Beck - The Information

With last year’s Latin-flavored Guero and its remix cousin Guerolito, Beck paid tribute to his east Los Angeles roots. The Information is a return to his trademark mash-up style. Songs like the funky “1000 BPM,” are cautionary tales (hip-hop rants, really) about societal dysfunction, while “Think I’m in Love” and “Strange Apparition” are confessional and oddly uplifting pop gems. When he strikes a bemused pose, as he does on the observational “No Complaints,” Beck sounds like a younger, hipper David Byrne.