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(We liked it and you will too!)

· 50 Foot Wave & Monade
· Aviator Lane
· Beck
· Luka Bloom
· Busdriver
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· Goldie Lookin' Chain
· Jack Johnson
· Judas Priest
· Millencolin
· Queens Of The Stone Age
· REM
· Josh Rouse
· The Trafalgars
· M Ward
· Wednesday 13
· Yo La Tengo

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· Bad Girls Of The Bible
· Neil Diamond
· Gomez
· Missy Higgins
· Trans Am
· Violent Femmes

Beck
Guero
Interscope/UMG

Okay, who am I impersonating?

"Having reunited with production team the Dust Brothers, Beck has produced an album that takes up where 'Odelay' left off. In fact, it might as well be called 'Odelay II'. 'Odelay' this. 'Odelay' that..."

So did you guess? The answer is, of course, pretty much everyone in the world who has reviewed this album thus far. Look, fair enough, 'Guero' seems to be a conscious attempt to pop things up a bit with less of the polarised stylistic affectation of his last few works, but it's not like the ideas explored on these albums haven't had an impact here. And I, for one, am extremely grateful for it. (And, alright, I admit that maybe this hasn't escaped the notice of some reviewers, and maybe Rental Car does sound like it could be a leftover from the 'Odelay' sessions).

The funny thing is, I played this album several times in a variety of settings after first getting my paws on it and found it enjoyable enough but somehow lacking something. Then, one day and for no apparent reason, it dawned on me: I was completely wrong. 'Guero' lacks nothing and is, in fact, superb.

It goes without saying that we've come to expect from Beck a sense of inventiveness blended with familiarity and an uncanny knack for sonic texture, but what really makes this record work is that it's unmistakably founded on melody. From the "na na na" of beat-heavy first single E-Pro through songs like the summery Girl, understated Bollywood-Latino hybrid Missing to the loop-driven neo-soul of Go It Alone, Beck has come up with a cavalcade of unforgettable tunes. Actually, it stands as a testament to just how strong a record this really is that a jaw-droppingly great song like Send A Message To Her is only included as a bonus track (Whatever you do, don't get a copy that doesn't include it).

So we got off to a rocky start (something that I'm glad to say has happened with almost all of my dearest-held records), but I think I speak for both of us when I say that 'Guero' and I are very much looking forward to a long, fulfilling relationship.

Jeremy Reglar

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