ALBUM REVIEW: BECK – Colours

ALBUM REVIEW: BECK – Colours
Capitol Records
October 2017
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
7/10

Beck never fails to take his fans on a journey with each successive studio record, and Colours – his thirteenth – is no exception.

Generally he shares his prevailing mood with his listeners: when he was a broke slacker fiddling with a four track in his bedroom he produced slacker anthem Loser and The Devil’s Haircut. When upbeat and sexed up, he delivered the Prince-like funk jams of Midnite Vultures, and when heartbroken we shared his sadness with the heart-tearingly gorgeous and melancholy Sea Change.

Recorded over a four year period, with several single being released as far back as 2015, Colours is a vibrant and shiny mixture of songs with a similar starting point to Midnite Vultures, yet a more modern retro pop delivery.

Beck has stated that single Dreams was modelled on MGMT, and that dance-pop vibe covers Colours like a blanket. It’s a bold experiment for the guy who has previously been labelled the ’90s alt-Dylan, a white funk Prince, and a melancholic Nick Drake/Radiohead combo, and his pop foray will find a lot of eager listeners, but I suspect many of us will stick with Odelay, Midnite Vultures and Sea Change without this threatening them as one of his best and most enduring works.

Category: CD Reviews