- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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If you give it time, The Information eventually reveals itself as Beck's tightest, most purposeful album yet.
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Although The Information contains some of his most aware, intriguing lyrical head-scratchers yet, the familiar musical settings are something of a letdown from an artist famous for complete reinvention.
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UncutThe Information often feels hygienised and missing some grit. [Nov 2006, p.100]
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Impeccably sequenced and incessantly engaging.
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MojoThe latter tracks sink into Beck-by-numbers fare. [Nov 2006, p.100]
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Q MagazineThe Information... is hamstrung by the sensation that, though Beck likes rapping, he has little to say beyond smart-alec one-liners. [Nov 2006, p.138]
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If Beck gets better as he gets madder, this is definitely his best since 'Midnite Vultures' - maybe even since 'Odelay'.
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One of the best albums Beck has ever made.
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Fun, fresh and (mainly) utterly listenable, The Information is the most diverse and, at times, thrilling album you'll hear all year.
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Under The RadarEven though The Information is neither a leap forward or nearly as exceptional as his previous collaborations with Godrich, it does serve as hope that Beck still has some great work ahead of him. [#15]
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However annoying it sounds, give The Information a chance. By the time Horrible Fanfare rolls around, 15 numbers in, you'll be too dazed to resist.
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Despite the album’s plethora of stylistic shifts and breakdowns, there’s a solid coherency to The Information that allows it to flow from beginning to end without the listener losing interest.
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There's nothing here that Beck hasn't done before, but it sounds unexpected once again.
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SpinIt's about three songs too long and a little all over the place. [Nov 2006, p.99]
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It's a sonic tour de force, and Beck seems comfortable in the info-storm.
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His latest album plays like a subdued collection of greatest hits, dropping in on the sounds and themes of each preceding album with graceful brevity.
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Alternative PressOverall, this collision of dirty loops and polished pop is Information you need. [Dec 2006, p.198]
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Without the bizarre lyrical invention and fuck-shit-up whimsy of his earlier work, Beck's attempts at party jams come off woefully overwrought and flat, making the darker bits interspersed throughout seem intriguing by default.
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[The songs] demand reconstruction that can only come from multiple listens. Unfortunately, the initial impact of the record is so muted that only an artist as challenging and road-tested as Beck warrants such effort.
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[A] darkly intelligent album.
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What The Information lacks in Sea Changemanship it makes up for in Midnight Vultures, hats be damned.
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BlenderAssured but tame. [Nov 2006, p.139]
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FilterThe Information is a truer return to the Odelay mentality--and surprisingly, the sound as well. [#22, p.92]
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I’m convinced that Beck Hansen has a few more good albums in him. One thing’s for sure, though: The Information isn’t one of them.
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Yet for all the headphone-worthy sounds, the pace seldom rises above a back-porch feel and, at times, the stickers meant for customizing the cover seem like more fun than the music.
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Los Angeles TimesThis is their third collaboration, but neither the casual, light-bodied "Mutations" nor the intimate "Sea Change" anticipated this kind of flowering. [24 Sep 2006]
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He's turned his gaze back on himself and created a record that brilliantly summarises and even critiques his own past.
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More than with either Mutations or Sea Change, you can hear Godrich’s rich instrumental layering beneath the rhythms.... Still, at fifteen tracks and over an hour, perhaps Beck needed a stiff editor more than the comfort of a familiar producer.
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Urb[Contains] scattered but affecting shots of brilliance. [Oct 2006, p.117]
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The Information is as creative, tuneful and interesting as you could wish from an established artist.
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Along the way, it scores a lot of points, thanks to Nigel Godrich's earthy but twisted production.
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Information ultimately suffers from the same hollowness that weakened Guero, but it's bolder at its best and less derivative of previous victories.
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Despite his penchant for experimentation, much of his material remains accessible to casual listeners, even when he turns toward the self-indulgent.
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What sounded fresh and spontaneous a decade back now seems labored and wearying.
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Unlike "Guero" this one really has some war in it.
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The bubbly cartoon funk of single Cell Phone's Dead is a winner, but tracks like 1000 BPM and We Dance Alone are mid-paced, cautiously funky numbers with neither the bare sentiment of Sea Change nor the ribald lunacy of Hansen’s late-90s bombs.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 95 out of 112
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Mixed: 8 out of 112
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Negative: 9 out of 112
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mikes.Oct 5, 2006
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Mar 2, 2018
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Feb 19, 2012