Beck

His new album leaked.

Anyone heard it?

I'm on track five, and it is impresing me a lot. Danger Mouse's touch is evident. It's a whole lot less hip hop than The Information, which I liked a great deal as well.

Thoughts?

I'm on track 5 too.

It's alright so far.

I have to add that Walls is an amazing track.

I keep having to start track5 over because I keep getting side-tracked by someone or something.

I just finished the album.

I like that it's short (about 33 minutes). This may be because I've been on a 60's vinyl kick, where every record is less than 40 minutes long, but I just love when an album is concise. There are too many albums I've heard that are good,but they have a couple songs too many, and it ruins the album as a whole. So I love when an artist keeps things concise, like every Spoon album being so short.

After one listen, I like it, but this album will definitely grow on me. I love The Information now, but thought it was horrible after one listen.

It reminds me a little of The Beta Band so far.

Ehhh, I feel about this the same way I did about the new REM album. It's okay, pleasant enough, but just nothing all that exciting. I've fired it up twice today and both times, after around song 6 or 7, I said 'fuck this' and put on the new Made Out of Babies album, which is rad.

did beck's religion ruin his music?

will beck ever play dc again?

please let it be at the lincoln theatre.

Originally posted by walkonby:
did beck's religion ruin his music?

will beck ever play dc again?

please let it be at the lincoln theatre.

Well, since he's always been a scientologist, it couldn't suddenly start to ruin his music.

And I sure hope he plays DC again. And not in a secret show kind of way. I want a real Beck concert.

his religion can still ruin him no matter how long he's had it. it's good at that. religion in general, that is.

I don't think Scientology affects Beck at all, positively or negatively. He rarely talks about it, other than saying his father was a Scientologist, and that it's kind of like Buddhism. So he's definitwely not hardcore devoted. In fact, he didn't even confim he was a Scientologist until 2005. And when asked about what Scientology is, he replied:

"What it actually is is just sort of, uh, you know, I think it's about philosophy and sort of, uh, all these kinds of, you know, ideals that are common to a lot of religions….There's nothing fantastical… just a real deep grassroots concerted effort for humanitarian causes.I don't know if you know the stuff they have. It's unbelievable the stuff they are doing. Education… they have free centres all over the place for poor kids. They have the number one drug rehabilitation programme in the entire world (called Narconon). It has a 90-something percent success rate… When you look at the actual facts and not what's conjured in people's minds that's all bullshit to me because I've actually seen stuff first hand"

Plus, his songs very rarely have any sort of religious undertone.

If Beck mentioned Scientology in every interview, I'm sure it would change my views on his music. But he doesn't.

yeah, but either (i can't 'member) steropathic soul m, or one foot in the grave, was very laced with ufo nonsense.

Originally posted by walkonby:
yeah, but either (i can't 'member) steropathic soul m, or one foot in the grave, was very laced with ufo nonsense.

As opposed to the lyrics on, say, Odelay, which are perfectly linear and concrete.

To whit:

temperature's dropping at the rottin' oasis
stealing kisses from the lepers faces
heads are hanging from the garbageman trees
mouthwash, jukebox, gasoline,
pistols are pointing at a poor man's pockets
smiling eyes with 'em out of the sockets

First off, I don't think youre talking about One Foot in the Grave. I haven't heard Stereopathic Soulmanure, but you probably mean that one.

Either way, Beck doesn't strike me as the type of musician that references his religion, or his personal life in general, on record without a rather thick layer of irony and wordplay. Maybe that's just me. And if he is referencing his religion, he isn't doing it in a crazy, jump on Oprah's couch kind of way.

You should. Right now.

Originally posted by gaaaaaaaaah:
I haven't heard Stereopathic Soulmanure,

Originally posted by nkotb:
You should. Right now.

Originally posted by gaaaaaaaaah:
I haven't heard Stereopathic Soulmanure,

Is it similar to One Foot in the Grave? Because I dig that album.

Originally posted by Relaxer:
As opposed to the lyrics on, say, Odelay, which are perfectly linear and concrete.

Post du jour.

:)

whatever, fact is beck's a scientologist and thats wacked..those guys are NUTS period.

i saw beck at the 930 club many many years ago and it was a pretty boring show i thought..since then many friends have seen him and insist he puts on a great show..

i do think his last few albums have blown chunks but thats just me..

I have been really intrigued about those puppets Beck used live for a while. I dont know if he still uses them, but I always wanted to see them. But the bastard never did a proper tour for The Information. Maybe since Modern Guilt is more of a "rock" album, he'll put together a band and hit the road.

Putting his religion aside, I've heard a lot saying that Beck can be an ass to work with. Danger Mouse has hinted at it, and Wayne Coyne has done more than hint about it. But I think he's a very passionate musician, which ends up making him seem like an ass. I think the same was always true for guys like Bob Dylan and Zappa. Extremely talented and creative musicians, but more often than not, d-bags to work with. *Shrug* I happen to love all three of them fellows dearly, but still.

One Foot in the Grave is as good as it gets Beck-wise for me.