If you really know me, you know that Beck is my main guy. My “favorite” musician since high school. My most listened-to artist according to my last.fm. This fact usually comes off as surprising to most of my friends because of Beck’s more recent, arena-crushing material, along with his consistent prominence in the “alt-rock sphere” since the mid-90s with bands like Cake, maybe Weezer, maybe The Flaming Lips, maybe Modest Mouse. The type of act that can fill arenas, pavilions and headlining spots at festivals in 2019, but haven’t put out records that come close to their earlier output in terms of “quality” (cue a “back in MY day”). These bands have hit a certain point where no matter what they put out, they will have legions upon legions of undying fans.
Well, count me as an eternally retained fan of Mr. Beck, because despite his ultra-polished last album Colors and 2014’s gorgeous yet daze-inducing folk dip Morning Phase, I’m still a monster fan that can still derive pleasure from listening to all his music, and not simply in a nostalgic way. There are still active listens where I find new little nuances to nestle myself in amongst the other worn down grooves I’ve loved for over a decade.
When I was in the process of making this list I was asking around to gauge folks’ feelings on the groovy scientologist man. I returned with mixed results. It seems that folks older than me still hold Beck in a shining light, but like me don’t connect with his recent material as much. On the other hand, people closer to my age and younger don’t really care about Beck, new or old. Either he’s accidentally slipped through the cracks of their listening journey, not pulled in enough interest to warrant a dedicated listen, or outright avoided altogether due to overwhelming prominence and perceived corniness.
Well, spurred by the fact that Beck has a new album coming this year, accompanied by a new single that I just cannot get down with (complete with a totally unnecessary and phoned in Pharrell verse?? c’mon y’all I had faith in this), I’ve gathered together my top 10 favorite Beck tracks to help someone either get into his music or revitalize a fandom gone dry. I’d like to say I have a nice mix of hits, b-sides and newer tunes, to help the olds get down with the new school, as well as the “youngsters” that have not yet been trained in the ways of the ascended slacker. Hope you dig! And please let me know what your favs are!
PLUS – keep scrolling after this to see more of my favorite tunes, a discography breakdown (the first of hopefully many User’s Manuals) and a flowchart (Assembly Instructions!) to help you find your way in Beck’s discography!
- “Devil’s Haircut” [Odelay]
The song that started it all for me. A friend posted it on their Facebook back in 2007 and the rest was history. In my eyes the best encapsulation of Beck’s oddball rock tunes, containing nonsensical lyrics, a drum break, rippling guitar, distorted harmonica, weird sound effects, nonchalant bass, and it’s catchy as all hell.
- “I Only Have Eyes For You” (The Flamingos Cover) [single]
Not a ton of people know about this cover, so I’ll be very happy if this is your first time listening to this beautiful work of art. This is a cover of the The Flamingos’ classic “I Only Have Eyes For You” (aka the best song in existence), done for an art installation by Doug Aitken called SONG 1. The work paired visuals, directed by Aitken, of people singing along with the song with various covers of the song from artists like Beck, No Age and Oneohtrix Point Never. It premiered at the Hirshhorn Museum in DC (my favorite art museum!) in 2012. Beck’s version keeps things pretty traditional with she-bops, spare instrumentation and smoky production, and it’s marvelous. I love the original, but this version damn near could be the real thing. It’s low and slow, romantic, gauzy, syrupy, a spotlight on love. It’s one of the most romantic songs that I know and I feel like I should have it at the top, but putting a cover feels like it’s cheapening the legacy of his own music-making. It’s really, really, REALLY good.
- “Lost Cause” [Sea Change]
Just an absolute emotional bulldozer. Sea Change is a masterful album. A breakup album for the ages. “Lost Cause” is perfect for those times where you’re floating, completely disconnected from earthly connections. Laying in the waves, being pushed along by the currents. It made me cry when I saw it live for the first time in 2014.
- “Girl” [Guero]
Out of all the Beck songs minus “Loser”, this is likely the one you’ve heard. For good reason – it’s really damn good and catchy. Is there anything better than listening to this on a bright summer day? It’s an instant mood-improver with a chorus that’ll get stuck in your head instantly, along with a sweet, but not sickeningly, lead melody.
- “Defriended” [single]
In 2013, after five long years of no official new music aside from a few covers, we finally got “Defriended”, a futuristic-sounding Beck song that felt like it wasn’t catering to the masses of fans, but rather introducing them to new sounds within the Beck framework. I may be mistaken, but 2013 marked the start of Beck’s work with engineer Cole M.G.N., another perennial favorite on the blog. Swirling synths, echoing bass, skittering drums all encase Beck’s voice in a house of mirrors, sending the sound bouncing all over the place in a confusion. This is by and far the Beck song I listened to the most, and for good reason. It’s totally satisfying and a breath of fresh air. I would have LOVED for Beck to release an album that sounded like this, along with “I Won’t Be Long” and “Gimme”, the two other singles he released summer 2013, but it never came to fruition. We got Morning Phase the next year instead, an alright but anticlimactic record after these three bombastic, innovative and exciting singles.
- “E-Pro” [Guero]
Probably Beck’s most arena-friendly jam. It almost quite literally STOMPS, with a thudding beat present throughout, as well as a chorus with no actual words, just “na’s”. Easy to sing along to, easy to hum along to, easy to clap along to, easy to head bang to. The epitome of alternative rock in the mid-00s. It crushed on the radio then, and I’m sure it continues to crush on alt stations throughout the world now.
- “Soldier Jane” [The Information]
The Information as a whole is pretty underrated, mixing the tenderness seen on Sea Change, the freakiness of Midnite Vultures and the pop-rock simplicity of Odelay or Guero, with a good bit more instrumental experimentation thrown in. This is a totally lush, dreamy track that he plays live often, for good reason. The synths wash over the track like the tide, while Beck’s elongated vocal passages drift along like pleasant clouds. It’s a pristine tune, one that’s perfect for summer introspection.
- “Sexx Laws” [Midnite Vultures]
There were a few different songs from Midnite Vultures I could have chosen, but why not pick the song that frames the concept of the album most succinctly: “I wanna defy the logic of our sex laws”. A horn section, squelching keyboards, banjo and a whole mess of other sounds hold this track together like an over-glued kid’s project, but it’s one totally beautiful one.
- “Dear Life” [Colors]
Reminiscent of his rogue 2013 singles, “Dear Life” was the kind of song that got me unreasonably hyped for 2017’s Colors. It turned out to be some arena pop rock, but the melodies on this song is great, the production is awesome, the arrangement is interesting and the chorus is mad catchy without being grating. If we got a whole album kind of like this, Colors would have had a good shot at my #1 album for 2017.
- “Paper Tiger” [Sea Change]
Sea Change is my favorite Beck album, so I had to have two tracks on here. Gotta love that after all his slacker rock tomfoolery, Beck can compose an emotional, compelling piece with a moving string section backing him up. It’s a relatively mellow track in his discography, but it’s quite upbeat compared to the rest of Sea Change. Love the guitar solo at the end, love the spare drum beat, absolutely love the strings. Love it all!
Read more below for more essential tracks + an album breakdown to pick where you start your Beck adventure.
Warm Visions 