Music review: Beck — ‘Morning Phase’
Beck offers up a Southern California kind of mellow on his first studio album in nearly six years.
Described as a companion piece to 2002鈥檚 鈥淪ea Change,鈥� 鈥淢orning Phase鈥� gracefully threads themes of isolation, loneliness and despair into one atmospheric tone.
The 43-year-old singer-songwriter has come a long way since his 1994 debut 鈥淢ellow Gold,鈥� featuring the slacker anthem 鈥淟oser.鈥� No longer a loser, Beck returns to mastermind a transcendent set of deeply ethereal and refined songs. 鈥淢orning鈥� and 鈥淯nforgiven鈥� are reminiscent of the soothing and reflective sound contained on David Gilmour鈥檚 鈥淥n an Island.鈥�
Other beautifully crafted arrangements such as 鈥淗eart Is a Drum,鈥� 鈥淏lue Moon鈥� and 鈥淭urn Away鈥� evoke the lush harmonies of the Beach Boys and Crosby, Stills and Nash, while 鈥淐ountry Down鈥� comfortably feels Neil Young-like with its flavoring of folk and country.
Beck鈥檚 father, David Campbell, orchestrates the lush string arrangements on 鈥淐ycle鈥� and 鈥淧hase,鈥� providing a comforting cushion to caress the somber and subdued lyrics.
Beck also enlisted the services of several of the musicians featured on 鈥淪ea Change,鈥� adding to the continuity of the album鈥檚 overall texture. While listening to 鈥淢orning Phase,鈥� I couldn鈥檛 help but draw comparisons to the melancholy beauty of Nick Drake on tracks such as 鈥淪ay Goodbye,鈥� 鈥淒on鈥檛 Let It Go鈥� and 鈥淲aking Light.鈥� Much like Drake鈥檚 1972 acoustic 鈥淧ink Moon,鈥� Beck follows a similar minimalist approach with stripped-down arrangements and striking imagery.
Perhaps part of the somber tone emanating from the new material can be attributed to the artist鈥檚 recovery from severe spinal damage prior to the recording of the album.
Despite the dark tone of the lyrics, small glimmers of hope and promise can be felt through the dreamy musical accompaniment. 鈥淢orning Phase鈥� shows a maturing artist who is comfortable with the next phase of his life and career.