When a historically celebrated artist like Beck, who’s been releasing music for over 30 years, finds it within themselves to create a new album, there’s always a question of whether their craftsmanship remains. The concern is especially relevant for someone like Beck, who has a history of genre-bending, with his greatest hits ranging from alternative rock to folk to synth-pop.
While his electronic-based album “Hyperspace,” released in 2019, may have scratched some heads, Beck’s latest project, “Ride Lonesome,” marks a return to form of sorts for the American songwriter. Any trace of experimental synths has been swept clean, replaced by showy string arrangements and smooth slide guitar.
With its Friday, Sept. 18 release, “Ride Lonesome” comes 12 years after Beck’s “Morning Phase,” and 24 years after his “Sea Change,” both of which explore the exact same sound. But unlike his earlier releases, which established a sense of melancholy tinged with optimism, Beck comes across as hopelessly worn out and somber.
The title-track opener sets the gloomy scene, with Beck immediately mourning how “Yesterday, paper roses, they forgot to bloom.” The subtle trailing of electric guitar notes through the soft rock tune, emphasize the pining feelings conjured by Beck’s words. It’s a slow start, but not a bad one, with the atmosphere being just dreamy enough to keep the listener’s attention.
Things stay much the same on “Run Away,” which exists within a similar soundscape of lovelorn despair. Beck calls for a lover, or perhaps a desired answer, to stop running away. The backing vocals, which were present on the opener, have a more tangible role in the track, but don’t rank among the best sorrowful swells present on the album.
By the time the fourth track “Failed Words” comes around, with dense resonant piano that matches Beck’s reverberating vocals, the album’s shortcomings begin to show. Beck’s slow, consistent delivery doesn’t add texture to the wall of rolling string sound, but rather, his voice tends to merge with the mix. The writing falls a bit flat, too, with the choruses shuffling through the phrases: “All my nights in vain /All my days in vain /All my words in vain.”
It’s much the same elsewhere, too. The seventh track, “For Your Love,” begins with a gorgeous deluge of descending strings, but shallow tales of how “Time waits for no one / Days carry on / A turn in the river / Where love has gone,” prevent the track from hitting the emotional heights that it could.
But even amidst the similar style Beck operates in, there are moments when tracks claw free from loaded structures. “It Ends Right Here” starts with some simple strumming, but Beck’s higher register eventually aligns with swells in the slide guitar, truly selling the experience. A rare appearance of electric guitar feedback undercuts the slow-burning serenity toward the end, providing a rare moment of instrumental texture.
“Falling Through My Hands” sees Beck at his most vivid, lyrically and instrumentally, across the record. The repeated call of “you’re falling through my hands this time” carries real weight with his delivery, while occasional fingerpicked guitar breakdowns prevent any festering monotony.
Things end interestingly enough with “Beyond the Light,” another predictable slow burner. But the steady ebb and flow of reverberating vocals, dense strings, backing vocals and slide guitar make it a compelling experience that repackages the album’s instrumental strengths.
All in all, Beck’s latest endeavor is far from subpar. But the lack of variation in pacing makes it harder to connect with, and some tracks can go in one ear and out the other. Still, if you happen to listen while moody or feeling down, there’s a good chance the array of songs will really hit.
Rating: 3/5