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Nov 22, 2019A joyfully introspective, minimalistic but sophisticated, contagiously melodic, straight-ahead, analog synth-pop record with a fleeting few of old school Beck’s signature touches — a few raps here, some dobro and harmonica there. ... Gorgeous.
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Nov 21, 2019A pristine collection that’s at once the past’s idea of the future as it is the here and now.
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Classic Rock MagazineDec 10, 2019The sound of the otherworldly sci-fi R&B that's released when psych country singer-songwriter and a future-pop production legend bond at molecular level. [Jan 2019, p.86]
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Dec 3, 2019Not all of the 11 tracks here strike gold, but they glitter and glow with positivity.
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Nov 26, 2019For all of his vigor for partnership, is a solitary classicist, a singer-songwriter wrestling with the dynamics of desire and emotional commitment. Hyperspace is grounded in that realism.
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Nov 25, 2019Once the lyrical sorrow and apocalyptic visions hit home, Hyperspace is revealed as a bleak, spacey R&B tour de force.
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Nov 25, 2019Overall, it's a glittering, multi-sensory synth-pop record that compels you to let yourself be transported through cosmic dimensions and the rich, textured under-layers of Beck’s creative psyche.
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MojoNov 21, 2019The combination of shimmering sonics and dislocated characters is what makes Hyperspace so holistic, and compelling. [Jan 2020, p.83]
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Nov 21, 2019There are a few early misfires here, but they are rescued by a stunning second half on which Beck’s trademark sound is stripped back and drenched in a glistening synth-filled air that takes him into a daring new era.
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Q MagazineNov 19, 2019For such a heavenly record, an all-star cast makes perfect sense. [Jan 2020, p.108]
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UncutNov 19, 2019Hyperspace never feels over calculated or overdressed. Instead, it's the work of an artist who sounds fully re-engaged. [Jan 2020, p.20]
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Nov 25, 2019Overall, in spite of its goofy throwback artwork and the presence of Pharrell Williams, Hyperspace belongs on the shelf closest to Sea Change. There are more clunkers here than on that classic, but it feels similarly honest and world-weary.
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Nov 25, 2019While there’s no memorable poppy chorus here, or lush, full-band arrangements, or zany quirkiness, Hyperspace is nevertheless totally Beck: an experiment in broadening his own horizons, trying something new, which yet again just so happens to sound quite refreshing. It’s a worthy addition to this musical chameleon’s catalogue.
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Nov 21, 2019Beck never lingers upon either his melancholy or his celestial flights of fantasy: they exist simultaneously, resulting in a tremulous and pretty soundtrack for moments of fleeting introspection.
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Nov 19, 2019It's a beautifully understated album with subtleties that reveal themselves on repeat listens. Hyperspace isn't quite what fans would expect from a team-up between Beck and the guy who wrote "Happy," and it's better for it.
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Nov 22, 2019When he strips everything else away and zeroes in on penning a purely gorgeous song, you can hear the spark that has made him one of the most consistent and creative mainstream artists of the past 25 years. It’s still in there, sometimes you just have to travel through Hyperspace to find it.
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Nov 19, 2019Although Hyperspace can be dull at certain moments, Beck has discovered a new songwriting style that’s conducive to his adventurous tendencies.
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Dec 3, 2019Sometimes he hits pure signal, and sometimes it’s just background noise as he gets to wherever he’s going next.
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Nov 22, 2019Co-produced with Pharrell Williams, Hyperspace leans into Beck's hip-hop fascinations, this time trading the soul samples of his past for mellow SoundCloud rap trends of the 2010s.
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Nov 22, 2019It’s just about enough to keep you browsing, but never enough to inspire.
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Nov 19, 2019While these are enjoyable enough tracks to soundtrack your day, there’s little of the lasting emotion or progression for which we know Beck.
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Nov 21, 2019Beck’s 2006 album The Information is a better example of his unrivaled funhouse approach to style and tone: By blending techno, folk, punk, hip-hop, Krautrock, blues, ambient, and groove-oriented rock, that album is by turns strange, aggressive, hilarious, disturbing, eerie, and fun, all while expressing wry dismay over our current cyber-Armageddon. In comparison, and for all its apparent now-ness, Hyperspace feels inconsequential and incomplete.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 32 out of 51
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Mixed: 12 out of 51
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Negative: 7 out of 51
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Mar 22, 2021
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Dec 7, 2019
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Nov 24, 2019