Beck - Morning Phase

[Prez]

 

 

If you were to find the term “genre-hopper” in the dictionary, there would without a doubt be a picture of Beck alongside it, most probably with an acoustic guitar and synthesizer. Known for widely-encompassing forays into folk, soul, alternative rock, and psychedelia, Beck has seemingly done everything since his 90s debut. With the 2014 release of Morning Phase, however, another layer has somehow been added to his ever-expanding musical mosaic.

 

 

Harkening back to the 2002 album Sea Change, Beck presents us with a lush and expansive album set as a story with innumerable references to genres that he has previously experimented with. As we traverse through the track listing, it begins to feel that we have joined him on a journey, trekking through the darkness of the night into the eponymous “morning phase”. The themes of death and revisiting the past are especially prevalent, and as we begin through the phase of reminiscence of a not-so-distant dark past, the use of reverb, echo and synths along with open-sounding lyrics and vocal harmony in “Blue Moon” beckons us forth into a coming storm.

 

Through the ultimate emotional low point of the album, “Wave”, one can almost feel the orchestra’s ebb and flow along with Beck’s vocals, entrancing the listener into hypnosis. To the end, one can feel ascension through the darkness, with more emphasis on strong backbeat and vocals, accompanied by positive melodies as seen in “Unforgiven” and “Blackbird Chain”.

 

 

Overall, Morning Phase succeeds in many ways and falls down in others: it is a deft showcase of Beck’s variety in genre, as well as his mastery of vocals and sound production along with the underlying symbolisms that appear throughout. However, unlike in Sea Change though we experience bits and pieces of emotion in certain parts (notably “Wave” and “Blackbird Chain”), it seems like Beck is more disconnected from his message, as opposed to his shift in musical composition through Sea Change. Nonetheless, one thing is clear – we see a clear re-entry of Beck the singer-songwriter in Morning Phase, rather than just a featurette in a mashup of synth-tracks: the lyrics are personal, thought-provoking and truly showcase how Beck’s talent is not locked into one category or genre of sound.