This is Beck's best work since Odelay. The lyrics and the whole atmosphere of the album is kind of a "Debbie Downer", but in a good way. This is the kind of album you listen to on a rainy day or when your heart get's ripped out. This album is on par with Elliot Smith's Either/Or and Nick Drake's Pink Moon

While I can understand while people may like this, I myself am not a fan of the quiet and introverted side of Beck. Sea Change just doesn't do anything for me. I miss the funky and energetic style of Midnite Vultures.

Fantastic change of pace from an artist unafraid to experiment. This was a bigger experiment than his more overtly experimental albums and he pulls it off admirably. What it makes it brilliant is less the realisation of this concept album than the actual concept of this concept album. I would normally steer well clear of depressing, slow, melodic albums about traumatic break-ups but since Beck is willing to go there, what the hell, so am I! Totally unexpected, even from an artist you can always expect the unexpected from... if that makes sense...… Expand

This album rules, I would recommend Paper tiger and little one. Beck is so underated. I mean every song made my pants tight. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

this album is too overrated

Be honest people. If this didn't was done by anyone other than Beck we'd all be saying its crap!

Not great, not terrible.

with a few more listens, this jewel may climb into my "10" category reserved only for a handful of albums. if you like nick drake, gram parsons, air or "blow you away" melancholy twang, you better drop what you are doing and buy it. beck needs to lose another girlfriend because he was inspired on this one.

The most refreshing album of 2002 so far. Amid the endless racket and cranked up amps comes forth and album focusing on craftsmanship, melody and beauty. I always thought Mutations was Beck's best work by far, so I'm glad to see him revisit the mood and sound of that album and expand on it further. Not the feel good album of the year as far as content, but the one of the most uplifting albums as far as the current state of music is concerned.… Expand

It may seem a bit boring on first listen, but give it a bit time and you'll find a quite wide range of styles beautifully done.

I'd like to see what those pansy ass journalists who rated it so low are saying about this album now that they've listened to it a few dozen times, which they no doubtedly have.

I've listened thru it once. Undoubtedly it will get better each time I play it thru. Beck's like that. Driving thru a wintery Finland in the dusk, it hits the spot. Sweet melancholy. Makes me want to love and loose just to be able to FEEL, let alone convey my emotions so beautifully. Wakes me up to life. I will spend tonight drinking red wine and playing "sea change" , basking in that lustrous emotion of someone else's soul portrayed.… Expand

eh.

Definitely his best - boyeee!

Not my favorite aspect of Beck's music, and certainly not his best record, but it's convincing and gets better the later at night you play it.

Pure brilliance, Beck has climbed to a new level, in my opinion Sea Change is the best album of the year to date...

BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!! Beck has never been so melodic, as well as honest. This album will go down in music history.

Superb album, completely connected both musically and spiritually.

You will not like it at first, but after listening to it a few times it attachs to you and wont let go. This album is a mix between "Ok Computer" & "Mutations". If you are a Beck fan, this may be your favorite album of his.

Fabulous production that's spare and raw when needed makes this album incredibly hard NOT to listen to - when I heard it was so mellow I thought I might be bored after a number of tunes, but the effect is the polar opposite: spellbinding.

From the opening E chord of "Golden Age", Beck has created a musical masterpiece which displays his formidable talent as a songwriter. Those hoping for a repeat of "Odelay" or "Midnight Vultures" will be disappointed, for "Sea Change" is largly a sonic boom built around simple acoustic songs with beautiful melodies and tender imagery that could survive on their own in the local coffee house just as well as on a studio album. Similar to, but more mature, than "Mutations", Beck reveals a surprisingly emotional and sensitive side that has remained hidden until now... By baring his own soul with heartfelt songwriting rather than recording another funk-pop-hip hop-fusion album (what we've come to expect from Beck), he has outdone himself and produced something that FEELS real, rather than mechanical or techno. It takes a few listens... the album has a pretty uniform feel throughout (no "Tropicalia" to break the monotony). But, for those who appreciate good songwriting, "Sea Change" is sure to please. Beck's most mature (and arguably his best) album to date. … Expand

sounds like nick drake mixed with sont volt and wilco, very good songs, needs time but is really a good record, i prefer this ten times than the prince imitation record " midnite vultures"

Beck hurts and portrays it with something we can all enjoy. Unlucky bastard makes us very lucky indeed.

