#10 - Phil

Beck

Sea Change

2002

The third shared album on the Rolling Fork countdown comes from Beck, one of the most versatile artists of our generation. I have always been incredibly inspired by Beck’s range, as he has displayed everything from rap to country to jazz to experimental rock throughout his career. And on his fourth record, Sea Change, Beck shows off his talent as a folk singer-songwriter… and succeeds to create one of the most beautifully effectual albums I’ve ever listened to.

Beck wrote Sea Change in the wake of breaking up with his longtime girlfriend. While on prior albums his lyrics had been strange and ambiguous, he becomes extremely vulnerable in presenting his words for this record: “How could this love / Ever turning / Ever turn its eye on me / How could this love / Ever changing / Ever change the way I feel,” he sings on the heartbreaking ballad “Lonesome Tears.” One of Beck’s greatest gifts is that he’s able to write songs that can move you both lyrically and musically, an example being the album’s lead single, “Lost Cause.” Beck’s simple yet lovely finger pattern accentuates the power of what he’s describing when indeed a relationship has lost all hope: “Your sorry eyes, they cut through bone / They make it hard to leave you alone / Leave you here wearing your wounds / Waving your guns at somebody new / Baby, you’re lost / Baby, you’re lost / Baby, you’re a lost cause.”

Ultimately, what makes this record a masterpiece is that it tells a story. If the songs remained strictly about the final moments of the relationship, I would have had issues with its narrow scope. Instead Beck moves from these moments to those months or years down the line in its aftermath, perfectly captured by the barren “Already Dead”: “Time wears away / All the pleasures of the day / All the treasures you could hold / Days turn to sand / Losing strength in every hand / They can’t hold you anymore.” Like the memories of relationships past, these are songs we can hold onto forever. -P.W.

My very favorite Beck record. Beck has managed to craft very unique and diverse records (until the release of Guero). His various genre-bending ventures have been captivating and never fail to disappoint, but it was Sea Change that I fell in love with. Its atmospheric down-trodden beauty is a perfect soundtrack for the fall, watching everything slowly die as we slip into the colder months. These lazy, slightly amorphous pastoral songs are haunting and take me back to the early days of high school. A wonderful album. - Ryan

Comin' back to "Sea Change". Still my favorite Beck album and certainly a record that has permanently burrowed its way into the crevices of my psyche. The universal lyrical themes are only heightened by the gorgeous tunes contained within. As personal as this record was in conception, the results are some of the most broadly appealing music Beck has released. Listen to this one. - Steve