I know what you’re thinking.”Didn’t Beck just come out with a new album like, last year?”
The answer is yes, and following his 2005 hit album “Guero,” Beck is back with yet another great album titled, “The Information.”
For “The Information,” Beck once again entered the studio with famed and sought after producer, Nigel Godrich.
Godrich is the man behind Beck’s amazing “Sea Change” and “Mutations” albums, as well as Radiohead’s masterpieces, “OK Computer” and “Kid A.”
If you were a fan of “Guero,” you will love this album, as it is much in the same vein as the album that produced the hits “Girl” and “E-Pro.”
“The Information” has no album cover art and in its place, the album comes with a booklet of stickers so fans can create their own cover art.
The funkiness of “Guero” triumphantly returns on this album, starting with the opening song, “Elevator Music.” The great bass line and punchy drums make you want to dance along as you’re driving in your car.
The most radio-friendly tracks would have to be “Think I’m in Love” and the first single, “Nausea.”
“Think I’m in Love” is one of the album’s best songs and it also has a great bass line to bump along to. It also has a string quartet-filled bridge with a catchy chorus in which Beck sings, “I think I’m in love/But it makes me kinda nervous to say so.”
Beck travels to uncharted territories on this album as well – most notably in “Strange Apparition,” in which Beck channels “Beggar’s Banquet” era Rolling Stones. “Apparition” chugs along with a rolling piano, acoustic guitar, maracas, a little harmonica and has a complete time change for the closing sing-a-long portion of the song.
The first half of the record is definitely stronger than the latter half, but the latter still has its shining moments as well.
“Movie Theme” sounds like a song missing from the soundtrack for “Pretty in Pink” or any of John Hughes’ ’80s teen films. It has a slow and steady drum loop with ethereal synthesizers droning along throughout that makes it a great song to listen to while driving late at night.
“The Information” is definitely a must-buy for any Beck fan, and as a bonus, the album comes with a DVD featuring homemade music videos for every song that are hilariously stupid and very Beck.