Review: Morning Phase [Beck]

Morning Phase- Beck

by: Kitty White

Never have I encountered a more aptly titled album than Beck’s newest release Morning Phase. This album is a refreshing sunrise on the 2014 music scene. Morning Phase is Beck’s first full-length release since 2008. It’s peaceful melodies echoes his 2002 release Sea Change, which is said to be a companion piece to Morning Phase.

Having suffered a major spinal injury years ago Beck Hansen had to look to unconventional ways to create music and is why he has focused more on production in recent years.  The themes throughout the tracks also give hints at a struggle yet are lightened by a warmth that encompasses the entire album with up beat drums and guitars. There’s certain optimism to the whole thing. Although the overall sounds of Sea Change and Morning Phase are similar that sense of optimism and true hope is what sets the former apart from the latter. It shows a growth from that struggle present in both albums.

Calming, melodies guide you along the entire album like waves out at sea. Opening with ‘Cycle’ an instrumental track that begins with strings in that key sound of a sunrise that let’s in to the calming guitar of the second track ‘Morning.’ It helps set the mood for the songs to come. One of the key tracks in my opinion is the first single off the album, ‘Blue Moon’ with its heavy-for-folk drums, Beck’s haunting vocals, and a bright guitar at the forefront. It really captures how Beck has evolved as a singer-songwriter since his early days on the music scene oozing with sarcasm and funk. Twenty years ago it would have been strange to use the words calm and comforting in relation to Beck’s music. It fits now though. Maybe it’s the harmonica in ‘Country Down’ that gives me Neil Young vibes or the guitar and vocals in ‘Blackbird Chain’ that reminds of the The Beatles that brings this sort of comfort to Morning Phase. Beck doesn’t rely heavily on these influences by any means; it just adds another piece to the puzzle.

Morning Phase is pleasant in every sense of the word. It caught me off guard in the way that I happened to turn it on several times when I didn’t know what else I wanted to listen to. It’s neutral, which could be seen as a downside to many but I have a feeling it’s going to get a lot of playtime from me. It gives me hopeful vibes for the spring and summer time, and will be a melodic backdrop for the upcoming seasons. Does it have a chance to be my album of the year? Probably not. Will it be in my top 5? There’s a good chance.