Beck may just be the coolest guy ever. I mean c’mon, the guy raps nonsense in monotone, croons like a deflating airbag, does frigging samples and somehow still rocks something awesome. I think what sells him so thoroughly is he is not some try to hard obnoxious slacker, this guy is the real deal. On Odelay Beck delivers a platter of cool, funk and apathy. This man specialises in fantastic odd sounds; Hotwax begins with a banjo before moving into bouncy bass, with rap and electric guitar. I swear one of the bridges is an accordion. The drums that hold the whole album together are just as eccentric; while they can sometimes be hit and miss the sheer volume of fills and beats means each song has atleast one you’ll love.
Becks white rap is as far removed from “Gangsta” as possible. He sings about “community service with a silver mac”. The man said it the best himself in an episode of Futurama “Hey Bender, when I’m sad I write songs about what just happened. Like on Devils Haircut, wait, what is that song about?” There is one them on this album and that is cool. You could bring this album out in a party, “Where It’s At” is a masterpiece in Prince-esque pop. The extreme bredth of fresh, new, crazy sounds make this album feel brand new even today. Cleverly, no artist has yet dare to try and beat Beck at what he does, and Odelay is Beck doing his thing at his best.
Beck is like that quite, confident, modest kid at the back of your science class; some think he’s a bit weird but everyones confident he’s a good character. Odelay then is his doodled textbook, a flurry of unconscious from someone who’s brain is fundamentally interesting.
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