciate that it’s quite different and complex. But still it wasn’t for me on the first listen. On the second listen I started to like it more from ‘the new pollution’. There are some definite classics. I started to think he sounded like the bloke from Fontaines DC (though obviously the other way round). And that made me like it a bit more. But yeah probably wouldn’t listen again.
Oh-Delay, apparently would have been the underlaying meaning of the title of this album. Although it only came out 2 years after Beck's previous album, with the hit single Loser on it. This is a real eclectic mix of style often described as hip-folk, where we can hear Beck's monosyllabic voice rapping and singing. And it's this mix of styles that I couldn't really get on with. I'm glad I listened to it a few times, but this antithesis of Kurt Cobain I could not get on with. Give me Eels, give me Weezer.
No strong feelings, some odd tracks
It turns out that 54 minutes is a lot of minutes to listen to Beck. I've always thought that I'd love Beck if I put in some effort, but I've always bounced off his music. Here I am, bouncing off it again. Yeah, it should be on this list, but I won't listen to it again.
Not my type of music
While Beck has some really iconic songs on here, this still just feels like surreptitious propaganda for scientology.
Hadn't heard of Beck before so was glad to listen to this artist, particularly the variety of styles and sounds this album contains but a bit too chaotic for me tbh
It takes a lot for an album to wow me... this one did not succeed. Had a few bangers (1).
Not for me
Sorry but I just don't get his music. Most of the songs on this album are repetitive and a little boring. The only one I liked is Where it's at.
Not a huge fan of Beck, but an okay album
I was almost willing to give this a 3, but the last three songs all sucked so much it earned a 2
This was like scrambled eggs; it was all over the place. Parts were ok, although some of the songs sounded like what I imagine alien messages from another galaxy sound like.
Not a fan of the singer's voice or the grunginess of this album, seems too scratchy.
Don't think I really get it. Not bad, just a bit all over the place - some songs work for me, some don't really.
I really don't know what to feel about this one. There diferent rythms and sounds like some kind of collage idk... I really can't say if it's good or bad, but I really didn't feel it right. I'll leave 2 stars.
I like a bit of Beck but not enough tracks on this album really registered.
I’m no stranger to pretty weird and experimental music so was totally open and ready to love this… but I just didn’t. There were a few good and classic “stand out” tracks but nothing I’d ever be gagging to go back and listen to a ton, and as a whole the album just didn’t really flow well or connect. It was actually as annoying as Elton John to me. Brings a lot to the table but not too much that’s particularly enjoyable to listen to. Who knows - maybe it’s a grower. But on first listen it’s a 2.
Meh
11/09/2024 I found it a bit boring.
Anyway Odelay is as dull as Guero was to me when it came up in June, it's pretty boring stoner music, trying a bunch of stuff that doesn't work in isolation or together, mumbled vocals, just a rubbish 2 that'll never appeal to me.
A bit more creative than Guero, I think, but still not really my cup of tea. It's basic bitch indie singer songwriter with a handful of samples thrown in without much obvious thought. The songs are fine, not particularly catchy or interesting, but not bad, the samples and other stuff tend to be quite jarring. 2/5, not for me.
Music for wedding receptions. I've never listened to this album all the way through because I'm just not a Beck fan. I'm still not. Jack-Ass and Ramshackle are pretty good songs but overall this is way overrated.
No songs here do much for me. The three that've received all the attention the last 30 years are overplayed and worn thin. There were two or three tracks I was greatly enjoying and then....rotary phone tones, or fax machines in the background haha like, I won't want to jam to that. Ever
Considered giving this one a 1. More of a clash of styles than a blend. Can’t figure out what kind of person would love this, maybe wealthy suburb cali guy who knows a couple words of Spanish? Idk not for me
Thought this would be better, disappointing
Never really understood the fuzz about Beck. Interesting album ok, but good, hmm not really
Aside from the fact that it's a goddamn crime that this album is nearly an hour, this music still isn't good.
I'm happily listening along, and then obnoxious beeping, bleating, or grunting comes along to assault me unprovoked. I'm all for experimental exploration, but it's in your best interest to leave your listeners better than you found them. Or at least not deafened.
