Beck, Hyperspace, Album Review
Beck
Hyperspace
Album Review
Up until now, I never really listened to an awful lot of Beck's music, besides his big break hit "Loser". However, I was impressed enough by his feature on Cage The Elephant's "Night Running" for me to give his latest solo project a good listen.
In bits and pieces, I was aware of Beck's lo-fi and ambient approach towards his music (especially in his more modern records), and that trend is carried through to here as well. However, this album carries with it a solid theme, and most importantly a collaboration with Pharrell Williams which ties into the title rather nicely.
To elaborate on this, Hyperspace has quite a spacial and cosmic atmosphere throughout. There are other albums that use this kind of atmosphere to a greater effect, but in the case of Hyperspace, it still works well. It sounds almost alien, which when paired with the ambient approach, offers a great sense of escapism for the listener.
The mid-section of the album (from "Die Waiting" to the title track to be specific) was where I felt the strongest enjoyment from this record. It was also where I sensed the strongest and most colourful sense of the theme. I also enjoyed the similarities that the title track shared with the albums introduction; "Hyperlife".
The tracks that I enjoyed, besides those in the mid-section, was "Uneventful Days", which felt like a very smooth way to ease us into the rest of this album, and also "Dark Places" which feels ever so slightly reminiscent of Bowie's Blackstar.
Although, this album isn't a perfect one by any stretch of the imagination. I didn't find myself enjoying tracks as much as others. "Saw Lightning" stays truer to Becks country roots, but on an album like this one, it sticks out like a sore thumb. I also wasn't a massive fan of "Star" which felt a lot more shallow and forgettable in its production.
I'd say that my favourite track currently is the very celestial and glittery sound of "Chemical" which instrumentally, it is a very solid track.
When all is said and done, I don't really feel that strongly either way about this album. However, the pros do still outweigh the cons on this record, and there were enough enjoyable moments for me to willingly review this piece. If you're looking for a lo-fi cosmic indie pop album, I reckon you will enjoy Hyperspace a lot.
Thank you for reading,
Booth Boy
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