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New Music: A Surprise Summer Jam from Beck

Singer-songwriter Beck's newest single is a playful departure from last year's <em>Morning Phase</em>.
Peter Hapak
/
Courtesy of the artist
Singer-songwriter Beck's newest single is a playful departure from last year's Morning Phase.

**NOTE: This song contains profanity**

Within ten seconds of Beck's new single, I had done about five double-takes. The beloved multi-instrumentalist and producer this morning released a surprise new single, "Dreams," that is as bouncy and playful as he's ever sounded. It's a particular departure coming on the heels of last year's Morning Phase, the atmospheric and thoughtful companion to 2004's Sea Change.

"Dreams" mashes together youthful electronic swagger, disco-leaning falsetto, funky, fuzzy guitar, and an anthemic pop hook, the combination of which sound both urgently contemporary and irresistibly vintage. Vocals and instrumentation were all provided by Beck and Greg Kurstin, a veteran of his touring band.

No album information was released with "Dreams," which makes this song the latest in the Grammy Award-winning artist's cosmology of stand-alone singles. Perhaps it's the harbinger of new sounds from Beck, or just a lighthearted departure before his next project --whatever else "Dreams" may be, it's a song I'll be grooving to all summer.

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