Devils haircut - feels very woohoo! That song. Couldn't work out if it was haircut or handgun. Feels familiar Hotwax - for some reason this reminds me of the Cheaper by the Dozen films, especially Alyson Stoner in their cap I'm enjoying this but it's not what I would normally listen to Ooo I'm the enchanted wizard Lord only knows - big scream! Actual song/artist's voice reminds me of the Brobecks but very vaguely. The new pollution - this intro is fun! Like the sax (?) at the end. Actual song very repetitive but enjoyable. I imagine if I went to uni when it came out it would be a fun dancey club song Derelict - Katrina from Animal Crossing music Novacane - hmmm. Least favourite so far. Trying hard not to skip the high pitched noises near the end Jack-ass - feels whimsical. Indie film morning routine music. Why is there a donkey here Where it's at - ooo very familiar intro! This is vibey. The first song I know! And it's a good one Minus - this feels quite boring Sissyneck - fun whistling. Slightly country. I don't like the dialling noise they use in the album. Readymade - I don't have any thoughts here High 5 (Rock the Catskills) - thought this was going to be Rock the Casbah by the Clash... Giving Run DMC vibes. Feel like all these songs are very long Ramshackle - nice and calm Diskobox - the last song on the album. Think I'm enjoying it but I have no idea what they're saying! (never mind they're saying Diskobox. Should have been able to work that out) That's the end of the album, think I enjoyed it but I don't think I'll listen to it again. Can see how it was good, but it's not my taste
Every song sounds like the singer is annoyed as fuck.
A couple of half decent singles at the start but otherwise a tough listen.
Although the songs don't sound too bad, the random horrendous sounds that keep playing make me not enjoy it as much.
This list definitely likes its "experimental" stuff. And, honestly, most experiments fail. It's still good to do them, because that's how we learn what works and what doesn't. We wouldn't have most things, in art, science, technology, if it wasn't for an astounding amount of failed experiments. For this album, though, a lot of it works, if imperfectly. "Where It's At" is a pretty good example. It's mixing a lot of stuff, and most of it works. It's also got some parts of its mix that just sounds... bad. Like the incessant smoke alarm over the chorus. And its lyrics seem as much of a hodgepodge as the music, making it hard to discern if there is even anything to take from it to begin with, let alone what that might be. This is definitely one of the harder ones to judge. Part of me wants to give it a 4, and another part wants me to give it a 2. Ultimately, it's too frustrating to have any of it as a casual listen.
An unrefined incoherent mess of samples, distorted voices, okay riffs and basic drum beats interspersed with the occasional quite good rock and folk song (fragment). Oh, and interference noise. Maybe this album has some artistic value if you want to dig deep enough, but musically it falls flat. At least it's memorable.
Weird to have two Beck albums back to back. Didn't enjoy this as much as Guero but still ok.
Not my taste
Eclectic and unfocused on a track-to-track basis.
Eclectic and a bit weird, but unfortunately to the effect of lacking focus and being a bit boring. Rating: 2/5 Playlist track: Devils Haircut Date listened: 01/07/24
was really excited for this one because i love where it's at so much but the rest didn't really catch me unfortunately:/
maybe downloaded one song
i do not care for this album 1.9/5
Beckin musassa kuuluu aina tekemisen ilo, ja se oli etenkin tän albumin a-puolella vahva. Mutta kuulen myös sellaisen vähän ärsyttävän ironian - ekan biisin perusteella toivoin, ettei sitä ole tällä levyllä niin paljon, mutta kyllä olikin. Räppi oli ehkä vähemmän vaivaannuttavaa tässä kuin myöhemmin (se ironia tekee sen efektin). Ehkä tokalla kuuntelulla kolmonen, vahva kakkonen.
Not one of my fave Beck's
Not really a fan of this one, but at least I could make it through the album which is a step up from the last Beck album that I encountered on this list. 2/5
I can see what Beck was trying to do here and i admire that creativity but a fair few songs here didn't do it for me.
