Stream: Beck, ‘Everlasting Nothing’

Roy Jurgens on November 15th, 2019

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Beck’s career has gotten to the point to where Angelenos consider him to be a civic treasure: intrepid, stalwart and ever-present. His body of work is so outstanding that it is ofter taken for granted. Ever since the one time wunderkind captured our ears with his 1993 Bong Load release, “Loser,” he’s been in the frontal lobe of those who appreciate his irreverent and oblique musical stylings, always shifting, always exploring, and yet, somehow, still sounding like Beck. It has been a long road, spanning 13 albums while dipping his toes in freak-folk, dream-pop, acoustic, electro-funk, alt-rock, hip-hop, indie, Americana and psychedelia.

His 14th album, “Hyperspace,” to be released on Capitol on Nov. 22, is the latest in his musical journey, featuring collaborations with Pharrell Williams, Greg Kurstin, Paul Epworth and Cole M.G.N., along with contributions from the likes of Chris Martin, Sky Ferreira, Terrell Hines and longtime Beck bandmates Jason Falkner, Smokey Hormel and Roger Manning Jr.

Critics are already lauding the work — the follow-up to 2017’s “Colors” (which won two Grammys) — as some of Beck’s finest to date. Beck has described the lush, atmospheric album as an exploration of interior space, a sort of meditation, a search for inner peace. It is a beautifully crafted album that will find a home in the minivans of soccer moms, which isn’t a bad thing. Given the state of the world, it doesn’t bust any padlocks or set any fires, perhaps that is OK. Perhaps Beck is just trying to soothe an aging fan base that is in dire need of soothing.

This week, Beck unveiled the latest album track, the closing song “Everlasting Nothing.” Beck and Williams play every instrument on the ballad, and the harmonies come courtesy of Alex Lilly, Manning and nine-person choir.

The Dev Hynes-directed video for the single “Uneventful Days” features star turns by Evan Rachel Wood, Tessa Thompson and Alia Shawkat, and also contains the album’s opening track “Hyperlife.”

Meanwhile, Amazon Music subscribers can enjoy Beck “Paisley Park Sessions,” released this week. It features streamlined arrangements of Beck’s “Where It’s At” and “Up All Night,” as well as a Prince medley, all recorded on the artist’s recent trip to Prince’s Minnesota compound.

||| Watch: The video for “Uneventful Days”/”Hyperlife”