BECK

'Modern Guilt'

My relationship w/ the music of one Mr. Beck Hansen can best be likened to a trip through mountainous terrain, full of peaks and valleys...a journey full of both highs and lows. I've become completely enamored w/ him on albums like 'Odelay', 'Sea Change' and 'Guero'...only to hit a wall of complete disinterest w/ releases like 'Midnight Vultures' and 'The Information' w/ a resounding thud. That said, the collective output is still awesome enough to make me giddy w/ anticipation upon news of each new release.

The additional bonus that he would be working on his most recent release, 'Modern Guilt', w/ producer du jour Danger Mouse, further peaked my interest. Considering the whizzbang job D.M. did on the latest from the Black Keys, it sounded like a lethal combination...and, needless to say, i'm not disappointed in the least. While hardly a revolutionary record on par w/ the genius of 'Odelay' and the beautiful earnetsness of 'Sea Change', 'Modern Guilt' sprinkles a little bit of each all over what ends up being a satisfying listen.

'Modern Guilt' starts w/ a pleasant little modern (almost uptempo) take on 60's psychedelia w/ 'Orphans', prior to shifting into a more punchy turn at spy-rock on my favorite track, 'Gamma Ray'. The album then veers upwards into the clouds on another lush, sweeping psychedelic nugget that wouldn't have sounded out of place on 'Mutations' in 'Chemtrails'. I really dig the peppy (yet restrained) new wave electro-stroll of 'Youthless' into the float-right-off-the-ground Beatle-esque pop of 'Walls'. The greasy blues stomp of 'Soul of Man' eventually rides of into the sunset on the contemplative sounding balladry of the final track that is 'Volcano'.

Here's the funny thing, even with all those twists and turns into different tempos and style...I think that 'Modern Guilt' ends up being one of Beck's most cohesive, satisfying bodies of work. Danger Mouse never lets any of the samples or electronic garnishes take precedent over the song itself and seems to have helped produce an album pleasantly lean and focused in comparison to the previous two releases.

A lot of folks may finds it to be a 'grower'...initially on the fence, i'm digging it more and more with each listen. I think it will depend on what version of Beck you are looking for: quirky, offbeat sonic collage artist or serious, sometimes dark, folk troubadour. Thing is, on 'Modern Guilt' he does a great job at being a little bit of both. Album drops tomorrow, get a little taste in the sample area prior to picking it up.