The Guero UMD

Back in 2005 when the PSP was debuting, there was a lot of potential for the device in terms of content that Sony was demonstrating.  One example was the idea of having supplemented or alternative materials for a music album.  So when a band or music artist were to release their latest album, not only would you be able to buy a copy of the CD or download a copy of it, but there would also be a UMD that included not only all of the tracks of the album, but also bonus tracks and remixes, music videos, and behind the scenes content.  Think of it like an enhanced CD on steroids.

This was something I was actually excited for because not only would I obsess over the latest album from a group I liked, but I would also scan the internet and music video channels for everything related to it.  So having something like this released on the same date as the album for a portable device that played high quality audio and videos (for 2005), this was a no brainer: I would have to buy these dumb little UMD supplements.  But alas, this idea never really took off as they advertised, but there were a few that did come out.  Heck, I didn’t even know it actually existed as a product that was placed on store shelves until a few weeks ago when I was looking at the Wikipedia page that lists all of movies released for the UMD format.

Some were close to that vision of an all-in-one media extravaganza that supplements an album, but only one that I saw actually did it: the UMD for Guero.

That’s right.  Beck’s 2005 studio album Guero not only got a CD release, but also a UMD and DVD drop, too.  Different from movies on the UMD format, the spine of the UMD labels Guero as “UMD Music Video” instead of “UMD Movie.”  I guess it’s to note that it’s more of a music album (or more related to the music industry) and less of a video (in regards to a theatrical film).  As subtle as that is, I kind of like the UMD labeling.  It lets you know there’s more to this UMD than just a 90 minute video.  The musical note on the UMD case probably also notes the difference as well when compared to a movie UMD that includes an icon of a strip of film.

The Guero UMD is jammed packed with goodies including not only the original songs from the CD, but also remixes, music videos, and a visual version of the tracks by D-Fuse.  Below is the track list with some notes I jotted for each one, including the bonus tracks.

1. "E-Pro" - This is the first track I heard from Guero when it was played on the radio.  Cool to find out it sampled "So What'cha Want" from the Beastie Boys.  Never knew that, but it's stupidly obvious once you're aware of it.

2. "Qué Onda Guero" – I’m guessing it’s based on Beck’s life growing up in East Los Angeles.  Someone perfectly described it as, “It's like an entire Mexican street festival compressed into under 4 minutes.”

3. "Girl" - Another radio hit.  Love the guitar in this one.

4. "Missing" - Holy crud is this a good song -- and probably my favorite from the album.  Has a lot of strings, making it a very orchestral sounding song.  The lyrics are lovely, too.

5. "Black Tambourine" - First time I heard this was from Lumines II.  I think it’s found on the game when you play on the hard difficulty level.

6. "Earthquake Weather" - You can definitely hear the Dust Brothers in this one (and that's a good thing).  Very reminiscent of Paul's Boutique.

7. "Hell Yes" - Dope track with a nice electronic beat.

8. "Broken Drum" - This is where the album hits a lull for me.  I know this song is kind of popular, but it doesn't really click for me.  A bit too slow without much punch to it, but RIP to Elliott Smith for whom this song is dedicated to.

9. "Scarecrow" - Nothing to note here.

10. "Go It Alone" - The bass (done by special guest Jack White) and hand claps are a nice touch here.

11. "Farewell Ride" - Really dig this one.  Has a real western tune to it with the guitar, harmonica, and a stomp-clap beat.

12. "Rental Car" - Nothing to say but "this is a great song."

13. "Emergency Exit" - Ghostly with a twang (hopefully this makes sense if you listen to it).

As noted earlier, the UMD also comes with extra tracks not found on the CD version of the US album; making the total number of tracks on this UMD to 20!  Some of these are bonus tracks for other regions like Japan or were included on the DVD.  Of them all, I like "Clap Hands" the most.
(EXTRA TRACKS)
14. "Send a Message to Her"
15. "Chain Reaction"
16. "Clap Hands"
17. "Girl" (Octet remix)
18. "Broken Drum" (Boards of Canada remix)
19. "Still Missing" (Röyksopp remix of "Missing")
20. "Fax Machine Anthem" (Dizzee Rascal remix of "Hell Yes")

For the music videos, here’s the list for them, too.  The first three are the official music vids, but the last four are based on remixes by DJs 8-Bit and Paza Rahm.  The remixes are very chiptuned, which I think was very new in 2005, making people in their late-teens and early-twenties lose their minds.  It is a shame though that the official music video for “Hell Yes” was not included.  This is a glaring omission in my opinion as that was a pretty rad music video with those little QRIO robots dancing around on stage.  But I guess it wasn’t out yet when this UMD was released.

“E-Pro” - official
“Girl” - official
“Black Tambourine” - official
"Ghettochip Malfunction" (8-Bit remix of Hell Yes)
"Gameboy/Homeboy" (8-Bit remix of Qué Onda Guero)
"Bad Cartridge" (Paza Rahm remix of E-Pro)
"Bit Rate Variations in B Flat" (Paza Rahm remix of Girl)

Each of the 13 tracks from the CD release is accompanied by a visualizer.  This visualizer, created by D-Fuse, is different for each song so they are all unique.  Not much to say here, but they do move to the beat of the music.  They include a mix of stuff like abstract images, real photos, and video clips flying all around the screen; either quickly shown in a slideshow format or displayed in some artsy way.  My favorite one was for "Farewell Ride."  The rest were, I don’t know, well…let’s just say while I appreciated the effort put in for the visualizers, I would have preferred something else like a short video documenting the making of Guero or perhaps songs that were rejected and not included in the album.

UMD stuff aside, Beck’s Guero is a fantastic album and is as good as his 1996 album, Odelay.  Its tracks cover a wide range of genres like rock, electronic, hip hop, alternative, country/western, and…Mariachi!  It’s incredibly awesome that I have something that’s not only just a music album, but as something that celebrates an album in both an audio and visual form.  Kind of like an ultra-deluxe version of an album that would normally be released during its 10th anniversary, but instead getting it on the same date as when the album originally drops.  Hopefully there are a few more UMDs like this from other artists that I have still yet to discover, because if so, I’ll be snatching them up, too.

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