Okay, just stick with us here, because this is going to get a little weird. Beck is back and he’s super strange again, which is great news. When the incredibly accomplished musician released “Wow” back in June, it was apparent from its unique sound that he was moving away from the folk of 2014’s Morning Phase and the alt rock of 2008’s Modern Guilt. The experimentation with pitch-shifting sounds and even trap drums showed that Beck was willing to dip his toe in new territory, and with the arrival of the video for the track, we know he’s definitely down to get surreal again.
There’s no real way to start here, so we’ll just say that Beck is a cowboy standing in the median of a dead town, while horses run in the distance and children elsewhere are dancing in Cheongsam gowns. Also, a new-agey, fortysomething straight out of the ’70s meditates in the middle of a road while cars speed by him, and flowers have eyes. And then there’s a whole segment of digital animation that looks straight out of Windows 98. There’s a LOT going on here, and part of it could be attributed to the fact that the video contains contributions from seven different artists.
It’s almost a bit overwhelming, but it’s definitely such a fantastic trip. We’re glad to have weird Beck back.