This is one of the very best albums I've heard. Hopefully he'll continue making such haunting melodies. I can only compare this to the Beatles' best work. Genius!

It seems like whatever Beck puts out, people will think its a masterpiece simply because, well, its Beck and we expect that kind of thing from the guy who created Odelay. He's reached Radiohead status, in that, people are afraid to knock his stuff for fear that others will taunt them and say that they just don't "get it." But, try as I might, I don't understand what is so remarkable about Sea Changes. Beck has written lyrics like these before, such as on some of the slow, soft tracks of One Foot in he Grave or Stereopathetic Soul Manure. Listen to "Hollow Log" or "Forcefields," they have more charm and are sung with more emotion than anything on Sea Changes. Point number 2: the songs are boring, yes boring, I never thought Id say a Beck song was boring but the songs on this album are. I like "Lost Cause" for the first minute but by the third minute Im asleep, dreaming of a day when Beck will make an album even better than Odelay. Come to think of it, the slow jams on Odelay, which is an album not known for its soft numbers, are all better and more interesting than the sea changes cuts. Im not saying I cant appreciate some of the qualities of this album, every Beck album is ten times better than the other shit thats out there (I'm looking at you Bon Jovi), but I guess I am just expecting more from the man whose got a beard that will dissapear when he's dressed in leather.… Expand

beck confounds and annoys the ordinary listener by being absolutely unconcerned with their expectations. "Sea Change" is sonically breathtaking (play it LOUD!), lyrically labyrinthine (one has to pay attention to parse the actual narratives here), and emotionally searing. Not for the average debased attention span.

There are few albums that makes you wonder. When listening to Beck?s sea change for example you start wondering how devastating breaking up can get that it will turn a Comic and happy white Prince like artist to a melancholic ?I?m not sure I will live to sing my next song? Dylan. It?s his first album that you don?t envy his talent, don?t admire his vital energies you just start preparing your self to the day she will walk away and you just wont have Ningel Gordich?s phone number to help you sing the pain. These kind of albums makes you become evil sometimes as well.. there a few singers that cry so harmonically that you wish they will stay that way until the next time they will walk in to their studio. Five tears indeed. … Expand

A perfect wall of sounds constructed around a true, pure need of avoiding love. It is Beck´s " Five leaves left ": homogeneus, inspired, extremely sad and sincere. A masterpiece.

Sea change is a brilliant 'low' album. Forget springstein, young and etc's 9/11 spam offerings, get this instead. VVoice what were you thinking?

Saw him in concert before the CD even came out and I loved it! Such a personal album, and as he said it's been 7 years in the making. Well worth the wait. I have all his CDs and this one just blows my mind! It's been on repeat for 4 hours now!

It's like cracking open Beck's chest, grabbing his barely beating heart, and putting it to your ear for a listen. Beautifully done and fully unexpected. Makes you truly realize that Beck is one of our best musical treasures - and these days they are difficult to come by.

His best yet.

Beck has become whom he once taunted. Far too sombre and emotional.

pretty damn good

Very interesting this album. Musically it's a great record. Beck is still a very impressive and original songwriter.

Awesome...

Best Beck album yet... dont be suprised if "Sea Change" pulls an upset over Bruce Springsteen's new album at the next grammys...

Village Voice is a whore. They don't even know what they're talking about. This album is a great bluesy record from one of the weirdest and unpredictable artists today.

fucking beautiful.

Excellent album. Lyrically and melodically his best work.

Wow. On first listening, I found it monotonous, but now.. what was I thinking?!?! I love all the tracks, especially "Little One"! This is a grower.

An immensely personal and heartwrenchingly sad record full of understated beauty; the year's best album.

Definitely a subtle but haunting and beautiful album. Deserves to be played many times, deserves to be taken seriously. Sure, the old ironic Beck is not on this album but I welcome this mature voice.

