Listen to Beck's Morning Phase
Beck is one of our favourite artists. Though LPs like Odelay and Mutations are rightfully lauded by critics and are probably often revisited in your CD players, MP3 players and smartphones, his Sea Change LP was a little different and special. He stripped away the samples and masks to reveal something personal - a collection of beautiful songs that documented the breakdown of his relationship with his long term partner at the time. Its an LP that we often listened to and marvelled at the quality of the songwriting, production and playing. We hoped he would produce something similar.
Morning Phase is a wonderful return to the mood and feel of Sea Change. The LP represents a happier and content Beck, and as a result the songs don't have the same sadness that permeated Sea Change. It does however have the same quality of songwriting and musicianship (the band that played with him on Sea Change have returned to back him on Morning Phase). It's the perfect soundtrack to waking early on a Saturday morning when the world is still, but crackling with the possibilities of the day to come.
We think its the best LP released so far this year and will be very hard to top. Listen to Morning Phase (and Sea Change if you haven't done so already) and you will fall in love it.
