Beck - Modern Guilt

Beck could be considered one of the better (if not the best) songwriters of this generation. His catchy lyrics, and genre-jumping extremes have earned him a place in music history. From the intensity of his slide guitar antics on "Mellow Gold", to his infectious organ keys on "Odelay!", Beck knows what he's doing when he releases his music. His newest record, dubbed "Modern Guilt" is to be released July 8th in America (which also shares Beck's birthday), and to be produced by the great producer; DJ Danger Mouse who has already made name for himself over the past few years. The new album is said to be a mix of the classic Beck and 60's Brit rock.


"Orphans" is a song that is scarily catchy. The song has so much happening (musically) that you couldn't ever find yourself walking away humming it as much as you do. With verse and chorus over-singing by Cat Power- it makes this song VERY complicated, but very likable and distinct for what the rest of the record has in store for you.

"Gamma Ray" has a very "driving down a secluded highway in a Shelby Mustang" feel, it feels like Beck is properly incorporating (not replicating) the Brit rock feel. When Beck's vocals begin, you get a warped, mixed feeling that sounds like the character of "The Man From Another Place" from the TV show "Twin Peaks. "Gamma Ray" song really shows off how DJ Danger Mouse influenced the record, with his trademark eerie keyboard vocal overtones.

"Chemtrails" was the first single, and first released song from the new album. The song starts with very elegant ambient keyboard and bass, while Beck begins to sing over top of it all. The song kicks kicks in with an impressive drum beat that brings complete life to the song. While the song shows of the experimentation of the album, it doesn't feel completely like it belongs on the album. It feels like it could most certainly be a B-Side of sorts... but, the album wouldn't be tarnished without the existence of this song.

"Modern Guilt" which plays the role of the title track, is also one of the catchiest songs from the album. The song even FEELS like it was written to be catchy, even including "da-da-da's" into parts of the song. The bass and drum are rather prominent through the song, with the guitar chiming in more loudly during the chorus- while the Piano and Keyboard are featured pretty much throughout the entire song to fill in and give life to the song.

"Youthless" sounds like it fell directly out of Beck's previous effort, "The Information". With a hip-hop bass line, and lots of synth and minimalism- it seems to blend perfectly with what is in the rest of the record, which- could be considered a bad thing, if you're looking for tracks that stand out to the ear, and make you envision what you're hearing.

"Walls" is the second song on "Modern Guilt" in which Beck is accompanied by indie-pop musician Cat Power. Like the previous song with Cat Power, it boils down to her singing quietly under Beck's vocals, while the different drum beats and orchestrations stand out. The song works well and seems to follow along the same emotional feel of the record.

"Replica" has a spastic, shattering drum-beat, and an impressive guitar riff that sounds like it fell directly out of an "Explosions in the Sky" song. This song shows off yet another branch of creativity that Beck is known for- minimalist aspects, and cultured music.

"Soul of a Man" takes a more classic Beck approach to songwriting. Filled with a heavy guitar riff, and infectious grooves- it feels like one of the first Beck-revival songs in a long time (Though to place that Beck has a paticular sound is rather redundant in of itself).

"Profanity Prayers" begins with a very orchestral synth intro- then spouts directly into a rough, radioheadesque garage sound. at about the 2:40 mark, it lashes into an intense drum beat, with an acoustic guitar over top- just as quickly as it happens, it's over- and back into the song. The last 30 seconds are a barrage of weird, low-volume synths hitting over top of the previous garage sound.

"Volcano" is the last track on the record, and it doesn't let down. The second the vocals kick in over the acoustic guitar, it can take anyone (familiar with Beck at least) back to the Sea Change era. Even the chorus has the weird hyphy sound from the beginning of "Lost Cause". With the emotional nature of this song, it makes a perfect closer to the album.



Beck could possibly be considered one of the most innovative, provocative, and spontaneous musicians of this (or any) generation.

The fact that he decided to work with such an acclaimed producer like DJ Danger mouse (who already has an impressive portfolio himself) says that he takes his music seriously.

When you look at who he was, and how he wrote his early records like "Mellow Gold" and compare them to this one- you can note how he's grown up in front of everyone (musically, at least).

He went from being an anti-folk superstar that writes about how Mountain Dew Fucked with his head, to writing heartfelt songs about emotional breakdowns.

The music in "Modern Guilt" often feels like "The Information: Part 2", because many of the songs feel like they fell exactly from that era.

This record is in NO way a dud, but- it's to listen to THIS Beck, when you know that "Odelay!" is out there.

Final Score: 8.5 Giraffes out of 10.