Amazon.com: Beck's new album Modern Guilt, produced with Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton, will be released July 8, 2008.
The new album contains 10 new songs, and with the exception of last year's Grammy-nominated, digital-only single "Timebomb", Modern Guilt is the first new material Beck has written since the prolific stretch that produced 2005's platinum Guero and 2006's universally acclaimed The Information.
Modern Guilt is a tightly assembled group of songs that range in lyrical tone from introspection and social commentary to off the cuff wordplay and lighthearted humor. Musically, the album's ten tracks vacillate between economy and experimentation, hybrid and pop classicism, while consistently manifesting Beck and Danger Mouse's shared interest in psych-rock, folk, electronic minimalism and orchestration.
Beck is about to embark on a tour of the UK and Europe, followed by a number of US headline and festival appearances, culminating in Beck's biggest hometown headline show to date, September 20, 2008 at the Hollywood Bowl.
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People en Español: In the last few years, Beck has freely sailed the seas of electronic and alternative music, but he is now back on land with Modern Guilt, an album that gravitates mostly toward electronic music and that, unfortunately, only has a couple of songs that really stand out ("Modern Guilt," "Orphans"). The problem has nothing to do with the fact that this CD is more electronic than acoustic. The sound is poor, and it sounds as if Beck were actually singing out of a barrel. Also, the beat doesn’t change from one song to the next, and if you don’t listen carefully to each song, you could not tell when tracks change. Despite Beck being one of the most creative and versatile musicians in recent years, the songs of this album have no depth. Let’s just hope that Beck surprises with his next. --Ernesto Sánchez (People en Español) En los últimos años, Beck ha navegado libremente por las aguas de las música electrónica y la alternativa, ahora está regreso al mundo de la música con Modern Guilt, un disco que se inclina más hacia la música electrónica y que desgraciadamente sólo tiene un par de canciones que se destacan como "Modern Guilt" y "Orphans." Y el problema no tiene nada que ver con el hecho de que sea un disco más electrónico que acústico, el sonido del disco es muy pobre, pareciera que Beck está cantando dentro de una cubeta, y el beat no parece cambiar de una canción a la otra. Si no se pone extrema atención a cada canción no se dará cuenta del momento en que cambian los tracks. Si bien Beck es uno de los músicos más creativos y versátiles de los últimos años hay que decir que este es un disco en el que los temas carecen de profundidad. Esperemos que Beck realmente nos sorprenda con su siguiente producción. --Ernesto Sánchez (People en Español)
RI (and only if) YL how Beck would sound with Danger Mouse producing. I love (or seem to love) almost anything that Danger Mouse produces - his update on the general sound vibe of the '60's is something that never seems to get old for me (and he always seems to make his albums under 40 minutes or so).
Danger Mouse gets the first mention because Beck's sound is ALWAYS different. There's always something to get into your system upon the first listen or so, there's a good distorto-track ("Walls") with some good lyrics about ego destruction that could operate as the sequel to "Just A Thought" from "St. Elsewhere".
I like it because after "The Information" I dismissed "Guero" as being too light. This one got me to listen to the lyrics as well as the production and I remembered a mention about "Guero"'s happy soundscapes belying (sp?) the darkness in the lyrics, so I went back and appreciated (the?) "Guero" more.
If you like Beck and buy his CDs when they come out (like me), you probably already have this one - but I think this one is up there with "Mellow Gold" and (maybe?) "One Foot In The Grave" as far as Not Knowing What To Expect meeting up with Pleasant Surprise to hang out for a night, talking conspiracy theories ("Chemtrails"), politics, technology and distribution of affluence ("Modern Guilt") and crashing at one's place (Volcano") after the other realizes that everything's about to change ("Walls").
Misunderstandings of the Experimental Music Genre If I may say that I'm a pure-at-heart-lover of real music...meaning this, I pretty much have to like ALL of the songs on a individual(s) album before I buy it. I've read some of the reviews after buying and listening to the album...and I truely feel that some on too critcal when it comes to this album. All Beck's doing is finding another route as of music...most of the songs of Modern Guilt sound like some of his past work but with a twist and the lack of his usual one-liners and jokes. I mean those that are saying they are fans can't really be because if they were they would know that this album is part of the experimental genre...which as he claims himself to be...or maybe some people don't know what the definition of experimental music means. Perhaps bring more experimental/electronica to his sound was a mistake to the critics...then again that's a mistake with most artists that been out for years and trying something new...a gamble of music...they either win with the fans or don't...Beck has surely won with me. So for those that are trying to get into Beck...you don't have to listen to Odelay and Guero first...you have to be into the genres of experimental and electronica...if you're not then don't buy the album, period.
