“I’ve always dreamed of being a musician-poet who transcends genres even as he reinvents them,” — quote Bender of Futurama-fame. And who was our robotic friend talking about? Why, none other than the whimsical hero of weirdos everywhere, Beck. A pioneer of trash pop, grunge pop, or whatever you want to call the genre he invented by recording Odelay, Beck is in a league all his own. Also, if Matt Groening chooses to have you cameo on one of his shows, you know you’ve done something special. Here are my twenty favorite tracks from one of the most idiosyncratic artists of the last twenty years.
20. Bottle of Blues // Listen
19. Lord Only Knows // Listen
18. It’s All In Your Mind // Listen
17. Nobody’s Fault But My Own // Listen
16. Orphans // Listen
15. Clap Hands // Listen
14. The New Pollution // Listen
13. Already Dead // Listen
12. Lazy Flies // Listen
11. Jack-Ass // Listen
10. Sunday Sun // Buy
With broad brush strokes from a Beatles ink well, “Sunday Sun” is a long, sinewy road that is dappled with pulsing piano and electronics. Layered in reverb-soaked vocals, this track is a meditative raga moan that still somehow moves with stately purpose.
9. Guess I’m Doing Fine // Buy
Many critics consider Golden Age to be Beck’s magnum opus and “Guess I’m Doing Fine” is one of its high points. For the first time in long while, Beck was not hiding behind a sea of noise chaos, but was more naked in his recluse. We hear a man who is destitute and hurt. A straightforward singer/songwriter number, the mournful beauty of “Guess I’m Doing Fine” is as delicate as it is lasting.
8. Hotwax // Buy
This song confirms that Beck is actually just a rusty blender that eats everything it hears and then squeezes the resulting sludge through a tube amp. Combining elements of blues, funk, grunge, chillwave, and hip hop, this is yet another Odelay track that changed the landscape of popular music in the 90s.
7. Devils Haircut // Buy
The single from multi-platinum Odelay, “Devils Haircut” features one of Beck’s most recognizable electric guitar hooks, falling only behind the acoustic slide of “Loser”. Featuring the trash-percussion that characterized the album, this is another bit of hot genius from one of the most angular minds in music today.
6. Sexx Laws // Buy
Ever enigmatic, Beck tried his hand at classic funk and Motown sounds. The result was “Sexx Laws” a relentlessly grooving number with powerful horn lines, crunchy electric pianos, banjo, and slide guitar. The instrumentation alone forces individuality and Beck only accentuates it with his dirty nuance. Golden line: “Brief encounter in Mercedez Benz, wearing hepatitis contact lens/bed and breakfast getaway weekends with Sports Illustrated moms”.
5. Asshole // Buy
A landmark piece of Beck’s earlier work, “Asshole” is a perfect bit of folk malaise. Lo-fi recording and a minimalist approach make this track cut viciously with its simplicity. Also, few of his lines hit harder than “She’ll do anything to make you feel like an asshole.”
4. Tropicalia // Buy
Once, just before the band fully kicked into this song during a live performance, Beck said “Oh yeah here’s some of that flavor I need.” And that’s just what is — perfect bossa flavor. With regional percussion and Brazil-tinged guitar, this is one of Beck’s finest and certainly most important departure from the trashcan blues persona that he cultivated on Odelay.
3. Cold Brains // Buy
“The fields of green are bent obscene/ I lay upon the gravel” is sung with off-hand, uncaring beauty in this opening track from Beck’s Mutations album. Known for a ‘stream of conscience’ quality to his lyrics, Beck engages us with powerful lines such as this, proving he is one of music’s great wordsmiths. Produced by Radiohead’s Nigel Godrich, there is an intimate darkness at work that has pulled me back again and again.
2. Loser // Buy
This is the song that put Beck on the map. Combining elements of blues, folk, and hip-hop, “Loser” first showed the world his uncanny ability to genre-jump and leave a trail of mish-mashed genius in his wake. The opening blues, slide-guitar riff is instantly recognizable and as iconic of an opening as an artist could hope for.
1. Where It’s At // Buy
This is without question the pinnacle track of Beck’s career. People who have no idea who he even is know this song. Favoring the 90’s hip-hop production that defined Odelay, “Where It’s At” not only features one of the catchiest keyboard lines of the decade, but also embodies the experimental trash-pop style that became Beck’s trademark.
