On a Grammy night heavy on nostalgia and generally lacking in surprise, Beck bested heavily favored artists such as Beyonce and Sam Smith for album of the year.
The 57th annual Grammy Awards gave Beck's "Morning Phase" its highest accolade Sunday, while putting the brakes on the expected coronation of British soul star Smith and pop queen Beyonce.
The unexpected win continued a Grammy tradition of making up for past oversights by awarding a deserving, veteran artist for a lesser work. "Morning Phase" is in many ways a lighter knock-off of his somber "Sea Change" in 2002.
Despite the setback, Smith won four Grammys, including three of the "big four": best new artist and song of the year and record of the year, for his gospel-tinged hit "Stay With Me."
"Thanks for breaking my heart because you won me four Grammys," Smith said, addressing the lover who inspired many of the melancholy songs on his "In the Lonely Hour" debut album, including "Stay With Me."
Beyonce won two Grammys, but none in the major categories. She did get the last word, though. She performed Thomas A. Dorsey gospel classic "Take My Hand, Precious Lord," paving the way for a John Legend-Common collaboration on the stirring, new civil-rights anthem "Glory."
As part of the weekend of Grammy ceremonies, Chicago blues giant Buddy Guy received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
It was a night otherwise notable for conservative, even nostalgic presentations. Here are a few of the highs and lows from the nationally televised broadcast from Los Angeles:
Best Grammy opener ever? A 59-year-old juvenile delinquent in schoolboy knickers opened the prime-time broadcast, and you could practically see him cackling beneath his beanie. Angus Young amped things up instantly with his beleaguered band, AC/DC, which recently lost his brother, Malcolm Young, to dementia. But the rock didn't stop, not even for a tribute, sentimental or otherwise.
One "loser" and one big winner: "As a former loser" of best new artist, Taylor Swift handed Sam Smith his first big award of the night.
Stiffest performance? There were lots of contenders, including a lugubrious "A Little Bit of Your Heart" by Ariana Grande, complete with strings, clunky piano chords and bejeweled ear monitors. And Tom Jones and Jessie J didn't exactly light it up with their perfunctory tribute to the songwriting team of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. But imagine the barbershop quartet version they could've done with the winter-spring duo of Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, who "danced cheek to cheek" later with considerably more flair.
What decade is this anyway, Part 1? More than 30 minutes into the telecast, we still hadn't progressed much beyond the '80s in terms of look, tone and aesthetic. Miranda Lambert adopted the windblown sheen of an early Stevie Nicks MTV video for "Little Red Wagon."
What decade is this anyway, Part 2? Madonna reprised 1989 hit "Like a Prayer" with "Living for Love," except with dancing Minotaurs. Progress!
What decade is this anyway, Part 3? The Grammys interrupted itself for an ELO tribute, led by ELO founder Jeff Lynne, with strings, a massive band, and lots of decades-old hits. But why? Viewers could be forgiven for thinking they'd stumbled accidently into a "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert" rerun from the '70s.
Kanye West, sensitive dude: Kanye cranked up the Auto-Tune, just as he did on his melancholy "808's and Heartbreak" album in 2008, on "Only One." Auto-Tune is West's personal barometer for measuring sentimentality, this time directed at his daughter, North.
Strangest band: Herbie Hancock and Questlove as a backing band? John Mayer impersonating Buddy Holly? All in service of carrot-topped British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran? The mind reels.
Most expensive sideman ever? Most underutilized backing vocalist? Paul McCartney wins both awards. Rihanna dueted with West on "FourFiveSeconds," while McCartney was reduced to window-dressing, amiably strumming away on an acoustic guitar. "Paul, promise you'll pay my bail," Kanye crooned. Except no one could hear anything McCartney said or sang either. Microphone malfunction?
Did he bargain for this? It was a nice thought by someone to let Annie Lennox join Hozier for his hit "Take me to Church." But I'm guessing the Irish singer didn't expect to get absolutely smoked by Lennox, who ran away with his moment in the televised spotlight and also all her predecessors on the Grammys stage. Her powerhouse version of "I Put a Spell on You" cast a spell on Hozier all right. All he could do was stand in the shadows and smile.
Most relieved duet partner: Smith caught a break when Mary J. Blige didn't do an Annie Lennox on him for their surprisingly low-key "Stay With Me" collaboration.
Least expected Wes Anderson "Grand Budapest Hotel" homage: "Happy," as performed by Pharrell Williams, dressed as a bell-hop in a hotel lobby dance montage.
Inexplicable Grammy programming decisions, continued: Katy Perry following a domestic-abuse message from the President Obama with a ballad? Yes, that's exactly the singer America had in mind for that moment after last week's over-the-top Super Bowl halftime performance.
Best album of the year introduction, maybe ever: "Like books and black lives, albums matter." So said Prince.