Beck creates the unexpected

By Linda Prendez, Online Forty-Niner

Wednesday, November 18, 1998

The best thing about Beck Hansen is that you never know what to expect from the master of eclectic sounds, and yet you can always expect something uniquely Beck.

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ALBUM REVIEW

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"Mutations," Beck's latest album, released Nov. 3 by Geffen Records, is another incarnation of Beck's musical genius. The 11 songs, all written and co-produced by Beck, showcase the library of influences in Beck's memory.

According to Beck, this album is not the official follow up to "Odelay." A new album with a more bombastic sound is already in the works. It is not exactly clear whose decision it was to dub "Mutations" a sort of side album, but perhaps it was an executive decision. The album's character is not extremely marketable. Few songs are mainstream and radio friendly, but that is not to say it is not a good album.

The album is a bit more sophisticated than Beck's previous big-label releases, incorporating more traditional genres into his song writing. For instance, country and honky-tonk get a hip edge in the songs "Canceled Check" and "Bottle of Blues," produced so skillfully that ears previously unwilling for twangy riffs might get hooked. Of course, Beck can not help himself. In a few songs he throws in a little industrial edge.

The songs on "Mutations" had already been written before Beck went into the studio for two weeks with his band, suggesting these songs have been in his pocket for some time. The musician's lounge mannerisms, which have manifested themselves mostly in his groovy get-ups, dominate the music on "Mutations." Many of the songs have a kick-back mood to them, such as "Tropicalia," anchored by a bossa nova beat.

This time around, Beck has even changed his vocal style, abandoning - for this album at least - his rap tendencies. Influences, the likes of Leonard Cohen and Cat Stevens, can be heard in "We Live Again" and "Dead Melodies."

The album has a rainy-day feel to it with music and lyrics invoking an introspective mood. Beck calls his latest collection of songs "a headphone record ... for those mid-afternoon reveries we all enjoy when we're tumbling through the high green grasses or meadows." It is true, the album is more mellow than "Mellow Gold," and more laid back than "Odelay."