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Johnson, and Josh Kaufman build fresh narratives from the fabled history of folk music

On their second album as a trio, Anaïs Mitchell, Eric D. It’s cliché, it’s obvious, it’s slyly profound-it’s the 1975 Matty Healy taps Jack Antonoff to help produce a concise, meaningful, pop-focused album about love. The 1975 Being Funny In A Foreign Language One wonders if Hyperspace even pleases the man who made it The element of surprise within past glories, and his joyful surrender to incoherence, has long waned into mediocrity that’s much too keen to please. The songs are polished but low-key, with several tracks aiming for the strung-out introspection of a Frank Ocean tune Beck and Pharrell Williams produce two excellent songs, "Uneventful Days" and "Saw Lightning", but their other five tracks each leave something to be desired Hyperspace ends up being a frustrating record. Most of the album’s songs blend into each other so nebulously that they become collectively anonymous In what would have seemed a dream teaming early last decade, Pharrell Williams helped produce Beck’s occasionally lovely but unambitious 14th album

While these are enjoyable enough tracks to soundtrack your day, there’s little of the lasting emotion or progression for which we know Beck Pharrell Williams’ signature production style works favorably for Beck, and its cohesiveness makes it feel like a complete project rather than a notebook of scattered, unfocused ideasĬo-produced with Pharrell Williams, Hyperspace leans into Beck's hip-hop fascinations, this time trading the soul samples of his past for mellow SoundCloud rap trends of the 2010sīeck roams across a pleasant, gently psychedelic landscape looking for something newīeck’s maximalist approach has taken a backseat but this intergalactic journey could have benefited from his foot being pressed harder on the accelerator Packed with spacey synths and mellow vibes Hyperspace isn't quite what fans would expect from a team-up between Beck and the guy who wrote "Happy," and it's better for itīeck never lingers upon either his melancholy or his celestial flights of fantasy: they exist simultaneously, resulting in a tremulous and pretty soundtrack for moments of fleeting introspection This may leave fans wanting, although the album as a whole is another quality listen from the godfather of indie Mixing just enough of the familiar and the unexpected, defying expectations of a Pharrell collaboration, Hyperspace manages to stand out among Beck’s diverse and tenured discography There are more clunkers here than on that classic, but it feels similarly honest and world-weary

Overall, in spite of its goofy throwback artwork and the presence of Pharrell Williams, Hyperspace belongs on the shelf closest to Sea Change. While there’s no memorable poppy chorus here, or lush, full-band arrangements, or zany quirkiness, Hyperspace is nevertheless totally Beck Not all of the 11 tracks here strike gold, but they glitter and glow with positivity The alt-pop icon teams up with Pharrell for a revelatory inner­-space journey Overall, it's a glittering, multi-sensory synth-pop record that compels you to let yourself be transported through cosmic dimensions and the rich, textured under-layers of Beck’s creative psyche The combination of shimmering sonics and dislocated characters is what makes Hyperspace so holistic, and compelling. Once the lyrical sorrow and apocalyptic visions hit home, Hyperspace is revealed as a bleak, spacey R&B tour de force It's the moments where Beck stretches his songwriting muscles that shine best Print edition onlyįor such a heavenly record, an all-star cast makes perfect sense. Instead, it's the work of an artist who sounds fully re-engaged. Never feels over calculated or overdressed. That ‘Hyperspace’ is quite so seamless in its execution is an utter joyīeck takes on a new cosmic identity with aplomb, roping in Pharrell to achieve pop minimalism that proves there's no sound he can't excel at Sort by ADM rating Sort by most recent review