Uhh... No thanks. I've never heard much Beck, but from what I've heard I'm not impressed. It definitely takes some bravery and skill to mix together so many genres, but skill does not equal good music. All I can think of is hip-hop meets Radiohead. I'll probably give this album a few more listens, but I won't be coming back to it long-term. Like: Ramshackle Hate: High 5 (Rock the Catskills)
I haven’t really ever gotten into Beck and this one didn’t convert me. So varied but I don’t really know if it justifies why? Idk hard to put my finger on. Not bad just not my thing.
Had it my mind that I liked Devils haircut, but listening do I really? or was it just at the time was so starved for anything different? At least it is a little different, but actually good to listen to? not really 2
not for me, shame about the scientology
I think I may be tired of irony. Or at least, tired of this particular kind of 90’s irony. I’ve started a new job recently (which is why I’ve missed like a week’s worth of albums. I’m gonna catch up soon, I promise) and my employer has a long playlist they put on everyday which has a lot of power ballad love songs on it. As I’ve been listening to this for a week and a half I’ve been taking in these ballads and thinking just how little I can relate to them. The prime example is Always by Bon Jovi. I gave Bon Jovi an unexpectedly good review a little while ago, and I don’t necessarily think Always is actually a bad song, but it’s so emblematic of a sort of overreaching love song, one that has to sound like it’s soundtracking a movie that portrays a love for the ages. It ends up sounding sort of insincere. Nobody’s love is actually that big, that melodramatic, my experience of love has always been rather mundane and as someone with a particular interest in the everyday, I prefer low-key declarations of love. One of my favourite love songs is Bloc Party’s This Modern Love which ends with the line ‘Do you want to come over and kill some time?’ That has always sounded so much more romantic to me than any declaration that I will love always and forever. What really differentiates 90’s culture from 80’s culture, at least in the US, is that while the 80’s was heart wrenchingly sincere on as big a level as their hair or their shoulder pads, the 90’s was either sincere in a more rootsy way, taking their cues from R.E.M. (who I’m listening to at the moment) or The Replacements, or subverted the 80’s level of sincerity by being cynical and ironically detached. And I think that most of the big artists who people have deemed were ironic have actually become so in hindsight. All apart from Beck. Beck seems to me a particularly 90’s product, who seems increasingly baffling as we get further away from that decade. I find it particularly hard to actually talk about Beck, because the irony and detachment is so many levels deep that you can’t get a sense of him as a person. The reason people gravitated towards Cobain was because you could get a real handle of the sort of person he was, both the damaged self destructive side, and the self deprecating genius with a wicked sense of humour. Eddie Vedder, you could get the gist of his overwhelmingly passionate empathy and anger towards the systems in place to keep the people around him miserable. Even with the Britpop bands, when Blur took influence from American Rock with the self titled album, Albarn turned out one parodic bit of nonsense for the lead single and spent the rest of the album writing the most autobiographical and direct stuff of his career. But who is Beck? I’ve now listened to two of his albums, and I really couldn’t tell you. He’s a bit wacky, he likes both folk and rap, but outside of that? He doesn’t write about himself, he doesn’t seem to write about other people. Is it a sort of musical surrealism or Dada? The only song that I found myself really enjoying was Ramshackle which is both the most melodic and the most sincere on the album. I don’t know. Beck’s artistic vision seems completely contrary to my own, and while I don’t grudge him that, I find it difficult to connect with his music in any meaningful way, or even really to talk about why I find it difficult to connect with. At least with music I find actually bad I can describe why. Beck’s taste isn’t actually particularly different from my own, I like Folk and Rap, I like Post-Hardcore and Country. I just find it difficult
Back to back Beck, lol
I am not too big on his style. Will I listen to again: 3%
I don’t know Beck very well, but I like a lot of what I’ve heard. So when this came up I was very excited! But, I dunno. It really didn’t do anything for me. Disappointed!!! (Like that guy from that film)
huge hip-hop vibes, cool but not a genre i like very much. the before-last song was great !
Some cool stuff but mostly weird.
Nope
Not for me
Not my style of music at all, but that’s what this journey is all about.
hmmm, I'll go with 2 stars just based on the two songs that I was familiar with, but not a huge fan.
Never really rated this weird Scientologist nutjob
Did not finish. Might've been just too much Beck for me
Beck is doing way too much on this.
Mediocre at best.
it didn't age very well
Other than 'Where It's At', I'm not a big fan