My iPod #270: Beck - Devils Haircut

If only this song played every time I was just casually walking down the street. Wearing some nice clothes with the track blaring out from an unknown source, people staring at me while I just walk on by ignoring them. It can obviously never happen. But if it did I would feel like the coolest mother around.

That's basically the plot to the video for "Devils Haircut", the first trackon Beck's album "Odelay". That is until we find out that spies have been watching him the whole time. It's a brilliant music video directed by Mark Romanek, one that only makes listening to the song even better.

Not a lot of people know what the song is about, including myself. To me it seems like a bunch of random words that link together really well and sound good to the ear, very much like every other They Might Be Giants song or "Peacebone" by Animal Collective, which all sum up to being a metaphor for a devil's haircut. Whatever it's about doesn't really matter. Once that three note riff comes in, I'm instantly hooked. The cool beats and terrific sampling by The Dust Brothers are what give the track its edge.