Origins Modern
Beck – Modern Guilt – Album Review
Copyright (c) 2008 Marvin J Markus
Beck’s latest album is Modern Guilt which will be released in the UK on July 7th and in the US on July 8th. It’s his first album since 2006’s critically acclaimed album The Information.
Modern Guilt has only 10 tracks and is just under 34 minutes, making it the most concise album of Beck’s career. His last album, 2006’s The Information had 15 tracks and was over 61 minutes long.
What follow is a track by track look at Modern Guilt.
1. “Orphans”
I think this may be my early favorite on the album. It has such a transfixing strange sound to it. It’s totally spaced out but it still has a great drum beat at the same time. It also has some of the best Beck vocals I’ve ever heard. Cat Power adds some backing vocals.
2. “Gamma Ray”
This one actually reminds me strangely enough of some sort of psychedelic tinged surf rock song at first but then it turns into something else entirely. It has a real classic rock sound but it’s all distorted and strange at the same. This is some of the most original and interesting production I’ve heard in quite some time. The album was actually produced with the help of Danger Mouse of “Grey Album” & Gnarls Barkley fame.
3. “Chem Trails”
This is my other early contender for favorite song on the album. Beck’s vocals sound unlike any vocal I’ve heard from him before. Everything is phased out, it’s totally tripped out but the song remains catchy with big drums and a great bass line that propel the song forward.
4. “Modern Guilt”
Funky drums and fuzzy atmospherics grab my attention at first. But it’s really just a great catchy pop song that has a fantastic groove and cool guitar riffs.
5. “Youthless”
This album just keeps getting better and better. This is another great song that includes an exceptionally catchy chorus.
6. “Walls”
A warped sounding string section catches the interest right away. Again, it’s a very strange sounding song but the vocal line itself is quite catchy, at it’s heart it’s another great pop song but with a lot of experimental flourishes.
7. “Replica”
Skittering beats propel this song. It sounds somewhat like the drums are in double time or perhaps even quadruple time in comparison with the rest of the music. Quite unusual.
8. “Soul Of A Man”
This one actually reminds me somewhat of Beck’s Mellow Gold days although it’s really not that similar to anything in particular. It’s another original song. That’s probably the real feat of this album, the originality of it. For someone who has already given us so much great original music, it’s amazing that Beck is still pulling new tricks.
9. “Profanity Prayers”
Wow. Just another great song. Literally every song on this album is a winner. This may be the tightest, most consistently great album of Beck’s career. While Guero & particularly The Information had some great moments, they both sometimes felt like they dragged on too long with too many songs that weren’t quite as great as the ones that were around them. That’s not the case with Modern Guilt. Every song sounds necessary and doesn’t let you down.
10. “Volcano”
I know I said “Orphans” and “Chemtrails” were the two tracks in the running for my favorite track, but I think this one is right there as well. It’s a song that has the depth of feeling of it of a Sea Change song but it’s produced and arranged in a very Modern Guilt way, and I quite like the Modern Guilt way.
About the Author
Marvin J. Markus is a contributor to the Music By Day Music Site. He recommends
buying an electric guitar
and rocking like never before.
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