Sea Change is the eighth studio album by American alternative rock artist Beck, released on September 24, 2002. Recorded over a two month period at Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles with producer Nigel Godrich, the record includes themes of heartbreak and desolation, solitude and loneliness. "Lost Cause" and "Guess I'm Doing Fine" were released as singles.
For the record, much of Beck's trademark recondite, ironic lyrics were replaced by more sincere, simpler lyrical content. He also eschewed the heavy sampling of his previous albums for real, live instrumentation. In interviews, Beck cited the breakup with his longtime girlfriend as the major influence on the album. Sea Change, which itself is an idiom for broad transformation, peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200, later being certified gold in March 2005 by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The album received overwhelmingly positive critical acclaim upon release, with several reviews regarding it as Beck's magnum opus. Reviewers parsed the change in style from the sonically experimental to simple and emotional.Sea Change is the eighth studio album by American alternative rock artist Beck, released on September 24, 2002. Recorded over a two month period at Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles with producer Nigel Godrich, the record includes themes of heartbreak and desolation, solitude and loneliness. "Lost Cause" and "Guess I'm Doing Fine" were released as singles.
For the record, much of Beck's trademark recondite, ironic lyrics were replaced by more sincere, simpler lyrical content. He also eschewed the heavy sampling of his previous albums for real, live instrumentation. In interviews, Beck cited the breakup with his longtime girlfriend as the major influence on the album. Sea Change, which itself is an idiom for broad transformation, peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200, later being certified gold in March 2005 by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The album received overwhelmingly positive critical acclaim upon release, with several reviews regarding it as Beck's magnum opus. Reviewers parsed the change in style from the sonically experimental to simple and emotional.false2025-11-07 20:04:47Sea Change20032003-12-162003-12-1666Alternative RockRock1116572113982ee4127d7-644d-4766-bf3a-a796a506bc38309c62ba-7a22-4277-9f67-4a162526d18a5f84e8b9-b8e5-3fbf-b514-0192a62d88b6/media/data/media5/Music/Beck/Sea Change/folder.jpgBeckBeckBeck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970), known mononymously as Beck, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his experimental and lo-fi style, and became known for creating musical collages of wide-ranging genres. He has musically encompassed folk, funk, soul, hip hop, electronic, alternative rock, country, and psychedelia. He has released 14 studio albums (three of which were released on indie labels), as well as several non-album singles and a book of sheet music.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Beck grew towards hip hop and folk in his teens and began to perform locally at coffeehouses and clubs. He moved to New York City in 1989 and became involved in the city's anti-folk movement. Returning to Los Angeles in the early 1990s, he cut his breakthrough single "Loser", which became a worldwide hit in 1994, and released his first major album, Mellow Gold, the same year. Odelay, released in 1996, topped critic polls and won several awards. He released the country-influenced, twangy Mutations in 1998, and the funk-infused Midnite Vultures in 1999. The soft-acoustic Sea Change in 2002 showcased a more serious Beck, and 2005's Guero returned to Odelay's sample-based production. The Information in 2006 was inspired by electro-funk, hip hop, and psychedelia; 2008's Modern Guilt was inspired by '60s pop music; and 2014's folk-infused Morning Phase won Album of the Year at the 57th Grammy Awards. His 2017 album, Colors, won awards for Best Alternative Album and Best Engineered Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. His fourteenth studio album, Hyperspace, was released on November 22, 2019.
With a pop art collage of musical styles, oblique and ironic lyrics, and postmodern arrangements incorporating samples, drum machines, live instrumentation and sound effects, Beck has been hailed by critics and the public throughout his musical career as being among the most idiosyncratically creative musicians of 1990s and 2000s alternative rock. Two of Beck's most popular and acclaimed recordings are Odelay and Sea Change, both of which were ranked on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Beck is a four-time platinum artist; he has collaborated with several artists and has made several contributions to soundtracks.