Beck
Morning Phase
EMI

The New Daily says: It’s been 12 years since Beck released his wonderful Sea Change album and the Californian singer is back with a sound that reminds us why this cool crooner is such an iconic singer-songwriter. Mellow songs with an uplifting vibe is what Beck does best and his 12th studio album, Morning Phase, delivers. Morning harks back to Paper Tiger, and there is a strong reference to that album throughout this record. Heart is a Drum and Blackbird Chain are uplifting. The drum beat in Blue Moon is hypnotic and sad, while Turn Away could easily be a Simon and Garfunkel single. There is certainly an old-school Beck vibe to Morning Phase and it’s wonderful to have him back.

The Daily Beast says: “But ultimately the relative remoteness of Morning Phase is what makes it such a rewarding record—the kind you can return to again and again. These days the charts are full of pop singers who spill their guts and pop songs that tell us what they’re supposed to signify. It can get old. With Sea Change, Beck created a singer-songwriter album that struck the same pose; it was exactly the kind of singer-songwriter album we’d come to expect. But Morning Phase is a more mysterious proposition: a singer-songwriter album that’s far less confessional than most contemporary pop.”

Sydney Morning Herald says: “Beck’s new album, Morning Phase, is a reminder of it (Sea Change), but not a return to it. The mood here is quietly optimistic, as if Beck has emerged from a period of introspection.”

Mojo Magazine says: It’s reassuring that Beck Hansen can still pull an original record as substantive and absorbing as this one out of the hat.” (Metacritic score: 100).