I know, only by hearsay and conjecture, that Beck and the Flaming Lips ended their relationship with "creative differences." What I find is that while The Lips seem to have only strengthened their own style afterward, it seems that this new track from Becks upcoming album "Modern Guilt" sounds just like a Lips song. The vocals sound Wayne-esque, the bass line is Ivens-ish and the drumming is pure Drozd hammer. Even the structure, instrumentation and effects have the Lips written all over them, down to the wavering in-and-out-of-tune-ness of the organ track.
I'll admit I'm biased, but both are in my top ten. So decide for yourself. Tell me I'm wrong if I'm wrong.
I'm not wrong.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Flaming Beck Lips
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5 comments:
You're not wrong.
You are not wrong. "Sea Change" was Beck's peak, and he hasn't done much to impress me since. (That said, his concert at Cain's ballroom in '06 was probably in my top 10 concert experiences).
So now Beck is recreating a sound the Lips perfected 10 years ago, and have been moving away from in the last couple of years.
Another talent lost to scientology...
I liked Guerro, even though it was basically Odelay parte deux.
All in all, I third. Beck has definitely lost the past glory.
But to stir the pot a little:
At War With The Mystics was kind of uneven for the lips, especially after two amazing albums in a row.
But to qualify my own qualification, I was kinda expecting a return to "Oh My Gaawd..." guitar craziness based on the pre-release media burblings.
I had the same reaction to "At War with the Mystics" but then I listened to it more. It's one of those albums, ya know? The one you don't "get" at first, but you keep plugging and it turns out awesome.
Odelay is my favorite. He almost topped it with Midnight Vultures, but didn't quite make it there. Guerro smashes both albums together and still misses the high-water-mark of Odelay, IMHO.
Strangely enough, I'm finding I'm having that kind of reaction with this Beck song.
I mean, it's not the kind of thing that makes me go "Holy SHIT! I must buy this album!"
Yes, it's uber-Lips derivative, but it is weirdly growing on me, like some sentient fungus.
The song only wants the best for me...it...us.
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