Mutations is an odd recording with a strange fellow, i.e., Beck. Bech Hansen is a one of a kind artist and I am not sure what category of music he does play. Since I can not make up my mind I put him in the experimental category. I love the book-let. It is quirky, odd and just like his music it does not make much sense. His lyrics are hard to grasp and he seems to happy to sing in riddles. I love how he made the decision to include the instruments and lyrics. This gives the listener a chance to see both the instruments used and to read the lyrics. Do not get me wrong, I like this recording alot, but it sure is a strange one!
September 25, 2008 |  | One of the most under rated albums of all time... |  |
What can I say about this album. I got it right when it came out and have been listining to it for the last 12 years, never being sick of it. This is quite simply a masterpiece that seems to have slipped through the cracks a little bit. The story telling is unimaginably rich and always takes me on a journey that hurts when it ends.The layers of sound are so complex and beautiful. Wow. Get this album, smoke a fatty and enjoy...
July 20, 2008I erroneously called Mutations the follow up to Sea Change but it's the other way around. Mostly melancholy till he rocks out in the second half of Static which has that annoying eternal silent pause. Despite that complaint we have many of my favorite Beck songs here, Nobody's Fault but my own, Lazy Flies, Tropicalia, Dead Melodies and yes, Static. Terrific lyrics, deeply felt and amazing melodies. Is someone else creating on this level? Beck sings terribly well too. Just listen.
July 10, 2008| | | Best Beck album ever...'nuff said. | |
Beck channels almost every "cool" style of music on this album, from groovy psychedelia to mellow Brazilian tropicalia. No single really, just put the whole CD on and mellow out. It's all good and much more accessible than similar efforts by JellyFish or Ween (masters of immitation). And it still has that Beck signature weird/coolness. You really ought to own this. Beck is a musical genius, and worthy of supporting (meaning buy don't share/download this).
February 22, 2008| | | Reminds me of new-age Syd Barrett material | |
Years ago I heard Beck perform the dreamily concocted, beautifully sung "Nobody's Fault But My Own" on Saturday Night Live. Played onstage, I recall the song sounded even more harrowing and drawn out than I later thought it was on disc, but in any case, I remember really loving its intensely resigned and tuneful sound and vowed to check out the CD "Mutations" later on. Well, it's much later on and I can relate that "Mutations" is definitely worth owning. Funny enough, "Nobody's Fault" is definitely one of the more serious-sounding, somewhat anguished songs on this CD; the rest are mostly breezy gems that would be right at home on a windswept beach with a cool beverage in hand. In fact, much of this album reminds me of what Syd Barrett might be writing and singing if he were a young working artist today.
Even on his low-key songs, Beck is always so brilliant at adding in cool harmonica, keyboard, slide guitar and all sorts of unique instruments that the rest of us have never heard of. Though he's a whiz at inserting hip-hop beats and a slew of electronic trickery on his albums, this one is refreshingly stripped down. The poppy "Lazy Flies" reminds me of a Syd Barrett tune -- right down to the slight British accent Beck employs in the vocals -- but better and more focused. The lazy country twang of "Canceled Check" reminds me a bit of the song "San Tropez" on Pink Floyd's Meddle (a post-Barrett record), while "Tropicalia," as its name would imply, is a feel-good summer song that anybody could enjoy.
There is also a retro, fairy tale-esque sound to this CD on such songs as "We Live Again" and "Dead Melodies," which, to me, are reminiscent of Floyd's The Piper at the Gates of Dawn-era material. Gentle acoustics, elegant harpsichord, a touch of country, close vocals and an overall easy-flowing vibe -- "Mutations" modestly has it all. Weirdly, this CD made me want to reach back to past Syd Barrett/Pink Floyd compositions, while simultaneously attracting me to Beck's succeeding work. Like Barrett, Beck is a wildly experimental musician who's ahead of his time. By being less musically splashy than is the case on most of his other CDs, "Mutations" is itself quite an experimental creation by Beck.
Note: some pretty cool and loose rock `n' roll ends this album after "Static" as a hidden track.
December 18, 2007More reviews at Amazon.com ...
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