Product Description

'Sea Change' is the fifth album for Geffen records by the eclectic, LA-born artist, Beck Hansen. It follows 1999's Prince-influenced, 'Midnite Vultures' and was produced by Nigel Godrich who worked on his 1998 album, 'Mutations'. The material on this release has been described by critics as a fusion of folk and psychedelia.

Track Listing

1. The Golden Age
2. Paper Tiger
3. Guess I'm Doing Fine
4. Lonesome Tears
5. Lost Cause
6. End Of The Day
7. It's All In Your Mind
8. Round The Bend
9. Already Dead
10. Sunday Sun
11. Little One
12. Side Of The Road

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5767 in Music
• Released on: 2003-08-25
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 52 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Beck is really bummed. And if song titles such as "Lost Cause", "Lonesome Tears", "Already Dead" and "Nothing I Haven't Seen" don't make the point, his achingly sad lyrics and Sea Change's unerringly downcast sound do. While 1998's Mutations--arguably the singer-songwriter's masterwork and Sea Change's spiritual cousin--was filled with unflinching self-examination, moments of levity were found in songs like "Tropicalia". Not so on Sea Change. Beck's woozy, almost narcoleptic delivery seems to amplify the set's sense of ennui.

But sad isn't necessarily bad, and despite the sombre tone, there's much to praise, not the least of which is the return of producer Nigel Godrich (Mutations, Radiohead) who wraps Beck's gloom in a dreamy, warm blanket of soft strings and floating bleeps and gurgles. Like Daniel Lanois, Godrich is all about vibe, and even Beck's most bare-bones songs benefit from billowy atmospherics. That's especially true of "Paper Tiger" a restless, slowly building epic improbably propelled by a languid orchestra and Beck's expressionless drone. The inky black feel of "Round the Bend"--a glacially slow dirge with muffled vocals--may be the darkest thing Beck's ever written, not counting the very grim "Already Dead".

Whatever's going on in Beck's world, at least we know he's purging. All things considered, this may be better for his soul than ours. --Kim Hughes

Customer Reviews

masterpiece
i used to think, "maybe it's me." why do i think this is genius, beck's masterpiece, a record that will make other artists weep at the gift that has touched this beautiful young man's life. i'm not sure beck was loving this much. there's a lot of pain. but then there's a lot of beauty. so maybe i am someone who bends toward the melancholic rather than the light. maybe that's why i think this record is untouchable. or maybe it is simply brilliant.

Moody, acoustic, brilliant
The earlier review by tonyfordy is spot on. Just when you thought you'd got to know what Beck could (or couldn't) do, he releases this - a beautiful, introspective and melodic peach of an album - easily bruised but immensely tasty! A touch of Bergman to complement the Tarantino.

Black Eyed Dog
A beautiful, delicate, sad album that evokes the haunted, slow, rhythmic sway of some of Nick Drake's best music (I'm thinking Riverman in particular). Laden with swooshing, deep, warm strings and strummed guitar Sea Change is not for the Beck fans who don't like him to be unhappy. If you don't mind what mood he's in as long as he's still recording superb music, you'll love this. An absolute stunner.