Cold Brains

Released in early 1999 as a companion piece to the Mutations sessions, the Cold Brains EP serves as a vital document of Beck's 'folk-blues' period. While Mutations was famously recorded in just two weeks with producer Nigel Godrich, the tracks on this EP - particularly 'Runners Dial Zero' and the Skip Spence cover 'Halo of Gold' - highlight the more experimental and bleak corners of those sessions. 'Halo of Gold' is a standout, transforming the original's psych-folk into a heavy, sludge-influenced blues dirge that predates the darker tones of Sea Change. The EP also includes 'Electric Music and the Summer People,' a track that provides a rare moment of upbeat, rhythmic contrast with its '60s garage-pop leanings, though it still retains the surrealist lyrical bite characteristic of the era. Critically, this EP is viewed as a bridge between Beck's 90s irony and his 2000s sincerity, showcasing a musician comfortable with stripping away his own production armor.