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Sea Change
09/23/2002 5:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Rob O'Connor
With mentions of bluebirds alongside acoustic guitars, cinematic strings and lots of dour singing, Sea Change suggests all is not always hip and ironic in Beckville. Sometimes even post-modern pop stars get the blues. Beck seems to come down with them about every third album or so. But unlike the stripped to the guitbox field hollars of One Foot In The Grave or the muted dancefloor downers of Mutations, his latest creeps along in a stately coma reminiscent of everything from Lee Hazlewood to Bread. This is beautiful music set in minor keys. Producer Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Mutations ) deserves credit for providing such a richly hued crying towel for Beck to soak his sorrows. "Guess I'm Doin' Fine," "Lost Cause," "All In Your Mind," "Already Dead"? Certainly the Physicians Desk Reference has a few 'script suggestions to set things right. But from a purely selfish point of view, it wouldn't be bad idea if Beck just used the recording studio as his therapy session and let the rest of us listen in.
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