Beck is set adrift on another musical journey

To call one’s self a true Beck “fan,” one must be willing to weather the musical costumes an artist of his chameleon-like nature wears throughout his career.

Whether it be the bluesy beats of Mellow Gold, the sampling palimpsest of Odelay, the mellow brooding of Mutations or the sex-soaked “fonk” of Midnite Vultures, the loyal Beck-ite, though she may have her favorite album, loves Beck because of his ability to change, not in spite of it.

The natural expectation for Beck’s fifth big-studio album, then, is another costume of different shape, but of the same delightfully grotesque proportions.

For Sea Change, however, Beck strips naked, baring his soul while bearing with the dramatic breakup of his long-time girlfriend, the artist formerly known as “Loser” scales way-back his usual sonic bombast and lyrical bravado to show us what losing really is.

Sea Change is a tragically beautiful album, full of unassuming melodies and lyrics that read like the diary entries of a lovelorn, poetic mind going through the stages of acceptance.

The album begins with the ironic line, “put your hands on the wheel/let the golden age begin,” signaling the departure of his love and the beginning of conscious denial.

Unlike all other Beck albums, Sea Change does not feature nonsensical lyrics full of heady puns and oddly-put abstractions.

Instead, Beck peels away his lyrical pretense of unpretentiousness and bathes his words in his tears, washing off the cerebral excesses that characterize so much of his music.

Despite the extensive musical accompaniment on many tracks, the album feels like Beck, sitting in a room, all alone, pouring his heart out.

This starkness makes Beck’s voice the centerpiece of the album, though it was never considered his strong point, its versatility ? from the bowels of bass to the falsetto of Vultures’ “Debra,” ? was never questioned.

Though he struggles from time to time, Beck’s singing is surprisingly clear and pure, providing the perfect complement to the album’s purity of melody and sentiment.

The album’s pace, as one would expect, is slow and dreamy. Its beats move seamlessly between blues, jazz, folk, etc.

Sea Change’s standout track is also its most intense ? Beck, seemingly at the bottom of his barrel, looks up to the heavens and cries aloud, “how could this love/ever turning/never turn its eye on me”?

This “why me?” mentality is merely one example of the honesty with which Beck deals with his aching heart. Like a true artist, Beck lets us see his mental mistakes and misjudgments as we plumb the depths of his psyche.

Sea Change is the kind of album that can play with no one to hear it ? Beck is not trying to please anyone. Ironically, that is precisely the reason it is his best album.

Play Sea Change when you need empathy for being down, when you’re trying to go to sleep, or when you want a peek inside the head of one of rock’s great artists.

Or, if you don’t have time, just press play before you leave to go out. It will make Beck feel better.