Beck – Guero @ Amazon.co.uk
Beck’s new album is a return to his Odelay days and it’s much the better for it. Kicking off with the nicely distorted guitar of E-Pro the influence of the Dust Brothers production is evident as it slides through the next track and onto the latin guitar of Missing. As with most Beck albums, he isn’t afraid to mix genres and sounds and make everything sound, well like Beck. Whilst this album doesn’t see him stray far from well trodden tracks, it retains the characteristic sound of previous albums and adds a much better vocal performance.
There seem to be a select few who can flirt with mainstream popularity yet retain a unique sound, and Beck proves that he can master both worlds. The steel strung guitars instantly place you in the deep south, with a variety of latin influences pulling you down to the border with Mexico. You can practically taste the cold beer and tequila at times, only for the next track to veer of into a uniquely Beck landscape by dropping a trip-hop style beat into the mix.
Stand out tracks include E-Pro, the Kasabian-esque Black Tambourine, and Scarecrow and whilst this is no classic album it’s definitely a return to form, and worth a listen.