Beck has never been one to repeat himself, unless it’s absolutely intentional.

Between the mellow melancholy of 2002’s “Sea Change” and the pseudo-techno beats of last year’s “Guero,” a more jarring contrast is difficult to imagine.

But “The Information” finds the new-wave troubadour walking over similar ground as his 1996 classic “Odelay.” However, he seems to have worked out any imperfections that may have plagued the sound 10 years ago, eliminated them, and wrote this new batch of songs to meet his approval. And the results are even more fun than the customizable .sticker-based cover art.

“Elevator Music,” “Cellphone’s Dead” and the title track sport weird, off-kilter hooks only Beck and producer Nigel Godrich could possibly make completely accessible — but they’ve succeeded. “I Think I’m In Love” might be the catchiest song he’s written since “Devil’s Haircut” a decade ago, and “Strange Apparition” sounds like a Phish song for people who don’t like Phish. On “Nausea,” he sounds as though he’s singing to a girl named Nasusea, instead of about an unpleasant stomach ailment.

The rest of the 15 songs showcase other elements of Beck’s delightful idiosyncrasies, brought to complete visual life with the accompanying DVD of homemade music videos. The videos run the gamut from light and funny to dark and disturbing, much as one would expect coming from the mind of an artist like Beck.

Both Beck and Godrich are clearly at the top of their respective games. Beck has finally compiled a collection of songs that is utterly listenable (something he’s never quite managed), and Godrich has shouldered the massive burden of making those songs come to pass. If anyone else had produced the album, the results would be — obviously — vastly different.

But as it stands, the results are so good it seems like trying anything else would’ve just been a mistake.

Beck is easily one of the most creative (and lucrative) songwriters in the limelight, and has been able to stay there for over a decade. “The Information” is one of the strongest records he’s released since the turn of the century, and is too much fun to pass up.

Evan Thorne is a music critic for the Northern Star