Beck is still preparing to move into the Morning Phase of his career, and it seems like this one is going to be a slow-moving affair. Three weeks before the official release of his 12th studio album, Beck has premiered a second song off the album, "Waking Light," and revealed details about the record in an interview with NPR.
Though Beck has been known to venture into funky fresh dance territories in the past, don't expect any of that on Morning Phase. According to him, no songs surpass 60 beats per minute (less than half of the standard dance or pop hit). And according to Beck, that's the way he wanted it. "When I'm recording with my band, we're always egging each other on to play slower and slower. For one thing, it's really difficult to play that slow and stay in time -- for it to still feel musical -- but it also really kind of warps the perspective of the song," he said after explaining the album was built around a song called "Wave."
These elements are clear in "Waking Light," which premiered on NPR and streaming services (such as Spotify) today (Feb. 4).
Morning Phase was always teased as a "spiritual successor" to Sea Change, and though lead single "Blue Moon" does incorporate many of the same emotional elements as songs from that 2002 album, "Waking Light" truly feels like a child of Sea Change.
Chord progressions and melodies aren't dissimilar to the album hit "Guess I'm Doing Fine." Perhaps it's the melancholy, distorted vocals. Perhaps it's the snail's pace tempo and instrumentation that occasionally drops out so Beck can sing his heartbreak with little interruption.
More so than any of that, it's simply the vibes. Sea Change drips with sadness, regret and there's more than a little bit of those feelings on "Waking Light." It feels like the morning after a tragic event, and it's something truly beautiful.
Listen to "Waking Light" below.
