September 24, 2002 by A.S. Van Dorston

Fans of Odelay and Midnight Vultures may be disconcerted by the plaintive breakup album that is Sea Change. It’s not that the album doesn’t have any fancy cut ‘n’ paste production. Mutations was fairly simple, yet it made sense as a Beck album. It’s more the fact that this time, despite his lip service about Nick Drake and Tim Buckley, Beck sounds at times more like 70s MOR soft rock titans James Taylor and (ew) Gordon Lightfoot. Sea Change seems to have producer Nigel Godrich and Beck’s father David Campbell to thank for keeping it from sinking into mediocrity. Godrich provides a shimmering vibe that keeps even the underwhelming “Guess I’m Doing Fine” afloat sonically. Campbell’s string arrangements on “Paper Tiger” and “Lonesome Tears” really make the songs come alive.

“Paper Tiger” particularly is an enjoyable homage to Serge Gainsbourg. What better way to recover from a broken heart than to take solace with a notoriously womanizing pimp daddy. The middle of the album (“Lost Cause,” “End Of The Day,” “It’s All In Your Mind”), with Beck’s dragging, somnambulist vocals, sags a bit. But things pick up at “Round The Bend,” a spare haiku that does manage to finally evoke Nick Drake. “Already Dead” sounds like Beck imitating Beth Orton imitating Joni Mitchell, and it’s quite good. “Setting Son’s” subtle psychedelia and digital tables locks down the appeal of Sea Change. If you think of it as a hazy, lazy drift in the clouds rather than a gut-wrenching anthem of angst, it works much better. The songs are generally fairly original sounding, which is a tribute to Beck’s songwriting ability. But let’s not go crazy here, they’re not his best, nor are they as good as Dylan’s Blood On The Tracks, harumph. I’ll take clever, inventive wordplay and risky arrangements over clichéd earnestness any day. So buck up Beck — be a good pop star, date some supermodels and you’ll be good as new . . . and be sure to finish that collaboration with Dan “The Automator” Nakamura!