Beck as an artist for me has seen better days. His last 3 albums post-Sea Change have been boring to me and have just not come together well. But Beck the producer, especially in 2011 has been excellent. He has teamed up with Thurston Moore and Stephen Malkmus to create two of the best albums of the year; Demolished Thoughts and Mirror Traffic, respectively. Beck has allowed each artist to retain their distinctive styles and guitar mastery while adding flourishes that I can only to be attributed to the gifts of Scientology. Beck’s hands are all over Demolished Thoughts in the overall psychedelic haze that hangs over the record and the string arrangements that accompany (and ultimately make) many of the songs. His handiwork is less prevalent on Mirror Traffic, but you can hear Beck’s influence shine through on “No One Is As I Be“‘s closing horn arrangement or the piano coda on “Share the Red”. It is so good to see these titans of 90’s alternative and indie rock merge forces to create solo albums that don’t harken back to the music of the past but potential sounds of the future. Now if only Beck could help Beck make an exciting album.
Scroll down for a “choice cut” off of Mirror Traffic
