Beck - Guero Review
Posted by John Malady on 05.07.2005
An alternate review from a new addition to 411Music
Before my review of Beck’s new album, Guero (which has now been out for over a month but its musical relevance is still worthy of discussion), I would like to introduce myself as one of the new music reviewers for 411 music. My name is John Malady and I am beyond excited to be writing for a site that I personally have followed for years now. I promise one thing and one thing only when it comes to my music reviews and that is objectivity! I feel it is important to respect and observe things objectively in order to grow as a person individually and to also learn to be tolerant of things that may not personally resonate any emotional response in oneself but could easily touch another’s emotional core. I almost puked as I typed that but what I stated is pure truth, and I will probably let myself down every now and then trying to practice what I preach in terms of objectivity. I also believe that peace mongers and hippies need their asses kicked and I am on their side when it comes to nations waging wars, but hey... contradiction is inherently American.
Art in of itself cannot truly be judged or rated by people because when it comes to a persons "tastes", people like some things and don’t like others, with the reasons ultimately being psychological as well as sociological as to why a person makes an emotional connection to one thing and then not with another. Art usually dictates culture for this very reason. I will try my best to find value in anything I listen to for review whether I personally like it or not. I am a musician myself so I can respect musicianship in others even if I do not like their songs or their specific arrangements of sound.
With that in mind, come on inside and kick up your feet for a listening session at Malady’s joint. Beck’s latest, Guero, is ready for another listen and review. Light one up! Light what up you ask? If you have to ask then what’s the point. Really!
After listening to Beck's new album Guero I first thought, “Hey, it’s definitely a cool CD but nothing really jumped out at me”. When it comes to Beck I usually always find something to latch onto on the first spin. The fact that I didn’t this time was ok with me because I usually don’t make a personal assessment of an album until it gets the minimal 3 spins (1 for the overall initial vibe, 2 reading the lyrics if included, and 3 to blend both together). After the 3rd spin I found that I had not only latched onto a few songs but onto the whole painting itself. I refer to this album as a painting because that is what I believe it is as a whole. It is Beck's gift to take just about every single genre of music and create a palette of sound to draw from while he paints his own style.
Guero has a subtle vibe to it which is probably due to Beck being a little older and wiser. From the get go one thing Beck always knew how to do with his palette of sound was never turn his back on pop music. Even his most eclectic and bizarre songs have a hook for someone to latch onto. I really don’t believe in breaking a painting up into pieces (ala songs on an album) and in fact I don’t even know the song titles to some of my favorite songs on some of my favorite albums. I am a member of the old school. I listen to albums from beginning to end. The random function is never used on my CD player. I believe most artists want you to listen to their albums from beginning to end. Artists who don’t make albums as a whole piece are not artists but are usually corporate created image selling machines that rely on image rather than sound.
When it comes to giving the past props and being modern at the same time Beck is the Guero Prince of today. All colors are used and splattered onto the wall. Hip-hopped rock n’roll with beatnik folk roots just becomes one word, Beck. That damn Guero is pretty cool. If you don’t know what “Guero” means it is not my duty to give you that knowledge. Research for personal knowledge can be fun and enlightening. Go for it and listen to Guero while you do it. Remember to take a break and shake your ass to the beat every now and then. Until next time, Malady is out!
The 411: Beck is someone that creates albums that are meant to be listened to from beginning to end. In this respect the new Beck album is a great place to start if you are just getting into him, and for long time fans what at first seems like just another Beck album quickly turns into something unique after consecutive spins. A month after buying it I am still hearing new things every time I listen to it. Beck knows how to tell a story with sound. He grabs you at the starting point and takes you to the end while giving you a journey in between that is rarely dull and always full of soundscapes limited only by your imagination and perception of audio. I never expect anything but a work of art from Beck and he is one of the rare modern day musical artists who doesn't just use sound to write songs, he uses sound to create another world that is a great place to be once you get there because it is your own to perceive in any way you choose which is how art should be absorbed, free of outside influence.
