I came across a cache of old photos (well CD's actually)

The sheer volume of music I own means that sometimes I forget what I have. This might sound a bit strange, but it also means when you dig out a dusty CD box you can find a hidden treasure.

Whilst digging through The Beatles back catalogue, I unearthed a CD that I remember buying (for the confusing sum of £12.79) from an MVC store (remember them?) back in the 1990’s. Beck’s “Odelay” was purchased because I liked “Devils Haircut” I think, or maybe I was confused and thought “Loser” was on it; I don’t remember. However, I do remember not taking a liking to the album much and after playing it once or twice it went into storage for 16 years.

I decided to rip “Odelay” onto my hard drive and check it out; I’m glad I did. Maybe I have fallen behind massively (yes, I know I have) but this album sounds really fresh and contemporary to me. The majority of the tracks are interesting in their arrangements but there is also a greater depth to the song writing than the sampled loops and random noises might suggest. Tracks such as “Jackass” and “Hotwax” are surprisingly catchy and stand up to repeated listening. “The New Pollution” “Devils Haircut” were obvious stand out tracks / singles which are complimented by the more experimental sounds of “Where it’s at” and “Derelict”. Unfortunately Beck shifts into a poor pastiche of The Beastie Boys on occasions (“Novocaine” especially), but when you consider the album is produced by The Dust Brothers its no surprise. On the whole I’m really glad I unearthed this CD and recommend you revisit it should you own it.