Beck is a 56 year old musician, singer/songwriter & producer from Los Angeles, California who released his full-length studio debut Golden Feelings & Stereopathetic Soulmanure independently until signing to DGC Records for his most celebrated opus Mellow Gold preceding 1 Foot in the Grave. Odelay, Mutations, Midnite Vultures, the Geffen Records-backed Sea Change, his Interscope Records debut Guero, The Information & the Danger Mouse-produced Modern Guilt were all equally praised although his ongoing Capitol Records tenure has been hit or miss. Coming off Morning Phase as well as Colors & the Pharrell-produced ハイパースペース, the Fonograf Records founder’s back for a self-produced 15th studio LP.
The title track combines singer/songwriter, contemporary folk, Americana & alt-country for a melancholic take on loneliness whereas “Run Away” pleads for this individual not to leave, assuring there won’t be anything left to say whenever the apocalypse comes. “In the Night” explores chamber folk, singer/songwriter, art pop, Americana, chamber pop & folk rock so he can sing about lost love while “Failed Words” yearns to turn the world back to be with this individual 1 last time.
“Disappearing Act” blends singer/songwriter, chamber folk & art pop for the 3rd & final single tackling the unknown just before “For Your Love” kicks off the 2nd half of the album incorporating some strings to sing about wandering ruins only because of the affection Beck has for this person waiting down in the lowlands. “Slow Canyon” acoustically continues from there yearning to meet his lover inside a hurricane while “It Ends Right Here” sings about putting a stop to the search for this person he’s addressing.
Winding down the last leg of Ride Lonesome, the song “Falling Through My Hands” gently describes this lover who Beck met at a point in his life where he felt like he was sinking considering her a martyr of the battle while the piano-driven “If You Don’t Know What Love Is” sings about not knowing anything at all in response to the idea of not understanding the concept of love itself. The closer “Beyond the Light” spends the last 5 & a half minutes taking inspiration from Americana again asking if his partner remembers the dying of the light when the sun set on their love.
Some people didn’t think Beck would make anything as great as Modern Guilt ever again considering the mixed reception of his output in the last 2 decades, but he finally did it with Ride Lonesome. His production ditches the synthpop, alt-pop, dream pop, neo-psychedelia & electropop experimentations of it’s predecessor in favor of embracing the sounds of alt-country, singer/songwriter, art pop, chamber folk, contemporary folk, Americana, chamber pop & folk rock reminiscent of Morning Phase & Sea Change’s rich atmospherics for a reflective return.
Score: 4.5/5
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