In Beck's oeuvre, this one ranks pretty minor. A suspect part of the reason this was released at all was to not pigeon-hole the guy as some kind of postmodern slack-rock enthusiast (it was released around the same time as his debut, Mellow Gold and the lo-fi freakout Stereopathetic Soul Manure). It's a pleasant listen, though. Most of it is acoustic guitar-driven (aside from bursts of distortion on "Burnt Orange Peel"). Songs like "Outcome," "Asshole" and "Sleeping Bag" point the way towards the softer side of Beck's future on Mutations and Sea Change. As with those efforts, the hipster ironic kind of humor Beck employs on Mellow Gold is missing, but what's left is the melodic foundation that forms the backbone of his musical identity.
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