Beck, Sea Change

For a musician who’s changed directions as many times as Beck has, Sea Change is an apt album title. If our Mr. Hansen has a single style, it’s eclecticism, tossing blues, hip-hop, rock, folk, and whatever else happens to be in the room at the time, into the mix. The irony here is that the master of self-aware postmodernism is going for the heart this time, coming up with a record dominated by world-weary, mournful ballads and lush production. Sea Change was reportedly inspired by a bad breakup, and indeed the lyrics are dominated by a sense of foundering grief. “These days I barely get by/ I don’t even try.” Think of it as his Nick Drake album. His tour with the Flaming Lips (about whom we’ve been raving all year) is potentially one of the coolest shows of the season. We’re honored to have it kicking off here in Minneapolis on October 17 at the Orpheum.