Beck hits ‘uncharted territory’ with ‘Mutations’
The experimental musician
tinkers with various genres
in his 11-track release
By Amy Boytz
Oregon Daily Emerald
As the saying goes, you can’t
teach an old dog new tricks. But
Beck Hansen, who has been in the
pop music scene for the better
half of the decade, is not old. And
he’s continuously pulling new
tricks out of his bag.
Beck’s newest release, “Muta
tions,” is yet another delve into
unchartered territory — some
thing Beck has been known for
throughout his career.
To compare “Mutations” with
1996’s “Odelay” is almost impos
sible; the two albums seem as if
they were created by different
artists. Then again, maybe they
were.
Since the beginning of his mu
sical career, Beck has continually
altered his style — so much so
that it is almost fair to say he has
multiple musical personalities.
He has released radio-friendly
pop albums such as “Odelay” and
“Mellow Gold” and alternated
them with indie-folk records,
such as "One Foot in the Grave.”
“Mutations” is yet another in
the series of folk-driven albums.
All 11 songs on the disc feature
lazy, laid-back rhythms and
thoughtful vocals. Unlike the
songs on “Odelay," this album
features few samples and only the
occasional up-tempo song.
But though “Mutations” has a
subdued mood, Beck nonetheless
covers a whole gamut of musical
styles on the disc. There are folk
songs, country songs — even a
bossa nova lounge track. Basical
ly, it’s like the perfect compilation
album to play at a swanky party,
but all the tracks are performed by
one artist.
"Canceled Check” is a brilliant
old-country style piece. The
honky tonk piano and slide guitar
make this song sound just like
something sung in a saloon.
One of the highlights on the al
bum is “Tropicalia,” a bossa nova
a la Beck
song. This
groove
based
dance
track is
layered
with intri
cate per
cussion
rhythms
and in
strumen
tal lines,
all of
which rest
atop syn
thesizer
‘Mutations’
Beck
TYPE: Alternative
PRODUCED BY:
Geffen Records
RATING:
★★★★★
samples.
Beck even tries his hand at the
blues on this album. “Bottle of
Blues” is a traditional blues song,
complete with harmonica and
distorted guitar. Lyrics such as
“Ain’t it hard, ain’t it hard/ To
want somebody who doesn't
want you” push the song further
into the realm of blues.
Songs such as “Dead Melodies”
and "Nobody’s Fault But My
Own” sound like lost tracks off
Courtesy photo
Beck once again strikes out on his own innovative journey in his new album Mutations.'
the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper's Lonely
Hearts Club Band. Both of these
songs feature non-traditional rock
instruments, such as the cello, vi
ola and sitar.
As with Beck's previous
records, “Mutations” proves that
Beck does not restrict himself to
certain musical styles. He is con
stantly experimenting with new
and innovative approaches.
Beck is a study in mutation.
Ring of Fire spices up Eugene cuisine scene
1 he restaurant, which
opened in June, serves
food from the Pacific Rim
By Amy Boytz
Oregon Daily Emerald
Sometimes names really do
mean what they say.
Take, for instance, Ring of Fire,
the name of a new Eugene restau
rant that serves food from the Pa
cific Rim. The name alludes to the
region from which the food
comes, but it is also a strong indi
cation of the burning feeling that
remains on your lips after the
meal.
Most of the items on Ring of
Fire’s menu are Thai. Traditional
ingredients in Thai food include
rice noodles, jasmine rice,
seafood, tofu and vegetables. It is
the sauces, such as peanut sauce
or curry, that add heat. The menu
at Ring of Fire offers a key indicat
ing how hot each dish is, with a
scale from one to three stars. Three
stars will clear your sinuses.
The restaurant offers a variety
of noodle and stir fry dishes, as
well as various appetizers, soups
and salads. Ring of Fire also fea
tures special entrees each night.
As for the food, it was accept
able but not outstanding. For an
appetizer, the Crispy Tofu was
tasty but scant. Four slight pieces
of fried tofu for more than four
dollars is not reasonable, especial
ly considering that appetizers are
usually shared.
The entrees were served in
healthy portions for a reasonable
price, however. Prices range from
$8.75 to $13.75 for entrees.
The Matsaman, a spicy mix of
chicken or tofu, potatoes and
onions in a peanut sauce, was
very tasty but lacking in content.
The dish consisted mostly of
sauce with only a few chunks of
potato and onion. However, the
delicate texture of the perfectly
cooked tofu was satisfying and
enjoyable. This dish was served
with a
bowl of
jasmine
rice,
which
nicely
comple
mented
the entree
and
Ring of Fire
TYPE: Thai
LOCATION:
Chambers Street and
West 11th Avenue
RATING:
★★★ * *
helped ex- --
tinguish
the intense fire of the sauce.
The Phad Thai, one of the
restaurant’s most popular dishes,
was excellent. The stir-fried noo
dles were just the right blend of
tender but chewy. The mix com
bined the perfect amount of
chicken or tofu, egg, bean sprouts
and peanuts in a sweet sauce,
which nicely soothed the palate.
This is the kind of dish to order if
you’re averse to spicy dishes, said
Josh Keim, co-founder of the
restaurant.
A tart honey-ginger lemonade
•was a good beverage to extinguish
the flames of the dishes.
Ring of Fire heavily caters to
vegetarians and vegans, with the
possibility to substitute tofu for al
most all of the meat products in
the dishes. However, watch out
for dishes that sound vegetarian
but made with fish sauce.
“Even though it says it’s vege
tarian, a lot of Asian cooking uses
fish sauce and oyster sauce,”
Keim said. He recommended let
ting the server know your dietary
Turn to RESTAURANT, Page 8A
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