Eclectic Beck back again

This summer at Bonnaroo, in front of a crowd of roughly 80,000 people, a mellow Beck was joined by a troupe of puppeteers and marionette likenesses of him and his band. He was shy, soft-spoken and unemotional, barely moving at all. Meanwhile, the jumbo screens flanking the stage exploded with psychedelic videos of a puppet Beck and his puppet band. \nHe isn't the same wild dancing, falsetto singing Beck his fans fell in love with. He's a more subdued, stranger version of himself. \nBeck's ninth album, The Information, his second collaboration with Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, reflects these changes in Beck's persona. The Information is a more mature, more varied and ultimately a more difficult version of his earlier albums. The grooves of Odelay and Midnite Vultures, the country twang of Mutations, the heavily orchestrated sounds of Sea Change and the Gameboy blip bleeps of Guero -- all of these elements show up in his latest record. Also, Beck embraces the simple beats of grime hip-hop, the lush minimalism of indie rock and the ominous drones of Radiohead.\nThe foreboding atmospheric sounds that permeate through the album, courtesy of Godrich, are at first off-putting. This awkward feeling eventually gives way to a feeling of fulfillment. The Information shows that Beck is growing with his audience. He challenges listeners by quickly shifting between opposing moods and genres. At times, the changes sound forcefully mashed-up to incorporate as many different feels as possible. "Cell Phone's Dead" sounds like a mix of Paul Simon's world music forays, The Streets' awkward rapping and Parliament Funkadelic's bottom-heavy funk. Somehow Beck manages to make this work.\nThe album art also contributes to the confusing elements of the album. There is no printed art. Each CD comes with a set of stickers to decorate the blank cover. This disconnected artwork fits well with the patchwork qualities of the album.\nThe Information is confusing but worthwhile. It's Beck's most intricate and far-reaching album. It won't sit well immediately, but ultimately, it's just as well-crafted as Odelay or Midnite Vultures.