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Guerolito
by Beck

Beck reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 66 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
7.2 out of 10
based on 21 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 19 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

Beck's latest LP, 'Guero,' is remixed track-for-track by the likes of Air, Boards Of Canada, El-P and Subtle.

LABEL: Interscope
RELEASE DATE: 13 December 2005
DISCS: 1 disc
GENRE(S): Alternative, Rock, Electronic

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

83
Entertainment Weekly
It's a studio-geek jam session that, in terms of sonic inventiveness, nearly beats the DJ-savvy original. [16 Dec 2005, p.82]
83
E! Online
The most rewarding reworkings (Boards of Canada's "Broken Drum," Octet's "Girl") come from those who avoid novelty and realize that, underneath all the blips and glitches, Beck is just a soul man.
Read Full Review
80
Alternative Press
Most of [the remixers] subtly tweak the originals into charming facsimiles of Beck's clap-happy, orchestral folk-blues funk ditties. [Mar 2006, p.138]
75
The Onion (A.V. Club)
A surprisingly cohesive rethink that manages several times to outshine its source material.
Read Full Review
75
Spin
Cut Mr. Hansen up, and he reassembles nicely, but weirdly enough, it's tough to out-Beck Beck. [Jan 2006, p.92]
70
Billboard
"Guerolito" proves that remixes do not have to work solely for dance crossover: They can give a well-received album new legs among its original fans, too. [17 Dec 2005]
70
Rolling Stone
Guerolito is like Guero's spazzy, endearing little brother. [15 Dec 2005, p.154]
70
The New York Times
Beck's original versions now sound restrained and single-minded, probably truer to the songs. The remixes are busier and dizzier, leaving Beck to his melancholy while they have some fun. [12 Dec 2005]
70
Tiny Mix Tapes
The reinventions that fare best are the ones that come from the minds and hands of producers who dare to alter the attitude of the original compositions.
Read Full Review
70
musicOMH.com
Over the course of the LP... the toe-tapping comfortably outweighs the head-scratching.
Read Full Review
70
New Musical Express
Will... have you oiling your joints and gearing up for a bit of robobooty gyration. [21 Jan 2006, p.33]
67
Stylus Magazine
Only half of these tracks provide truly valuable alternatives to Guero songs.
Read Full Review
62
Pitchfork
Even for an artist this venerable, a remix record is still a remix record-- generally uneven, part enlightening, and part skippable.
Read Full Review
60
PopMatters
Think of Guerolito as an addendum or an after-dinner mint — the worthwhile offerings it affords will be of most use to the listener who enjoyed the main course.
Read Full Review
60
Dot Music
By letting inferior guests share his stage, Beck only reminds us what a unique and gifted individual he is.
Read Full Review
60
Under The Radar
What becomes clear quickly is that... Beck still makes a better Beck album than anybody else. [#12, p.94]
50
Lost At Sea
Despite the variety of acts on the disc, the songs are surprisingly uniform in structure: stripped down to Beck's vocals (which are left intact) and rebuilt with a drum machine set to either "monotonous" or "uninspired."
Read Full Review
50
Playlouder
While a few get close, not one remix here stands up to the original on 'Guero'.
Read Full Review
50
Prefix Magazine
Plays more like a gimmick than a remix album.
Read Full Review
40
Uncut
If the reheated Odelay-isms of last year's Guero felt like a tactical move in the wake of the soul-bearing torment of Sea Change, Guerolito has an equally hollow ring. [Feb 2006, p.86]
40
Q Magazine
Guerolito's songs dissolve in an anonymous stream of chugging electro and dub effects. [Feb 2006, p.101]

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this album is 7.2 (out of 10) based on 19 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Gabe C gave it a6:
I'm giving an OK rating because; as far as remix albums go; this at least has some individual tracks that are really good. The mixes of Girl, Missing and Hell Yes (almost like it better than the original) are fantastic. Most of the others are quite forgettable, but thankfully its only the Black Tambourine mix (which in advance I thought would be a really good track to remix) that truly makes my ears bleed and make me want to shoot Adrock.

daniela r gave it a10:
I think it´s a really great album, the music and the lyrics are just perfect.

