SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BECK – EVERYBODY’S GOTTA LEARN SOMETIME

BECK
EVERYBODY’S GOTTA LEARN SOMETIME
CAPITOL RECORDS

Beck has made a career out of keeping a healthy distance from particular genres. Never quite alternative, flirting with country, hanging off the edges of mainstream, but wacky enough to not be a constant radio darling, his albums have always been different and fairly entertaining. And so what a pleasant surprise that after a 7-year silence, the man returns with another interesting offering, this one just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime is an 8-song mini album of love song rarities, covers, and a couple of cuts that go deep. While not particularly “new” material in any sense of the word, it’s a refreshing bit of heart from a beloved artist and is actually quite a nice little collection of songs, lovingly curated.

Kicking off with the title track, fans will recognize this beauty from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind soundtrack, a song originally written by The Korgis that is a regular fixture in Beck live sets. Also, from the soundtrack spectrum and the only original Beck tune here, is “Ramona”, found on the Scott Pilgrim vs the World Soundtrack. It is perhaps a bit odd to release a newish album and to include an original song that’s over 16 yrs old, but it fits with this collection just fine.

Probably my two favourite tracks here are the cover of Elvis’ “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and Daniel Johnson’s “True Love Will Find You in the End.” The former showcases what lovely things Beck can do with his voice, while the latter is such a sweet and heartfelt tribute, not trying to one up or change in any way, but just bare bones respect.

Fans might want to approach this album with the warning that it isn’t your typical Beck release. It is low key, mostly acoustic, and maybe a bit somber as well as it simply not being a “new” album, but it is still a very worthy listen.

Artist Links