A few words on Beck’s latest.
Beck-Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime
Beck’s story is a strange one. You never really know where to put him. Is he altnernative? Sure, I guess so- and his first few “hits’ make apretty good case for that- but he can also write a gorgeous tune (see, also: most of Morning Phase). You never know what you’re gonna get, but you can always bank on it being interesting.
And so, after almost a decade-long absence, he’s back with an 8-song release of covers, rarities, etc. It is mostly acoustic and pretty low-key. Much closer to something like “Blue Moon” than “Devil’s Haircut.” The lone original (“Ramona” ) is old enough to drive.
The title track is a Korgis cover from the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind soundtrack, and is this writer’s favorite on the record. Along the way, we also get covers from Elvis (“Can’t Help Falling in Love”), Daniel Johnson (“True Love Will Find You In the End”), Hank Williams, and more. All are on target, except for Can’t Help Falling in Love. Some songs shouldn’t be covered, but for my money UB40’s is the best attempt. It could also be fallout from having to listen to the Silver soundtrack as mandatory in-store play.
So yeah, not a typical Beck record, but then again, what is?
Kevin Sent 