Electronic Psych-rock If you have any experience with Beck's music you know his lyrics are always interesting and unlike most other musicians. This album is no different offering Beck's obscure lyrics, explosive sound, and synthesized beats. Several of the songs have a psychedelic feel to them including the opener Orphans. Gamma Ray, one of my favorites starts off like the theme to a James Bond film then kicks into an infectious groove. Chemtrails starts off slow, with a soft vocal then opens up into a rockin' drum track. Modern Guilt is also one of my favs, starts off with a distorted drum beat, adds piano, a mellow vocal then includes a cool guitar riff. Youthless is next with all kinds of synthesized beats wrapped around lyrical melodies. Beck uses words that rhyme together to fill the vocal track alot, but it works. The next two tracks are my least favorite with Walls being just over 2 minutes. On Soul of a Man it starts out with a odd mix of bass & drum which takes a few listens to get into, this became one of my favs quickly. Profanity Prayers is one of the best tracks on this record... it begins with a hammering drum track followed by Beck singing about spiritual concern, in midsong breaks into a slide guitar solo then crosses to electric guitar riffs and finishes out strong. The final track slows down from the rest of the album, with a song that tells us about someone who's at a breaking point in their life and possibly on the verge of soul searching.
To sum up... essential Beck with more of a rock sound overall. The usual beeps, synth sounds, and out of the world lyrics. Also very hard hitting bass different than previous albums. When played on an amplified system the bass sometimes seems too much, although it fits the rest of the record. Compared to Becks last album 'the Information' which has a much smoother sound, Modern Guilt brings out the electronic rock that has been heard on a handful of tracks from Beck's older records. Maybe not the best album he's put out recently but definitely superior to most music that's being produced these days.
Best Beck yet! ...In hindsight, we now see that he was essentially beefing up his production rate in the years between Mutations and Modern Guilt to complete his contract with Geffen. However, it's with Modern Guilt that he crafted perhaps his most graceful maneuver. Commandeering Dangermouse for the rhythm section to accompany his next set of serious melodic songs was a brilliant move. Having Dangermouse on board allowed Beck to challenge notions of loosing relevance in modern times, but also to set the stage for an awesomely anti-climactic farewell to his label, because Dangermouse applies a decidedly more meek and much different overall approach than the Dust Brothers, although equally sample driven and not dominated by the synthesizer sound of Midnight Vultures or The Information. In essence we are afforded the opportunity to look back at Guero and to see how Beck perhaps imagined it being more like this and would have preferred to just play his simple folk songs to an ample rhythm section. Though I am sure he ultimately has no regrets, it must have been satisfying to fulfill his contract with something so simple, devoid of elaborate orchestration and devoid of grandiose live bands. All along Beck just wanted to be a great songwriter, more than some kind of hit machine that Geffen wanted him to be. As a result, Modern Guilt is a rich album that prioritizes lyrical meaning over quasi-rap absurdity, musical subtlety over textural kitsch, and as such it is a living and breathing record that evolves with each listen and in each environment and company that you listen to it in. Beck seemingly walked into the studio with just his acoustic and a handful of songs from his living room, and came back with the most modest and even-handed accompaniment of his career. Though few may say so, I also feel this is among Dangermouse most spot-on production since "The Good, The Bad and The Queen" or the first Gnarls Barkley (though I enjoy all of DM's work). Maybe if we are lucky, then Beck will really throw us for a loop now that he is independent, and return to the sound of "Stereopathetic Soulmanure." For the dogs tracking him, that just might throw us off his scent.
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Talented Musician Shines Again Beck never disspoints and since his break through Odelay, he continues to change and produce good music.
His newest record conitnues his traditiion. Electronic with grooves and cool playing or real instruments. Gamma Ray, Modern Guilt (with its groove) and Replica are three of my favorite tracks.
Also if this is the first time you have heard of Beck, make sure to get Odelay, which remains my favorite Beck record.
Anything Goes Trivia
Last Kiss
Megaton Man
Trevor
) En los últimos años, Beck ha navegado libremente por las aguas de las música electrónica y la alternativa, ahora está regreso al mundo de la música con Modern Guilt, un disco que se inclina más hacia la música electrónica y que desgraciadamente sólo tiene un par de canciones que se destacan como "Modern Guilt" y "Orphans." Y el problema no tiene nada que ver con el hecho de que sea un disco más electrónico que acústico, el sonido del disco es muy pobre, pareciera que Beck está cantando dentro de una cubeta, y el beat no parece cambiar de una canción a la otra. Si no se pone extrema atención a cada canción no se dará cuenta del momento en que cambian los tracks. Si bien Beck es uno de los músicos más creativos y versátiles de los últimos años hay que decir que este es un disco en el que los temas carecen de profundidad. Esperemos que Beck realmente nos sorprenda con su siguiente producción. --Ernesto Sánchez (People en Español