1. Beck - Morning Phase
If there was a better album released in 2014, I didn’t hear it. In practically any other year, Brill Bruisers would probably have taken the top spot, but this album was really something special. Beck has proven himself adept at so many different styles of music, but I think he shines best on the slower, folkier material. Case in point, Mutations has long been my favorite Beck record. Morning Phase treads in similar territory, with better backing musicand his tongue considerably less in cheek. Truth be told, it’s probably most similar to Sea Change, but whereas that album left me cold, this one just enveloped me in its sound.
Stylistically, the music has an opulent, pastoral quality. There’s a lushness to the songs that provides a solid foundation for the vocals. Musically, the album has a strong 70s folk-rock quality. At various times, Beck evokes Dylan, Neil Young, Simon and Garfunkel, Gordon Lightfoot, Gram Parsons, as well as Crosby, Stills, and Nash. The songs are pretty and simultaneously weighty. It’s not dark and bleak, but it is emotional and feels like a substantial work. Turn Away might be the most haunting song I’ve heard this year. It’s not particularly complicated, but its sparseness of the music and the phrasing of his vocals provides the necessary space for the lyrics to resonate.
This is Beck the craftsman showcasing his ability to create stirring melodies and establish a tone of longing and reflection. The pace is slow but the album is never boring, and it rewards your attention. It’s an album that almost begs for contemplation, one that provides an immersive experience if you let yourself be swept away.
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