An understated classic
A music lover | London | 04/21/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Following on from 2002's Hollow, this album is simply stunning. There's something gentle and undeniably warm about Beck's songs, from the fragile, desolate beauty of Lay Down to the swaying pedal steel of Zombie Girl. With an easy picking style his guitar and voice combine perfectly, brass and strings employed subtly to great effect on tracks like Alice and Floating. With lyrics that lull you then bite with deliciously dark wit, Beck manages to be both bittersweet and emotively intense without ever succumbing to all out melancholia - it's an album so perfectly crafted it can't help but a smile on your face."
Great work from a local artist
Alice Yung | toronto, canada | 10/06/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"some very nice tunes from a local artist. pretty amazing that all instruments were played and arranged by mr. beck"
Capital W, capital O, capital W.
armenianthunder | los angeles | 10/01/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In the multi-instrumentalist home-recording pop-loving-genius tradition of folks like Jason Falkner, Jon Brion and Elliott Smith, Howie Beck writes gorgeous pop tunes that will melt even the most embittered hearts. The arrangements are subtle, the lyrics bittersweet, the melodies perfect, and the breathy, plaintive vocals will instantly suggest a myriad of other bands you love, from the Zombies, to the Pernice Brothers, to the Red House Painters. But Howie's songs are his own, and they are fantastic.
I admit it's a little confusing: there are about 6 separate listings in Amazon for only 2 different Howie Beck CDs, all on different labels, released successively from 2001-2006. But after hearing this, his latest, self-titled release, I'm glad there are so many different labels who want to take a stab at bringing these tunes to the masses. I wonder, however, if the masses can appreciate, or even deserve, something this good."
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1