The Information

Performer: Beck
Producer: Nigel Godrich
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: DJ Z-Trip, David Campbell , Greg Kurstin, Harvey Mason, Sr. , James Gadson, Jason Falkner, Joey Waronker, Justin Stanley, Alex Acu�a, Nigel Godrich, Roger Manning Jr., Sean Davis, Smokey Hormel, Steve Black, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Brian Lebarton. Over a decade of criss-crossing genres makes it easy to forget that Beck's first big hit was, essentially, a rap song. It's not surprising, then, that about half of the songs on 2006's THE INFORMATION are some shade of hip-hop dance-floor funk. And while no one's going to mistake Beck for Young Buck, he brings his own brand of intelligent, laid-back confidence to every track, from the stuttering brilliance of "1000 BPM" to the lolling funk of "Elevator Music" to the lo-fi breakbeat grooves of "Cellphone's Dead" to the 10 minutes of atmospheric chill-out that close the album. But the presence of Nigel Godrich--who produced both the most beloved (MUTATIONS) and underrated (SEA CHANGES) of Beck's albums--insures that this isn't going to be a one-note affair. Godrich shapes the more pop-leaning songs into low-gloss gems, exercising both imagination and restraint: the intensity of "New Round" comes not from big, fancy production but from multiple layers of the same insistent vocal line. "Think I'm in Love" is a sticky little garage-rocker with a hyper bass line, while "Strange Apparition" is a bit of Laurel Canyon folk-rock amidst all the funk & crunk. It's reassuring to know that on his seventh full-length album, neither Beck nor his best collaborator have run out of fresh ideas.

Rolling Stone (p.126) - 4 stars out of 4 -- "[O]ne of the best albums Beck has ever made....Dense in its rhyme games, rhythmic details and overdub antics." Rolling Stone (p.105) - Ranked #24 in Rolling Stone's "The Top 50 Albums Of 2006" -- "[T]here is a moving clarity to Beck's cleverness..." Spin (p.97) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Beck's twitchy pop-funk has rarely come across as this confident. Consider THE INFORMATION his reanimation." Spin (p.61) - Ranked #10 in Spin's "The 40 Best Albums of 2006" -- "[A] talking-points primer on just about every phase of his career..." Entertainment Weekly (p.68) - "[A] swarming, psychedelic set...It's a sonic tour de force, and Beck seems comfortable in the info-storm..." -- Grade: A- Q (p.138) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[A]n other-worldly, psychedelic hip hop mix..." Alternative Press (p.198) - "[T]his collision of dirty loops and polished pop is INFORMATION you need." Mojo (Publisher) (p.100) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t's nice to hear the first half of this album continues in na earthy, upbeat and funk vein..."

Beck Hansen, the quintessential Gen X slacker, came up among the lo-fi ranks, pushing a blend of country blues, Dylan-inspired wordplay, punk, and hip-hop. His straight-out-of-the-gate 1994 smash, "Loser," made him a star seemingly overnight. Subsequent recordings found him alternately accumulating even more disparate influences in his "mess-thetic" approach (Prince, tropicalia, psychedelia) and scaling down for the occasional back-to-the-roots lo-fi album. He is recognized as one of the preeminent singer-songwriters of his generation.

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