Review Summary: Odelay’s identity lies within Beck’s candid vocals, multi-instrumental mastery, and production skills. All elements in his music cooperate to make a tumultuous whole that is, frankly, hard to follow but extremely enjoyable.
Beck’s fifth studio album, Odelay, is perplexingly unconventional and incredibly original, making it one of the best albums of 1996. The album features a wide variety of genres and influences; ranging from Hindustani drone in “Derelict” to the reggae riffs of “Devil’s Haircut”, from extensive, DJ Shadow-like sample mixing to grungy guitars and literally everything in between.
With such a mish-mash of genres, it would seem like Odelay would lack flow and ultimately an identity. For example, the angst-ridden, heavy riffing of “Minus” is followed by the twangy “Sissyneck”. Another is the dissonant, chaotic last minute of “Novacane” leading right into “Jack-Ass”, a thoughtful song that is as relaxed as its lyrics suggest:
“When I wake up someone will sweep up my lazy bones
And we will rise in the cool of the evening.”
Despite this and other similar changes of direction throughout the album, there is an underlying theme and feeling that makes Odelay a superb album. Odelay’s identity lies within Beck’s candid vocals, multi-instrumental mastery, and production skills. All elements in his music cooperate to make a tumultuous whole that is, frankly, hard to follow but extremely enjoyable. Beck’s Odelay is an excellent example of what music should be, indifferent to the “bounds” of genres. Most music is not perfect however; this album also has a bit of a downside, albeit small. The turmoil of Odelay can be a bit overbearing at times, since the production is so tight and dense. The last couple songs also don’t quite measure up to the rest of the tracks, which is a disappointing way to end the album.
All in all, Odelay is an outstanding album and stands as one of the greatest albums of the 90’s and is Beck’s finest work.