Almost as good as nick drake

this is by far the best american made sad bastard album, but you must listen to it many forced times before it grows on you like a fungus that won't stop till it kills you. really good stuff, especially track 4 and 5, really haunting and bueatiful, but the lite sound may throw off some who are into more heavier stuff.

Wow! This is such an emotional album. With so much effort put into the songs, it's hard to press stop on it. Personal favourites: "End of the Day", "Sunday Sun", "Little One", and "The Golden Age", and "Lonesome Tears". The only letdown I think to the album is "Round the Bend" Otherwise, Beck's best album yet.

It's a stunning album that's really best appreciated on Santa Monica pier at sunset. Lonesome Tears is a stand-out track that I'll be listening to for years.

This is a darn god album and i would love it even if it was made by a fat irishman. so eat that.

beck's best, 2003's best, beautiful desendant of blood on the tracks

A beautiful deeply moving album.

It's a damn masterpiece. There aren't enough these days. Hats off to Beck, who seemingly can't make bad (let alone average) albums. This is his best album, out of a sea of great albums.

The best break-up album of the new millenium.

full of emotion, that's not a bad thing

Heart ache hasn't sounded so sweet since the Rolling Stones' "No Expectations". Especially poignant if you're getting a divorce.

This album is definitely appreciable and lovable, and the melodies are consistently mesmerizing, but occasionally the lyrics do venture into cliche territory as the lower reviews indicated. However, what those reviews fail to notice is the utter musical genius woven into these gems: being sad has rarely sounded so wonderful. Oh - and this is not album of the year. If you like this, check out the offerings from Wilco, The Doves, and Tori Amos that came out this year. They are equally good.… Expand

Yikes, where is Beck going with this garbage? He sings like a sick David Bowie, the lyrics are inane, and there's nothing interesting musically. Beck has changed from a trail-blazer into a generic corporate record-seller, whining his way up the charts. Play this album on low volume on a rainy day, or just return it where u bought it. good grief.

sea change is amazingly well done, better with each listen

this metascore is misrepresenative (i think thats a word) anywho....almost every review i've read has been 4 out of 5 or 5 out of 5 as in Rolling Stone's case..........this is a beautiful album.......up there for record of the year with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

greatest album ever!

Beck makes another great one. Not as good as midnite vultures, but better than mutations. Good album.

one of beck's greatest. masterfully done, he pours his heart and depression into and comes through

quality

Beck has once again proved that he is a genius.

i really love beck, and this album makes me want to give him a big hug. its gutwrenchingly depressing, but he can pull it off so gracefully, almost lazy. its great, and the village voice can eat it, (although the lyrics are admittedly a bit pretentious)

A wave of trance music you want to listen to over and over again, but oddly unmawkish, considering the subject matter. A fully realised effort, integrating new (for him) directness in lyrics, and the lush but still restrained multi-track arrangements. Controlled emotionalism in a new form--beautifully constructed and intelligently executed.

This isn't the best Beck album but this is equally flawless as other albums he did. This album cements Beck's legacy as one of the greatest and most versatile artists in pop culture. "I Guess I'm Doing Fine", "Lost Cause", and "Already Dead" are my personal favorites. These songs are very. very sad and beautiful at the same time.

The best album Beck has made up until now.

The more you listen to it, the more you like it. It's not an easy one. But in the end, it's his best album.

Great album. I was never a big Beck fan but this album won me over.

This one's a grower... it's great

9/10 average from 97 users says it all to me. This is one of the greatest albums ever recorded. Affecting, deep and wonderfully haunting, I wonder what some of the critics were thinking but then I'll never work music critics out. They're from a world so full of their own importance things like love affairs and break ups don't exist.

I really loved this album, and its amazing to find that beck produces perfect music in such different ways.

Touched my soul

Easily the best album ever. Yes really, it's like that. If art's supreme purpose is to provoke and disarm, then this album is the epitome of art. Well composed, well produced and extremely sincere, emotional and personal. Thanks for sharing, Beck!

Was not a huge fan of Beck until I heard this record on a long trip with my brother. Sea Change is simply one of my favorite albums of all time, and I still listen to it 5 years later.

Just a great album. Pick it up.