The Information falls just short of earning an alternate title Deja Vu, retreading the already retread turf of last year's Guero but without the latter's touch of Mission District flava. Which is not to say it falls short as an album, it just doesn't quite live up to the heady standards Beck fans have for Beck.

While Guero seemed to be all over the map, touching on the various incarnations of Beck we have come to know and love, The Information continues the trend of self emulation but focuses on the early, scruffy hip-hop of Mellow Gold, main stage alterna-pop of Odelay and Midnite Vultures need to shake it. Throw a healthy dose of IDM into the mix and you've got yourself a new Beck album. There's not really much to say here that I didn't say here. I miss the Beck album that somehow managed to compress multiple genres into one track in ways that elevated each idea to something both familiar and new. It seems for now we'll be hearing genres shift from track to track along what have become pretty well established lines. The Information hits a more consistent if shallow groove than his last outing and should have a little 1/2 star after that sixth one up there.