Yahoo! Music Album Review

Released on 23/01/06
Label: Interscope

A companion piece to Beck's "Guero" from last year, "Guerolito" (Spanish for 'little Guero' or little white boy) sees a parade of remixers including Air, Dizzee Rascal and Boards Of Canada retool every track on the original album, in chronological order (the artwork's been 'remixed' too). The point? Presumably, not just to create an hour of slick new electronic cuts for the world's DJ bars but, by retooling the originals (with rather more than two turntables and a microphone), to winkle out their hidden elements.

Let's see. Most arrangers - as is their wont - process Beck's original scruff-haired chirpiness through a dark and edgy filter. Everything drowns in black notes. Subsequently, while his big brother is out pop-and-lock-ing in the streets of Rio, "Guerolito" is, largely, a sombre, pensive little fellow, prone to gazing out of windows into the night and rolling himself lonely cigarettes.

As such, this is more for devotees of electronica and nerd-hop than Beck fans as, frequently, the remixes do not come close to the original. In the case of key title track "Que Ondé Guero", for example, which has been tweaked with keyboard-gazing gloom by Islands, the original's fantastic, finger-clickin', popsicle-meltin' street spirit has been drained and, sadly, replaced with little of interest. At one point they even slow down the vocal track right down, then speed it up again - just fancy.

"E-Pro", too - "Guero"'s handsome, knowing and super-sassy opening track - sounds like it has been bled white by leeches on Homelife's version. "Farewell Ride" by Subtle is undoubtedly daring and, with a little less self-consciousness, would even be haunting - but couldn't be more messy and dissatisfying. Dizzee Rascal apparently pays his younger cousin to chuck some mundane 'zoing's in the direction of "Hell Yes" in between nose-picking sessions, and the less said about Beastie Boy Adrock's hollow "Black Tambourine" the better.

The most successful projects here are those which don't try to out-freak the composer, yet complement his wanderings with thoughtful, relevant textures. "Girl" by Octet alternates pretty solo piano with bashing rock drums, building on the uneasy subject matter and desperation buried in the original's superficially poppy stylings. French synth overlords Air give "Missing" (now "Heaven Hammer") a catchy acoustic rock makeover with lush Eastern strings, while the most beautiful track of all is "Broken Drum" by Boards Of Canada - a fluid collage of what sounds like "Strawberry Fields Forever"-style mellotron with backwards guitar and softly shaken maracas.

These excepted, this is a somewhat deflating affair. By letting inferior guests share his stage, Beck only reminds us what a unique and gifted individual he is.

    by Anna Britten