Is “The Information” the best album that Beck has created? No. It is indeed a good record, but it is not on par with his masterpiece “Odelay.” Nothing new is tried here as Beck does the usual chill beats and rhythms but in a style different from the loudness of “Guero” and the calmer “Sea of Change.” It also contains more futuristic electronic/psychedelic effects and a heavier dance/hip-hop influence. With a theme that seems to be dealing with technology and its negative aspects as well as rumors of Scientology, Beck seems a little bummed out and melancholy as he sings some of his most aware and strange lyrics.
Starting off with the funky bass-driven “Elevator Music,” Beck already sounds bummed out as he critiques the modern junk-culture society of America. The next track, “Think I’m in Love,” sounds similar to the first track yet not as good, making it sound repetitive. Clocking in at 15 tracks, there is some filler like “Movie Theme,” which drags and contains some lazy synthesizers that would be a good sleeping remedy. “Soldier Jane” sounds like a throwaway, while the ballad “New Round” is just uninteresting.
Beck sometimes even rips off his own past tunes as the somewhat psychedelic “Motorcade” has a chorus that sounds very much like “Sissyneck” from “Odelay.” “Strange Apparition” is a great piano-driven song except that it sounds like it was completely ripped off from 1968-era Rolling Stones.
But Beck hits the spot with the rest of the songs on the album, especially the original and interesting “CellPhone’s Dead.” Another song dealing with the problems of technology, it starts off with great African voodoo-sounding rhythms and chanting then warps into a cleverly original funky electronic beat with an addictive chorus consisting of a kid saying, “One by one, I’ll knock you out.” “Nausea” is a great fast bass and drum-driven song that leads to the simple yet addicting chorus.
“Dark Star” finds Beck doing his cool style of rapping to a dark bass rhythm leading to a spacey chorus with an orchestra in the background. He finally picks up the harmonica halfway through the track, giving the song another layer and making it great. “We Dance Alone” has a beat similar to “Nausea” with the spacey chorus of “Dark Star,” which is another example of Beck ripping himself off.
“No Complaints” is one of the rare acoustic-driven songs on the album with a sprinkle of electronic effects, and it sounds great as Beck sings about how he has no complaints, just a wish that he had the top of his brain, among other things. “1000 BPM” contains all sorts of different imaginative hip-hop beats. The title track sums up the album: lyrically weird, dense, full of electronic sound effects and featuring a spacey chorus with spooky background voices.
And if that is not weird, then the album closer “The Horrible Fanfare/Landslide/Exoskeleton” is. Clocking in at ten-and-a-half minutes, it starts off with another good rhythm. A funky beat bridges the first part into “Landslide,” which sounds like “The Horrible Fanfare” but on steroids with a rare Beck guitar solo. The funky beat bridges again into “Exoskeleton,” where Beck tries to get in the listener’s head with voices muttering, “I don’t like it when they change…it frightens me…I like it when they stay the same,” not to mention a lot of spaceship talk. Uh-huh.
With “The Information,” Beck seems to be losing touch with his folk/guitar/harmonica side and leaning much heavier on his electronic/hip-hop/dance side, which correlates well with his spaced-out lyrics. Most of the electronic effects are not necessary, though at times they work to act as a bridge or add flavor to a track. The album would be much better if some filler tracks were shaved off and if he would balance his two tastes of music. Then again, Beck has already accomplished the rock sound that made him famous, and now it seems he is leaning on his other sound.
