TuNesday: Colors

Album Name: Colors
Band: Beck
Release Date: October 13, 2017
Genre: Dance Rock / Pop

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Christy’s Thoughts

Summer is getting in your face, and if I do my job right you’ll have a picnic basket full of fun in the sun music to whip out. So let’s talk about ‘Colors’ by Beck. This is some backyard barbeque worthy music – Dancing dad-in-sunglasses fun for the whole family!

‘Dreams’ is the first recorded, and first released single off the album. It’s a concentrated monster pop hit that probably served as the vision board for the rest of the album. It has an iconic bass line with call and response hook vocals that will get you chiming in with yourself. I mean sure, it’s almost ‘Electric Feel’ by MGMT but everyone loves that song so why not?

‘Dear Life’ seems to be one of the most discussed tunes on the record because of it’s hardcore Beatles similarities. But you could also pick out the influence as Elliott Smith, with its honky-tonk piano and mundane, desperate lyrics. And like those predecessors, the chord progressions are intricate and clever.

Meanwhile, ‘Wow’ harkens back to the hip hop side of Beck’s roots. A tight experimental beat that keeps introducing different trigger sounds just to keep us startled. The song keeps morphing and building, showing us how Beck is one of those artists whose strength is pure quantity. Scientists should study him and find out how often he has a new idea. Probably once every 2.6 seconds.

But if Beck didn’t have the ability to self-edit, this record wouldn’t have taken the five years that it did to complete. He had a pure and clean vision of what ‘Colors’ was supposed to be, took the time to get it there, and it shows.

Do you have an album you think more people just NEED to hear? Email your Tunesday Album Recommendation to christy@thewpg.ca and get more ears on the music you love!