Released:
Rating:
Beck sounds as vital and important as ever.
Label: Virgin EMI
Released: 13th October 2017
Rating: ★★★★
Sometimes the best things come to people who wait. It’s felt like an age since news of Beck’s new album first broke and things in the meantime have gone a bit skew-iff in the world. Thankfully, what hasn’t changed is the promise of Beck going pop, a teasing line that has had us banging on his front door for a while now, and a direction that only Beck could pull off after the lush crafting of previous album ‘Morning Phase’. Striding in on the back of a steed, with his paintbrush firmly in a bucket of technicolour vision – the result is ‘Colors’, a palette of shimmering pop that pulls from a variety of eras for one hell of a good time.
Whether its swinging with Beatles-esque joy on ‘Dear Life’, chucking the term pop against the wall and playing with its splatter on ‘Wow’ or putting his foot down in a manner that hasn’t been heard since ‘E-Pro’ scorched its way into disco playlists with ‘I’m So Free’ – ‘Colors’ is a record that thrives on open and carefree moments that only Beck could produce. It’s the sound of pressing play on a glorious summer day, with Beck sounding as vital and important as he’s ever done. Turning his bow back to the immediate pop licks that burst from the title track itself, ‘Dreams’ and ‘Seventh Heaven’, Beck proves that he’s the master of whatever style he likes – and doesn’t let up the grinning hooks throughout (only taking a step back on closer ‘Fix Me’).
For a record packed with heady highs, immediate glory and an effortless charm – ‘Colors’ is pretty much unrivalled. This is the moment Beck proves he’s the leader of the party, with an album that could turn any mood into a celebration of life. Jamie Muir
