New Releases Tuesday (3/29)

Beck – Guero (Geffen) Kind of like how before every new Radiohead album, everyone hopes it will be The Bends Pt. 2…for years everyone has been looking for Beck to make another album like Odelay. Teaming up again with The Dust Brothers, it seems that Beck has finally appeased the masses and released another sample-heavy, beat-friendly, 2 turntables-and-a-microphone style record in Guero. Now that he’s made his much-heralded “return to form,” he’s getting slammed by rock critics for making a “familiar” record that’s “too-safe.” Damned if you do, damned if you don’t, eh Beck? I say "bollocks" to it all...ignore all of the "return to form" hype and don't let rock critics hinder your perception of the record. Beck is a great artist, and if you're a fan of his work, I'm guessing you're going to dig Guero. Beck will probably never be able to top the critical and commercial success of Odelay, but that's fine by me...records like Sea Change and Mutations were equally as brilliant in their own right and I hope he's got a few more records like those left in his system. In the meanwhile, I'm going to crank up the bass on the new record and do the "hot dog dance" all the way down to Houston. Yeeeeeee-haaaa! Ocean Colour Scene - A Hyperactive Workout for the Flying Squad (Sanctuary) These Brits are relatively huge in their homeland, but virtually unknown in these parts. They’ve put out some amazing singles, (like “Hundred Mile City” from the opening credits of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) but overall their output has been a bit inconsistent…so buyer beware. Stereophonics - Language. Sex. Violence. Other? (V2) Another UK favorite that doesn’t get much love stateside…While not complete unknowns here like Ocean Colour Scene, it seems like the few people that have heard of them here can’t stand them. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a poster of Kelly Jones on my wall, but I’ve always liked Stereophonics and am looking forward to hearing the new record. Morrissey "Live At Earls Court" (Attack/Sanctuary) Companion CD to the live DVD also released today. Duran Duran "Greatest" (Capitol/EMI) Milking the reunion of the Taylors with yet another greatest hits comp. How many different copies of "Hungry Like the Wolf" do you really need???