BECK holds a similar position in my life to Ian Brown – he’s always going to be around but he’s going to have work very hard to make me notice him. I’m not often moved by his music and although I can see why he’s so heavily revered, I don’t quite get it myself. There’s something a little bit flat about a lot of what he does, so it’s fair to say that I don’t really pay much attention to what he’s up to.
‘Gamma Ray’ is a quaint little lo-fi number, which is hardly unusual for Beck, except that this time it has Danger Mouse production. This seems to be a good thing, as ‘Gamma Ray’ works well as an awkward pop song held together by a strong sense of rhythm. On the surface it is a well constructed summery pop number about modern times (with lots of climate change references), under-stated but charming.
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It’s a good tune, and it’s not a bad vocal performance from Beck, but it’s all the intricacies of the percussion, the hand-claps and the little noises, that make this a really good Beck song. To my surprise, it’s done enough to lure me towards the album the moment I stop writing this review…
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