Beck's 'Loser' at 30 and the golden age of slacker rock
by Cheryl Waters, Stephen Thompson and Robin Hilton
February 27, 2024
When Beck's "Loser" dropped in March of 1994, nothing on mainstream radio sounded like it. While the seeds of slacker rock had already been planted by bands like Pavement and Guided By Voices, Beck's wildly infectious mix of DIY hip-hop and ramshackle folk, with seemingly nonsensical lyrics, upended an entire industry. On this episode of All Songs Considered, KEXP's Cheryl Waters joins NPR's Stephen Thompson and host Robin Hilton to look back at 30 years of "Loser," its impact on the rise of slacker rock and how we're still hearing its legacy today.
Beck tracks featured in this episode:
From Mellow Gold:
"Loser"
"Truckdrivin Neighbors Downstairs (Yellow Sweat)"
"Beercan"
"Blackhole"
From Stereopathetic Soulmanure:
"Satan Gave Me A Taco"
"Rowboat"
From One Foot In The Grave:
"One Foot In The Grave"
Also featured:
Basehead: "Brand New Day" from Play with Toys
Ween: "Push th' Little Daisies" from Pure Guava
King Missile: "Detachable Penis" from Happy Hour
Pussy Galore: "Brick" from Sugars*** Sharp
The Lemonheads: "Half the Time" from Lovey
Guided by Voices: "#2 in the Model Home Series" from Vampire on Titus
Sebadoh: "Soul and Fire" from Bubble & Scrape
Pavement: "Cut Your Hair" from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
Alex G: "Runner" from God Save the Animals
Courtney Barnett: "History Eraser" from The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas
Frankie Cosmos: "Apathy" from Vessel
Beck: "F**** With My Head (Mountain Dew Rock)" from Mellow Gold
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