Sea Change

Sea Change is the eighth studio album by American alternative rock artist Beck, released on September 24, 2002. Recorded over a two month period at Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles with producer Nigel Godrich, the record includes themes of heartbreak and desolation, solitude and loneliness. "Lost Cause" and "Guess I'm Doing Fine" were released as singles. For the record, much of Beck's trademark recondite, ironic lyrics were replaced by more sincere, simpler lyrical content. He also eschewed the heavy sampling of his previous albums for real, live instrumentation. In interviews, Beck cited the breakup with his longtime girlfriend as the major influence on the album. Sea Change, which itself is an idiom for broad transformation, peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200, later being certified gold in March 2005 by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album received overwhelmingly positive critical acclaim upon release, with several reviews regarding it as Beck's magnum opus. Reviewers parsed the change in style from the sonically experimental to simple and emotional.