Kyle L gave it an8:
I liked it and would say it is the best Beck album thus far. He seems to have a different style with this album...nit bad though.

Bill Bob gave it a2:
Guero: Loved It. Guerolito: Pointless! I mean seriously, Beck had it good enough before the remixes. Some say it would make a nice companion to Guero, but it doesn't. Especially the Hell Yes remix. It's all very boring and stupid. Way to f*** up another great album, Beck.

km gave it a2:
Boring. Really boring. And unnecessary.

tim m gave it a10:
freakin sweet. only gets better through replay. take a bite outta this one, chew it up, swallow it, then regurgitate so you can re-swallow cuz its freakin sweet.

Nick H. gave it an8:
8/10 = Excellent. There’s a lot to love about Beck’s new remix of “Guero”: “Guerolito.” Most of that comes from the fact that it gives you a new way to view one of the greatest albums of 2005 in a new way. Some of the tracks are surprising in how much they differ from the originals. Most notable are ‘Ghost Range’ (E-Pro remix), ‘Heaven Hammer’ (Missing remix), and ‘Scarecrow’ (remixed from the same original track) or even ‘Wish Coin’ (Go it Alone remix). All change the songs tone so drastically that you’d swear they were different songs by different artists – if not for Beck Hansen’s signature voice. ‘E-Pro’ was once a guitar-heavy experiment with a beat box – and one of the best tracks on “Guero”. Now on the new album, ‘Ghost Range’ aims to be some sort of odd mixture of funk beats, acoustic guitars, and some really strange string sounds. Sure, the lyrics remain mostly untouched, but the almost funk-country aspect of it makes it a new track. The album then takes ‘Heaven Hammer’, ‘Wish Coin’, and ‘Scarecrow’, three somber, generally depressing songs and turns them into surprisingly jovial jaunts with uplifting beats and increased tempos (and in turn makes them into three of the album’s best tracks). There’s also plenty of rehashing on this album, and plenty of tracks to just find amusing. The 8-bit ‘Gettochip Malfunction’ (Hell Yes remix) is almost identical to its predecessor but manages to be more pleasing to the ears. ‘Shake Shake Tambourine’ takes the old ‘Black Tambourine’ and adds an almost ‘Holla Back Girl’ (the Gwen Steffani song) to a tweaked techno beat – it, once again, makes the song a little more fun and easy to get into. Perhaps even the most fun on the entire album, but it’s not exactly enlightening. ‘Que Onda Guero’, ‘Farewell Ride’, and ‘Rental Car’ all make acceptably updated appearances as well, adding to a great new experience. But, it’s not all good. ‘Broken Drum’ still remains the albums low point, and as it did with “Guero”, manages to drag the pacing of the album to a near halt. Even though it is better than the original, it still doesn’t belong. Add to that the absolute butchering of ‘Girl’ and ‘Earthquake Weather’ (now Terrernoto Tempo) and this new album has managed to do away with two of Beck’s better songs. But, we do have some interesting saves that help to elevate “Guerolito”. The new remix of “Emergency Exit” features an insane increase in tempo and very little instrumental support to Hansen’s vocals. In fact, besides some very simple beats and sound effects, his vocals are used to create all that’s necessary (it gets quite interesting around the 2:20 mark). At the albums close there is another saving grace: “Clap Hands”. It’s a new Beck song and it’s very interesting. I’ve checked my other albums and I can’t find anything that really seems like this new track. Maybe it’s ‘Hell Yes’? Nope. Or… no, not just one song. Now that I think about it, the track seems like a mish-mash of some tracks from the early “Mellow Gold” album: ‘F*ckin’ with my Head’ and ‘Beercan’… and hell maybe even ‘Pressure Zone’ from “Midnite Vultures”. It’s a great - read: ODD - track, and I’d suppose it might be what Beck has planned for his next album(s?). All that said, “Guerolito” is a great album – even if we did loose ‘Girl’ and ‘Earthquake Weather’.

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