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Beck - Modern Guilt

Disclaimer: the author has not been the most diligent Beck fan, having passed over much of Beck's output between Odelay and The Information.

After deep rumination, I've finally come around to Modern Guilt, the latest offering from Beck. There were a few factors at play here that affected what I wanted to say about this album.

First, this is undeniably a Danger Mouse project. And after the egg DM laid with the Black Keys last disc and the uneven affair of Gnarls Barkley's The Odd Couple, this writer was not one to warm to another Mouse album so soon. Don't get me wrong, I love much DM's body of work, specifically the first GB, his work with Gemini, and Damon Albarn. But the risk of being so in-demand and acquiescing to the demanders is spreading yourself too thin which this reviewer thinks has been happening as of late. Also, I felt as if much of the music from Modern Guilt and the latest Gnarls album could have been interchangeable.

But, I'm not forgetting that this is a Beck album. And Beck is as Beck does, meaning he complicates things. First, there's no stand out pop jem which he's been known for. It's one thing to make pastiche, kitchen sink music, but to do it for 10+ years while maintaining the level of popular consciousness that Beck has is impressive and requires a knack for, either intentionally or unintentionally, making songs that everyday peeps can enjoy.

My next issue is with Beck's vocal delivery. He sing-speaks on the entirety of the album rather than rap-speaks like he did on much of The Information (which, btw is extremely strong on the first half but then really falls off). Also, here's a little experiment to gauge Beck's mood on this album. I randomly move to a middle point of a song on iTunes and see what the next lyric is: "so alone," "from a house that's burning," "I feel so cold when I'm at home," "when those walls are falling down on you," "I've been drifting on this wave so long I'm not sure if it's already crashed," and "I'm tired of evil." Not exactly a happy-go-lucky outlook.

But, after much struggling I've come around to this record. Nothing here is mind-blowing but Beck and D.M. just make damn good songs. The adequate, but somewhat snoozer-of-an-opener Orphans leads into the surf influenced 'Gamma Ray' which really picks up the pace. 'Chemtrails' features a slow meditative melody before the drums kick in then die out only to come back and ascend to a furious ranker. 'Youthless' and 'Modern Guilt' both feature beats that would be at home on The Information, with the former being more straight forward and the latter more freak-funked. 'Soul Of A Man' has the kind of grizzly guitar edge that should have been on the last Black Keys album.

So, in lengthy conclusion I give Beck's Modern Guilt two snaps with a twist. It took some getting used to, but Beck always comes different and sometimes it takes a little longer to come around. Click here for a sweet bonus remix of 'Gamma Ray' by Jay Reatard.