Band Scene VI: How Alternative Does Hip Hop

I get a feeling similar to that of Christmas morning when Beck unleashes a new album. It is always a surprise as to what he does with a record, mostly depending on his emotions and his producer, in this case bummed-out and Nigel Goodrich, respectively. Why so down? Beck had intentions of finishing this not too long after he started it in 2003, but along came The Dust Brothers and they made the the ever so popular Guero. So you can imagine how after four years of on and off production, Beck wishes he had done not dragged this project out, whether it was unforeseeable or not. In terms of his previous albums, it is not nearly as slow and dark as Sea Change or Mellow Gold, but does take have some lyrical similarities in the mood he sings in, such as in "We Dance Alone." Beck also has some of his hipper new sounds like those heard on Guero. DJ Z-Trip provides the scratching on some songs. Like most of his trademark songs, Beck uses acoustic guitar to drive the melody, which could be any number of different genres. "Nausea" features exactly that, with sampled voices in the background, and a breakbeat with tambourine. The deepest of the emotions are in "Dark Star." Beck tends to use a lot of reverb on his vocals when the song is gloomy or down. Then all of a sudden, is a harmonica solo, and his string fills reminiscent of "Round The Bend." The one track that separates this from all his previous work is the last one, entitled "The Horrible Fanfare, Landslide, Exoskeleton." I really don't know the whole meaning of the title (if any), but then end of the song features Music Video Director Spike Jonze and Writer Dave Eggers speaking about what the greatest album ever made would be like. Granted their responses are not very practical, but imaginative: "I picture like an illuminated manuscript, ya know...you'd have to have them hand done... each time like change depending on what mood your in."The coolest part of the album besides the music, is the customizable artwork. The cover is a blank grid that just says "Beck" in the upper left-hand corner, and included are pages of different colorful, Beck-designed stickers to customize it. (the two lower pictures show some examples of these designs). Beck said he "wanted every no two albums to look the same, everony will be different." How cool. However, because the the artwork was seen as a "gimmick" to increase sales, the album was prohibited from the UK charts. I don't see how a bunch of stickers included in the product is going to render an album "illegal." Why are DVDs or enhanced CDs allowed, isin't that the same type of gimmick so the consumer will want to see exclusive content or never before seen footage of the artist? It's the British after all. Anyways, check out the album, and listen to "1000 BPM" to see if you think Beck has reached your personal threshold for "free-alternative" sounds.