Beck

For a guy who came to the public’s attention by proclaiming “I’m a loser,” Beck has done all right for himself. Beck Hansen, born Beck David Campbell, began his career as an oddball street busker and participant in the “anti-folk” scenes of late ’80s Los Angeles and New York, but his prodigious talents have seen him triumph as a three-time Grammy winner, a platinum-selling commercial act, and an artist whose slyly subversive sensibility and cross-genre eclecticism have made him one of the most significant and innovative figures in the world of alternative pop.

“Loser” was the breakout single from Beck’s 1994 major label debut, Mellow Gold, and several of what would become distinctive elements of his particular genius were contained in that early track — an improbable fusion of styles (folk, indie rock and hip-hop); fever-dream wordplay that’s both dazzling and puzzling; and the performance persona of a wide-eyed, semi-distracted street-dude. Some considered the song to be an entertaining novelty, but Beck proved he was no one-hit wonder with his follow-up, 1996’s Odelay. That record, created with the production team the Dust Brothers, blended a canny use of obscure samples with keen songwriting and inventive production techniques, and was a massive success on the strength of singles such as “The Devil’s Haircut” and “Where It’s At.”

Beck has continued to chart a mercurial and accomplished career with such albums as Mutations and Midnite Vultures. He showed great songwriting depth on his 2002 album, Sea Change a melancholic, sample-free song cycle. In the summer 2008, Beck completed his eighth studio album, Modern Guilt, a predictably unpredictable collection of tightly conceived avant-pop songs. The album was recorded with Danger Mouse, the producer who is also half of Gnarls Barkley, and features vocals from Chan Marshall, the singer-songwriter known as Cat Power.

Provenance: Los Angeles

Latest Release: Modern Guilt (2008)


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