Interview: Beck returns, embarks on loneliness with new song: NPR Music

It’s too early to tell if Beck will release a new full-length album anytime soon – it’s been seven years since he released a Pharrell-produced album hyperspace –However, he is showing signs of making a full-fledged comeback. In late January, he released a surprise EP of cover songs and rarities he’d been searching for for years. everyone has to learn sometimeAnd now he has a new single, “Ride Lonesome.”

Beck has spent much of the past three decades crafting an exciting and infectious mix of folk, cowboy country, hip-hop, riff-rock, and dance folly. But he also shows a quieter, more introspective side on albums like the string-heavy one. big change (2002) and its closely related 2014 edition. morning phase. That’s the sound you hear on his new song “Ride Lonesome.” In fact, to record this song, Beck reunited with the same group that worked on the song. big changeJason Faulkner and Smokey Hormel on guitar, Joey Waronker on drums, and producer Nigel Goderich, who mixed “Ride Lonesome.”

Beck is an artist not to be missed, and “Ride Lonesome” is as moving and beautifully produced as his most beloved works. Gauzy and introspective, backed by acoustic guitar, it’s full of deeply thought-out soul-searching.

In this special episode, all songs consideredI spoke with Beck about how he came to write this song, what he’s been up to since his last album, and what he (maybe?) has planned for next year. You can listen to the entire conversation above or via your favorite podcast app. Below are some highlights from the interview.

How he came to write “Ride Lonesome”

“It was a bit of a lonely time. It was one of those times in your life where you come to terms with where you’ve been and where you’re going. When you’re going through something difficult, you often have to work through it on your own. You just have to move on, no matter what situation you’re in. And I think that’s kind of the dark comfort of pushing through the parts of life that maybe aren’t comfortable or easy and having that distant faith that it’ll get you through to the other side. ”

About his lifelong search for meaning through elusive music

“We were just filming a little video.” [“Ride Lonesome”]and I didn’t realize there were so many windmills behind us. And I was thinking about Don Quixote and the windmill chasing aspect of the music. I think you’re always trying to find it “unattainable”. And I think this is something that will continue throughout your life. You always feel like you’re just figuring it out. It’s like a gambling instinct like people playing crane games trying to win prizes. That’s music to me. When you think it’s stuck in your nail, you’re going to drop it and get your prize. And, you know, there’s always just one more prize left. I don’t understand it at all. It can be disappointing. Sometimes it exceeds your expectations. but [my] The songs are never exactly what I imagined in my head. ”

On overthinking the creative process

“sometimes [my music] That’s a little too smart. I think the ultimate is to write something simple and universal that doesn’t take much effort to decipher. Simplicity is the ultimate. And that’s something I’ve always been unable to reach. But you know, that’s the ultimate goal. It’s a really beautiful musical balance. Sometimes I feel like the guy on the beach with a metal detector trying to find a lump buried in the sand. Sometimes it’s just for their own comfort or for their own benefit. Sometimes you are trying to understand something or articulate something that you don’t quite understand. I write songs. I don’t know why I wrote it or where it came from until years later. I would hear that and think, ‘Oh, it’s obvious what that was.’ ”

What he’s been up to and what’s next for the long break between albums

“I had to wait several years before I could go back to work. [after COVID]. But I’ve written a lot of songs. It was a very fulfilling time for me. We wrote a song with Gorillaz, we wrote a song with Paul McCartney, we made a fun video together. I helped write the Black Keys album. ohio state player. I think I wrote about 10 or 12 of those songs. And I work on music pretty continuously. I built a recording studio. You know, I’ve lived my life. I think I’ve made a lot of albums that probably no one will ever hear, but I hope it leads to something. I cook a lot of things. For the past four years, I have been in and out of the studio with the band. There was a group of musicians that I came up with that were the touring band for many of my early records. Everyone has gone on to bigger and better things, but we still get together and find time here and there for a few days to make music. Well, I have a lot of projects I want to do and I hope I have time to work on them all. ”