Sea Change | 
 enlarge | Artist: Beck
Label: Interscope Records
Category: Music
List Price: $17.98
Buy New: $15.92
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Rating:  490 reviews
Sales Rank: 18431
Format: Enhanced
Media: LP Record
Discs: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 12.3 x 12.3 x 0.2
UPC: 606949339319
EAN: 0606949339319
ASIN: B0007XBMQG
Release Date: February 14, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | The Golden Age | | • | Paper Tiger | | • | Guess I'm Doing Fine | | • | Lonesome Tears | | • | Lost Cause | | • | End of the Day | | • | It's All in Your Mind | | • | Round the Bend | | • | Already Dead | | • | Sunday Sun | | • | Little One | | • | Side of the Road |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Beck is bummed. Really bummed. And if song titles such as "Lost Cause," "Lonesome Tears," "Already Dead," and "Nothing I Haven't Seen" don't make the point, his achingly sad lyrics and Sea Change's unerringly downcast sound do. While 1998's Mutations--arguably the singer-songwriter's masterwork and Sea Change's spiritual cousin--was filled with unflinching self-examination, moments of levity were found in songs like "Tropicalia." Not so on Sea Change. Beck's woozy, almost narcoleptic delivery seems to amplify the set's sense of ennui. But sad isn't necessarily bad, and despite the somber tone, there's much to praise, not the least of which is the return of producer Nigel Goderich (Mutations, Radiohead), who wraps Beck's gloom in a dreamy, warm blanket of soft strings and floating bleeps and gurgles. Like Daniel Lanois, Goderich is all about vibe, and even Beck's most bare-bones songs benefit from billowy atmospherics. That's especially true of "Paper Tiger," a restless, slowly building epic improbably propelled by a languid orchestra and Beck's expressionless drone. The inky black feel of "Round the Bend"--a glacially slow dirge with muffled vocals--may be the darkest thing Beck's ever written, not counting the very grim "Already Dead." Whatever's going on in Beck's world, at least we know he's purging, which, all things considered, may be better for his soul than ours. --Kim Hughes
Album Description
Japanese only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD - playable on all CD players) pressing. Includes the Japanese only bonus track, 'Ship in a Bottle'. Universal. 2008.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Beck's Talent Front and Center October 7, 2008
C. Nekritz (Oswego, NY USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Buried in most of Beck's music is actual ability to write songs and melody, once you strip away all those loops and trickery, songs are buried under there. Sea Change brings all this to the front with perhaps one of the best breakup albums ever written, and I say this owning albums going back 40 years and over 8,000 songs in my iTunes library. Sea Change never feels old, never feels dated, and is a brilliant late night album to put on and just ponder. I'd give it six stars if I could, it's that good.
 A Respectable Album From Beck September 10, 2008
Untitled (nowhere)
Sea Change marks Beck going into a territory some people probably would have never expected. Beck drops everything that made him loved (and hated): The tendencies to cram a gazillion styles into one song, his nonsensiclay lyrics, the quirky and irony style (and gimmick, for some times of it), and so on (granted, I don't exactly love this). IT's his most real album to date, an album with a lot of meaning. A real album detailing a hard time, like music should be. Catharis for Beck. A recipe for some great, emotional music.
So why the three stars? Simple, it's not that interesting to listen to. Beck, as usual, has a lot of trouble pulling off the folk/country/mellow side of him. He makes an interesting attempt to pull of some sentimential lyrics, and I respect him for writing love songs considering that his ten year girlfriend broke up with him harshly. It's a real album. But beside that, it's not that interesting to listen to. Just the same old uninteresting folk sound of Beck. IT sounds a lot better than Mellow Gold, it has some interesting parts, but on the whole, it's just not that memorable for me. Maybe next time.
6.5/10
Beck as confessional troubadour September 4, 2008
Thomas Thomsen (Denmark)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I never really liked Beck's music prior to Sea Change. His music just didn't resonate with me. It may have been fairly creative and original, but it was seriously lacking in warmth. Too much style and too little substance. Lost Cause, the first single off the album, surprised me, since it was much more of a folky singer / songwriter type of song. So I took a chance and bought Sea Change - a good decision. It's a beautiful piece of work that flows very nicely indeed, with tasteful production by Nigel Godrich (Air). I first bought it on cd and recently bought it on vinyl, too.
Beck's best yet September 3, 2008
finulanu (Here, there, and everywhere)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Who'd have thought it? Beck Hansen, the onetime ironic champion of ironic trash culture, has grown up. The Beck we see here eschews sampling and sarcasm entirely, and doesn't rap at all. Instead, the backing tracks are warm, and lush, and Beck switches from rapping to crooning in a gentle baritone inspired by Nick Drake. There's often an orchestra, but it never overwhelms the main focus: the lyrics. It's a breakup record, and it's the most genuine thing Beck ever put out. He doesn't do any screwing around, he doesn't once try to display how clever he is. He just sings from his heart for fifty minutes or so, and the result is the best record Beck ever made. I know most prefer Odelay and Mutations, but I think this bests either of them. It's a very melodic, haunting, gorgeous record. The string arrangements are inspired ("Paper Tiger," "Lonesome Tears"), the singing is much better than it ever was ("Guess I'm Doing Fine," probably the most emotional song Beck's ever released; "Lost Cause"), and the lyrics are dead earnest, heartbroken, and much better than any others he's ever done ("Golden Age"). There is also some excellent production supplements scattered about, including prominent electric piano on "End of the Day" and odd sound effects that fit completely with the album's somber tone everywhere. Even lesser songs like "It's All in Your Head" have likeable touches such as stand-up bass. The best song is probably the eerie, spacey mood piece "Round the Bend," though it's also hard to argue with "Lost Cause" and "Guess I'm Doing Fine". He also gets points for using elements of the Far East in his vocals and guitar tone on "Already Dead", which demonstrates quite an able falsetto as well. He even works in some wary, cautious optimism into the chorus of "Sunday Sun," which has a U2/Coldplay style chord progression and an abrasive ending. A bit more variety would've helped the record, as it closes with two good but disappointing acoustic ballads ("Little One," "Side of the Road"), but as it stands this is as good as I've heard from Beck.
Heady, heartfelt, terrifying in its honesty August 15, 2008
Storylover (Philadelphia, PA USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
If you are the kind of guy that likes music equal measures Dylan and Drake, don't mind a little grit mixed in with your smooth, and know what it means to be knocked out and unable to breathe when someone you love leaves you...well, then you will have an inkling about what kind of music Beck makes on this album, and very likely, you will love it. This is simply the most elegantly heartbreaking break-up album by one of the most eloquent songwriters of our time. The miracle and beauty of the album is that nothing sounds fake, precious, or pretentious--simply honest and lovely. Beck doesn't shy away from the places that hurt when he writes. He walks right up to the bruises and pokes them. It hurts, but at least he knows that he can still feel. I hope he's doing fine.
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