Before it arrived in February of last year, Morning Phase already came with a hefty story. Positioned as a sequel or sister album to Sea Change, Morning Phase was the first Beck album since Sea Change’s 2002 release to take the same angle: A serious, introspective work of a predominantly acoustic nature, and with some of the same personnel as its predecessor. It was also the first Beck album since 2008’s Modern Guilt, by far his biggest gap in a career that was very prolific up until 2008, so it landed high on anticipated albums lists like ours at the end of 2013. Despite widespread strong reviews, this baggage seemed to divide people. There appeared to be those for whom this narrative was perfect, those who loved the style and callback toSea Change. Others thought Morning Phase was a bit boring, and maybe even a bit cheap — Beck cashing in on the power of this singular entry in his catalog to imbue this new release with an unearned sense of gravity. I’ll admit, I was initially in the latter camp. As the year wore on, Beck’s album didn’t seem to make that much of an impact; it didn’t take hold of 2014 the way Sun Kil Moon’s Benji, the War On Drugs’ Lost In The Dream, or Run The Jewels’ second outing did. It popped up in respectful positions on some end of year lists, was completely absent on others, and inexplicably topped Mojo’s. (Even Beck’s own tweet thanking them seemed halfway shocked.) So, one would imagine, that’s part of why Beck’s Grammy win for Morning Phasesparked the kind of conversation and back and forth it did — even for those critics who were longtime Beck fans, this was probably more of a minor Beck work that wound up beating a Beyonce album many saw as the obvious winner.

Even with my being pretty ambivalent about Beyonce, I’m not sure Morning Phase deserved an Album Of The Year Grammy, but I do have to say that the album has proven itself a far stronger, more gripping entry into Beck’s catalog than I initially thought last year. One thing that actually bothers me about Beck from time to time is how all over the place his albums are; I know it seems bizarre to complain about that when we’re talking about an artist who’s known and celebrated for his gleeful collision of genres, but for me that also often results in albums being uneven quality-wise. I appreciate the Beck offerings like Morning Phase, that stick to one thing and do it exceedingly well. “Blue Moon,” which first hit me as a very good single, has sneakily become one of my favorite Beck songs. “Waking Light” was always a stunning closer. Other gems have now sold me on Morning Phase’s strength — the droning sadness of “Wave,” the Simon & Garfunkel-esque “Turn Away,” the chime and coo of “Morning.” Maybe Beck is aging out into more of a traditionalist, but, honestly, it’s a really good look for him right now. I’m not sure I want to hear what a mid-40s Beck’s version of Odelay or even Guero would sound like. Morning Phase arrived well after the surprise that Beck could be mature and introspective, but the album turned out to be a surprisingly persistent entity itself. I have a feeling its stock might continue to rise in Beck’s catalog, and hopefully it’s a signal of a renewed period of creativity in Beck’s career after that six year absence.