#13 – Beck – Morning Phase
Earlier this year, Beck released a sequel (in spirit, if not title) to 2002’s gorgeous break-up album, Sea Change. Morning Phase has the same sad acoustic ambiance of its predecessor, but it is concerned more with mortality and self-fulfillment than heartbreak.
I’m tempted to call it the better album, in part because of its more universal nature, even though I count Sea Change among my favorite records. If Morning Phase loses points in that competition, its because it’s less of a surprise for coming second.
The record does have a few songs that feel like walking in place — short instrumentals and tracks that hit the same note a few too many times — but those tracks serve to flesh out the overall message of the album.
And the highs, such as today’s SOTD and several others, are simply sublime. Blending a little Pink Floyd, a little Simon & Garfunkel and a whole lot of Beck Hansen, they’re masterpieces of melancholy.
Free
As a driving wheel
Circling around your iron will;
See-
Only what you feel
Keeps you turning when you’re standing still
[Hook]
You tried to run from trouble; when it comes
You follow the drum
Keeping time with everyone
[Verse II]
High
As the light of day
Falling down across your lost highway;
Why
Does it hurt this way?
To come so far to find they’ve closed the gates?
[Hook II]
You’ve lost your tongue; when you fall from the pendulum
Your heart is a drum
Keeping time with everyone
[Bridge]
Everyone
If they drown from the undertow
Need to find someone
To show me how to play it slow
And just let it go
[Hook III]
Your eyes get stung by the rays of the sinking sun
You follow the drum
Keeping time with everyone
[Coda]
Going, “beat, beat, beat”
It’s beating me down
“Beat, beat, beat, beat”
It’s beating me down
Day after day
It’s turning me round
Till all my days are drowning out
While I appreciate the many styles of the talented Beck, I like the mellow style on this album and Sea Change best of all.