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“Guerolito”

Beck

Interscope 2005

Once an artist is labeled a “one-hit wonder,” doom is inevitable and imminent, unless your name happens to be Beck Hansen. When Beck’s single “Loser” arrived on the scene, critics dismissed his career as a passing fad, only to be brutally refuted by the continual success of his follow-up albums. Now Beck is onto his ninth full album, “Guerolito,” which is a nine-month delayed response, in remix form, to Guero.

Although not critically well-received, “Guerolito” is a gem that will probably have more appeal to new fans. Beck is acknowledged as a lyrical acrobat and crazy genre-hopper, but “Guerolito” hands the chops over to other artists to reinvent, thus diluting the Beck-ness of the album. His choices for artists are savvy and poignant; who better to make “Missing” a more ethereal departure than Air? Electronic gurus Boards of Canada, Diplo, El-P and Royksopp present their own flavors to the table, but it’s John King’s “Rental Car” that takes the cake as far as a remix goes.

If you appreciate the art of remixing, this album showcases some catchy but not daring musical endeavors by respectable artists. However, if you are looking for another “Odelay” masterpiece, go back and drool over “Guero.”

-Astra Brinkmann

• CD review: LCD Soundsystem Review (April 5, 2007)
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• CD review (February 12, 2004)
• CD review (November 6, 2003)
• CD review (October 4, 2004)

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