Beck
“Odelay”
DGC
1996
When the follow-up smash, “Odelay” dropped, it was clear that Beck Hanson wasn't "mellow"-ing out on his "gold" laurels. His artfully and technologically advanced rock-fi hit rocketed him from “Loser” to a pop star pimp with nothing more than a “Devil’s Haircut.”
The former California busker and poet employed his mastery of multiple instruments
and genres while romancing the industry’s newest production techniques of the time.
With help from production prodigies, the Dust Brothers(first regarded for their own techno-magical tricks on Beastie Boys' "Paul's Boutique"), “Odelay” was encrusted with electronic samples and technologic gems, crafting an album fit for the snazzy, new millennium.
The result jacked the mid-90s alternative rock scene, drawing the line for itself far beyond the popular teen angst-riddled, angry guitar solos, and blending jazz, rock, rap, folk, blues, with hi-fi-tastic tricks. “Where it’s At,” materialized a bangin’ party, with Hansen’s gritty, vo-coded words melting over obscure samples and keyboard loops. “New Pollution” married sizzling electronica with the poet’s lyrical conundrums.
Many fans would argue that Beck went on to release increasingly intellectually complex creations, but his Billboard opus cracked glass confines and allowed the popular music world's ongoing discovery and experimentation in the worlds of rock, rap, jazz and EDM.
Rumours of a re-release with additional tracks have circulated, but “Lord Only Knows” if that will become a reality.
Showing posts with label album review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label album review. Show all posts
Thursday, 29 November 2007
Friday, 1 June 2007
Album Review
Boys Noize "Oi Oi Oi" Boys Noize (2007)
Review by Solange Deschatres
Berlin-based Boys Noize’s first self-produced album, “Oi Oi Oi”, proves that robots have feelings too. Alex Ridha, "the man behind the motherboard," intuitively combines the organic nature of the humanoid with electronics, channeling emotions through a digital interface. The album contains the sorrowful, dark electro single, “Don’t Believe the Hype,” in addition to 13 other tracks that range from steady electro grooves to body-breaking electro-tech.
Folk rock artist, Feist, gets a cyborgian makeover with a remix of, “My Moon, My Man,” a gritty, liquid thumper meant to metallicize the spine of every fem-folk lover who gets lost at night in the club districts this summer.
Like humans, robots aren’t perfect. The messy and chaotic track, “Superfresh” throws in everything but the kitchen sink like a dishwasher gone haywire, and the lackadaisical “Let’s Buy Happiness” takes on a journey as boring as mowing the lawn on a Sunday morning, complete with distorted robot humming. These tracks, thankfully, are saved by the superhuman strength of more pumped-up ones like, “Deny Selected,” with its heavy-flowing bass, and the electro epic, “Shine Shine,” which engages a cacophony of synth horns. Counterintuitively, this work reminds the mechanical workings of the body what it’s like to be human. Grab this album and some motor oil and prepare to be transformed.
Review by Solange Deschatres
Berlin-based Boys Noize’s first self-produced album, “Oi Oi Oi”, proves that robots have feelings too. Alex Ridha, "the man behind the motherboard," intuitively combines the organic nature of the humanoid with electronics, channeling emotions through a digital interface. The album contains the sorrowful, dark electro single, “Don’t Believe the Hype,” in addition to 13 other tracks that range from steady electro grooves to body-breaking electro-tech.
Folk rock artist, Feist, gets a cyborgian makeover with a remix of, “My Moon, My Man,” a gritty, liquid thumper meant to metallicize the spine of every fem-folk lover who gets lost at night in the club districts this summer.
Like humans, robots aren’t perfect. The messy and chaotic track, “Superfresh” throws in everything but the kitchen sink like a dishwasher gone haywire, and the lackadaisical “Let’s Buy Happiness” takes on a journey as boring as mowing the lawn on a Sunday morning, complete with distorted robot humming. These tracks, thankfully, are saved by the superhuman strength of more pumped-up ones like, “Deny Selected,” with its heavy-flowing bass, and the electro epic, “Shine Shine,” which engages a cacophony of synth horns. Counterintuitively, this work reminds the mechanical workings of the body what it’s like to be human. Grab this album and some motor oil and prepare to be transformed.
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