Beck: The Information

Beck
The Information
Interscope

Ever since the last frat boy took his “Loser” single and went home, Beck Nation has been left with two distinct species of fan— the “Dusty” and the “Nigelite.”

Dusties, or those who prefer Mr. Hansen in his dancier, Dust Brothers produced persona (Odelay, Midnite Vultures, Guero), have long gotten themselves into philosophical jousts with Nigelites; the more introverted Beckites who favor the ever-atmospheric Nigel Godrich at the controls (Mutations, Sea Change). It’s a civil war that’s raged for a decade but may finally reach its Appomattox with The Information, an album funky and ghostly enough to reunite the clashing sects of its listenership.

Godrich gets the call on this one, and unlike past encounters, he’s found his old chum Beck in great spirits. Together they’ve returned to the figurative caverns where Sea Change was born, only this time they’ve brought along two turntables, a smoke machine, and those dancing robots from the “Hell Yes” video. The result is the best effort yet at desegregating the many moods of Beck, an undertaking that felt a bit forced on last year’s Guero, but grows from the vine this time.

Leadoff track “Elevator Music” sounds like a remixed gem from Mellow Gold, complete with some slacker-rapping and a conglomeration of tin can percussion. “Think I’m In Love,” while generally a peppy number, features plenty of pedal-pressed piano and brooding strings for contrast. Perhaps the album’s most pleasantly surprising twist is “Strange Apparition,” a fantastic take on Let It Bleed-era Stones that ends up feeling like completely fresh territory. Round it out with some eerily pretty electro-ballads (“Soldier Jane,” “Movie Theme”) and a couple rumpshakers (“We Dance Alone,” “Cellphone’s Dead”) and rest assured, the Dusty and the Nigelite shall simply call themselves Beck fans.

(Andrew Clayman)

Published in Knoxville Voice, October 2006