Modern Guilt

One of my favorite artists, music or otherwise, is Beck. I get a feeling of true expression with his music, someone who is always experimenting yet is staying true to his self. During high school, I always licked what I heard, but never got into more than his radio songs, so I split his career into pre- and post-college. Looking at his post-college albums, you start with the near perfect Sea Change, which was followed by Guerro, which had some great songs, but I wasn't impressed. Several years later, Beck went back to producer Nigel Goodrich (of Radiohead production fame) and put out The Information, which was a solid fun album, and another departure yet truly Beck album.

When I heard the new album was produced by Danger Mouse (of Gnarls Barkley fame) I was very excited, and I was rewarded! Modern Guilt is concise, crisp, forward thinking, and classically Beck. Clocking in at just over 30 minutes, Beck and Danger Mouse put together 10 tracks that are fresh and exciting. One of my only problems with some Beck albums has been that they go on too long, and towards the end the songs start sounding the same (see Guerro not above) but this one is not that at all.

The first track Orphans is a sparse self exploration that slowly fills out into a toe tapping, shoulder shaking diddy. Gamma Ray is a Odelay esque track that has cool effects used throughout. The title track Modern Guilt is first of the heavy Mouse influence, and while you can hear a little Gnarls Barkley, it's not overwhelming. Youthless is a little jump into the hip-hop world, which Beck has always done in his own way with a underlying bass beat driving the song. Some of my favorite lyrics on the whole album come from Walls; "You got warheads stacked in the kitchen/you treat distraction like instant religion/the battlesticks snap at the rhythm/you give the best with the souls you've been given."

Replica and Soul of a Man both give this weird feeling of being throw backs, but with a modern twist. Profanity Prayers is a danceable track that I think will be a great one for the live shows. The last track Volcano is another sparse song with a drum line that is drawn out for a melodic and smooth piece.

Overall I give the CD a 8. If you like Beck, you will very entertained by this latest incarnation.