We Don’t Have To Talk At All

I’m listening to a recording of Beck playing “Ramshackle” live on the television program Sessions At West 54th back when he was touring for Odelay. It reminds me that yes, I don’t have a problem with Beck’s folky side, that’s not my problem with Sea Change. Even more so than on Odelay, this version of “Ramshackle” has this lovely grace to it, and doesn’t chuck melody out of the equation when acoustic guitars and naked emotion are two major components of the song. It’s gorgeous, it’s melancholy, it’s geniune. It’s one of his finest tunes.

I’ve been checking here and there to make sure that my judgement of Sea Change is accurate, and it seems that the more I hear the record, the more I dislike it. “Paper Tiger” is a keeper, but when compared to even the mediocre cuts on Odelay and Midnite Vultures, it just doesn’t hold up no matter how pretty the string section is. I can’t recall where I read it, but Beck said something recently to the effect of that he has more upbeat material recorded and stockpiled, but he’s not sure when to release it, or if that sort of thing is still ‘relevant’. Revelant. Bah. As if it really matters all that much whether or not something is part of some imagined zeitgeist. As if only acoustic-leaning music can side-step that and be timeless by default. Please, Mr. Hansen: melodic, catchy songs are ALWAYS worthwhile. Boring, self-indulgent dirges seldom are. Please, please, please – if you’ve got some catchy songs, please give them to us, regardless of what critics might think. I’m taking a hardline stance on this issue: big pop ironic showman Beck is the best Beck. Bring him back to us.