A 'Readymade' Classic

Upon first listening to Beck my sophomore year of high school, I wasn't sure what to make of him, let alone where to begin in his varied discography. Although the music he produces stays true to his style, that style is eclectic and hard to nail down. His sound ranges from the seemingly sweet lullabies of 2002's Sea Change to the roaring, sex-charged songs of 2004's Midnite Vultures. While thoroughly enjoying some of the tracks off Sea Change, others put me to sleep. And while certain tracks off Midnite Vultures made me dance, others were downright humorous. Needless to say, I was dubious of my relationship with Beck.\nAnd then there came a day when something in that relationship shifted. The lyrics from 1994's Mellow Gold suddenly pertained to my life (I wasn't going to work for no "soul suckin' jerk" either), and the catchy beat of "E-Pro" from 2005's Guero became the anthem of my 16th summer. Once I came to the realization that Beck's music made a lot of sense in my life, I was saddened by the fact that so much of my time had been wasted not listening to his music. And so, my journey into discovering the intricacies of Beck's music began, specifically with his 1996 album Odelay.\nOdelay first grabbed my attention when I heard the song "The New Pollution." The song is infectious because of its entrancing horns and catchy drumbeat, and I found myself listening to it on repeat. Although it was difficult for me to drag myself away from this track, when I did it was rewarding. I discovered "Where It's At" and "High 5 (Rock the Catskills)," which both brought new sounds of hip-hop and jazz to the album. I thought the twang of "Lord Only Knows" made it country, but the shredding of guitar in the middle of the song gave it a classic-rock feel as well. After listening to "Hotwax," which has a soulful beat and fun, trippy lyrics ("And you got the hotwax residues/ you never lose in your razor-blade shoes/ Stealing pesos out of my brain / hazard signs down the Alamo lanes"), I began to notice Beck's incredible talent for fusing together electronic, hip-hop, funk, indie-rock and jazz within the form of a pop song. \nBy bringing so many different types of music together, Beck allowed a number of genres to be accessible in a way they had never been before. At that point in my life, listening to electronic and hip-hop music was brand new, but after listening to Beck, I tried other artists, such as Bjork and Sage Francis. By listening to other artists, I appreciated even more the difficulty and scope of what Beck was doing with his music. Bjork and Francis are marvelously talented, but they certainly don't go in as many directions as Beck does, and certainly not within one album, as Beck does on Odelay.\nNot only do the songs on Odelay epitomize Beck's talent for fusing genres together, but his music videos work similarly. The video for "Devil's Haircut" features Beck walking the streets of New York City while carrying a boom box and wearing a cowboy hat. He walks with a confident stride, further proving that he has no boundaries and no conventions. He can be anything he wants to, whether it's country-western or hip-hop. The video is fun, unpredictable and a little bit on the humorous side, while still remaining serious enough to show off his talent at reinventing himself.\nIt's been about a decade since Odelay was first put on shelves at record stores, but that doesn't mean we should let it collect dust. The album is definitely a classic, and that's probably why Geffen Records released a completely remastered version of Odelay on Jan. 29.\nThe new album features a total of 19 bonus tracks not available on the original version. And if you have yet to hear Odelay at all, now is the perfect time to head out to your local record store and pick up this fuzzy, audacious album. It's one of the most important albums of the last decade and will remain influential for years to come. With Odelay, Beck proved to everyone that he wasn't at all ephemeral; he's here to stay.