Mark’s Pick of the Week: Mellow Gold by Beck

          Do you know how much of a trash genre alternative is?  I’m going to casually peruse the wiki article on it in order to have some sort of intro to this article.  It includes bands like Public Image Limited (Post-Punk), The Cure (Goth), My Bloody Valentine (Shoegaze), Nirvana (Grunge), Violent Femmes (Folk Punk), Reel Big Fish (Ska), Pavement (lo-fi), Oasis (Britpop), The Melvins (Sludge Metal), The White Stripes (Garage Rock), Alanis Morissette (pop-rock), Modest Mouse (Indie Rock), NIN (industrial), The Cramps (Psychobilly), Cold Play (Post-Britpop), Fall Out Boy (Emo), The Jesus Lizard (Noise Rock), Muse (Either Space Rock, Prog Rock, or Post-Radiohead?), Owl City (Post-Emo), Green River (Pre-gruge (Thrash Metalish)) Every crappy post grunge band (post grunge), also I think rap-rock and nu-metal…but…ya.

            As Eric mentioned most people will probably skip this list, but if it proved the point I was making then whatever, there are some good/interesting bands in there.  Anyway, I know I won’t be changing the institution or anything.  A lot of people casually listen to music, and calling Weezer alternative then power-punk-pop.

            Calling someone “alternative music” is literally calling them “different music,” and lets face it, no band is totally unique. If they were then a genre springs up around them, and we have a name for it.  The only artists who can really deserve this title are artists who truly make “different music,” There are only 2 artists that I can think of off the top of my head that really deserve that description: Tom Waits, and Beck. 

            The fact that I haven’t written about Beck yet is just laughable.  I have almost all his albums, and almost every one has a different genre to it.  Albums that are very folky, albums that are very anti-folky, hip-hop, electronic, post-punky, lo-fi, dance, sampling like crazy, and always so funky. 

            The opening track of this song is a flagship number for slackers, punks, hangabouts, stoners, the young, hipsters, artists, the tired..etc. 

            Not only did that song introduce me to Beck, but also it begins a phenomenal album that contains a lot of different tracks from even more different genres.  After that alternative hip-hop number we have an anti-folk song.  There are also lo-fi, post-punk, neo-psychedelic, funk, rock and maybe even a bit of pop in there.  The music he makes is mot only intricate and different, but objectively, and critcally really good.  He can take almost any genre and make a good song out of it.  How awesome is that!?!  I’d recommend picking up any of Beck’s releases if one’s not your cup of tea then there’s 10 more to try. Also both these music videos are awesome!!!!!