Jagoda Roso 2008-10-26
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Beck is one of the most unusual musicians to come from the '90s, his monotone deadpan rapping being too soft for hip hop, his production style too slick for lo-fi, his style too quirky for a singer/songwriter. He was an alternative child, indeed, representing a snapshot of a different time when teenagers were conscientious, smart, effective and had a good taste. Beck was directly tied to Generation X by the spectators and critics, but those ties soon got unlaced with his subsequent records. Much of the album's fame falls down to the widespread acclaim that the song "Loser" received. It's no wonder--the song truly is Beck's masterpiece. In terms of instrumentation and lyrics, "Loser" is pure innovation. Beck's eccentricity is at its most compelling, catching your attention for those four minutes and staying in your head forever.
"Loser" contains a catchy refrain, sports a delicious hook taken from "I Walk on Gilded Splinters" and is globally popular for its misinterpreted faux-slacker lyrics. "I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me" is the ultimate lyric of the 1990s, easily beating everything that "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and the likes possess. Hansen was a free-spirited man who followed his intuition and wasn't afraid to experiment with different styles to come up with something entirely new. The only downside to "Mellow Gold" is that the heavy experimentation can bring down the quality of the record quite a lot. The abrasive "Sweet Sunshine" is just a filler song that fails to captivate like the rest of the material here, mostly due to the lack of pop melodicism. The production tricks found in the song were probably state-of-the-art in 1994, but now they just seem like a gimmick that lost its power.
Nothing on the record comes near the inaccessibility of "Sweet Sunshine", but for a pop record, some steps are heavily handled. "Mutherf*ker" is only saved by its chorus (if we can call it that way) and "Blackhole" has a hidden outro that's just pointless noise. Hansen was mainly a part of anti-commercial wave of the 1990s, so it's natural that the record contains those unattractive aesthetics in certain moments. Thankfully, the rest of "Mellow Gold" is pure pop. Easy-on-the-ears refrains and melodic twists come to mind as the only thing that one remembers after listening to the record. Side One outshines side two easily with its strong, well-crafted songs. "Soul Suckin Jerk" is one of the main highlights, where our hero is toying with weird vocals and the aforementioned melodic twists. "Beercan" is its side two match, with its amazing beat and an original melody set to Hansen's typical peculiarity.
"Pay No Mind (Snoozer)" is exemplary for Hansen for its whacky lyrics ("the shopping malls coming out of the walls"), while "Whiskeyclone, Hotel City 1997" showcases him at his most pensive. "I'll be lonesome when I'm gone". Beck is, first and foremost, a poet. His is beyond surrealism and stream of consciousness writing. He redefines what a writing style is. "She's a whimsical and tragical beauty"--Beck is eloquent enough to evoke second thoughts in everyone who dared to label him a slacker. "Give the finger to the rock 'n' roll singer"--he's making fun of stardom while reaching it effortlessly. Musically, he's quoting everyone from Dylan to Rolling Stones (those "hey hey hey heys" from "Fu*kin With My Head (Mountain Dew Rock)" come straight from "I Can't Get No Satisfaction").
Tom Rothrock, Karl Stephenson and Rob Schnaph did a marvelous job of catching the essence of Hansen's music and putting the spirit of his songs on tape. This is why the album, albeit a document of its own period in musical history, can seem timeless. "Mellow Gold" brought Beck global recognition and critical acclaim, as well as a devoted fanbase. He deserved all three, even though he might not have been ready for it. Luckily, "Odelay" proved that he wasn't a one hit wonder, and subsequent albums showed that he's capable of growing as an artist. Ultimately, Mellow Gold wasn't just a hot deal for Hansen (it was his major label debut), it was a testament to his musical talent. For those who believe that Beck's work is becoming overproduced and short on good ideas as the time passes by, "Mellow Gold" remains the perfect escape to the time when Beck was a funny lyricist and a creative musician.
