At first glance, it seems like the teaming of Beck and Danger Mouse is a perfect pairing of postmodern pranksters, as neither musician has shaken the first impression he's made: for most, Beck is still seen as that ironic Loser, trawling through pop culture's junk heap, while Danger Mouse is the maverick of The Grey Album, the mash-up of the Beatles and Jay-Z that reads like a joke but doesn't play like one. Close listening to either man's body of work easily dispels these notions, as Beck has spent as much time mining the murky melancholia of Mutations as he has crafting neon freakouts like Midnite Vultures. He's made a career bouncing from one extreme to the other, occasionally revisiting the cut 'n' paste collage that would have seemed like a natural fit for the sample-centric Danger Mouse, but when he partnered with Danger Mouse in 2008, Beck's pendulum was swinging away from the Odelay aesthetic, as he spent two records on the lighter side, thereby dictating a turn toward the dark. As it happens, this is Danger Mouse's true forte, as his productions have almost uniformly been dark, impressionistic pop-noir, whether he's working with Damon Albarn on the Gorillaz or the Good, the Bad & the Queen, or collaborating with Cee-Lo as Gnarls Barkley (whose fluke hit "Crazy" had nasty rumbling undercurrents) or even blues-rockers the Black Keys. So, he turns out to be a perfect fit for Beck, just perhaps not in the way that many might expect, although the title of their album Modern Guilt should be a big tip-off that these ten tracks are hardly all sunshine and roses.
Compared to the waves of grief on Sea Change, Modern Guilt trips easily, as this is a deft tapestry of drum loops, tape splices, and chugging guitars pitched halfway between new wave and Sonic Youth. This may not brood but it's impossible to deny its heaviness, either in its tone or its lyrics. Beck peppers Modern Guilt with allusions to jets, warheads, suicide, all manners of modern maladies, and if the words don't form coherent pictures, the lines that catch the ear create a vivid portrait of unease, a vibe that Danger Mouse mirrors with his densely wound yet spare production. As on his work with Albarn and the Black Keys, Danger Mouse doesn't impose his own aesthetic as much as he finds a way to make it fit with Beck's, so everything here feels familiar, whether it's the swinging '60s spy riff on "Gamma Ray," the rangy blues on "Soul of Man," the stiff shuffle of the title track, or the thick and gauzy "Chemtrails," which harks back to the sluggish, narcotic psychedelia of Mutations. Danger Mouse assists not only with execution but with focus, pulling in Modern Guilt at just over half an hour, which is frankly a relief after the unending sprawl of The Information and Guero. Its leanness is one of the greatest attributes of Modern Guilt, as every song stays as long as it needs to, then lingers behind in memory, leaving behind a collection of echoes and impressions. If anything, Modern Guilt may be just a little bit too transient, as it doesn't dig quite as deep as its subjects might suggest, but that's also par for the course for both Beck and Danger Mouse: they tend to prefer feel to form. Here, they deliver enough substance and style to make Modern Guilt an effective dosage of 21st century paranoia.
So Club Nokia opened it's doors this past Sunday with back to back shows from, none other than "LA's Finest," Beck. I was extremely excited about this show, A) because Club Nokia was brand new and B) because I've seen Beck play numerous times and each show is different experience. The guy is one of the last true performers. So, needless to say, I was optimistic about the event and even more i...
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If I were to ask my 17 year old self if I thought I would be seeing Beck again at 29 I don't know how I would answer that. This is embarrassing to say now, but the last time I saw Beck was at one of those Twisted Christmas shows when I didn't know any better. I remember, vividly, the lanky chap scurrying and fitting about on stage in a leisure suit. If I recall correctly he was supporting Od...
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The street cars were filled to the brim with braided and bangled urban hippies as they passed thirsty, hopeful concertgoers, screaming on the platform. I think three J street cars passed me before I could squeeze my tiny frame through the crowd.By the time I made it to the park I had completely missed my little press meeting, and was about to miss Beck, so I scrammed to get my ticket and~~
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Let's face it; Beck needed a return to form. His last two long players ("Guerolito" and "The Information") were cursed with so many weighty inconsistencies that even the most loyal followers must have questioned his wisdom. Fortunately, owing to his immense chameleonic abilities, one knew Hansen wouldn't stand still for long. The Danger Mouse produced "Modern Guilt" is his most conventional, me...
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--- - |- Beck's latest release, "Modern Guilt", is also his first collaboration with Gnarls Barkley member and Gorillaz producer DJ Dangermouse. The album features a remarkable synergy as both Dangermouse and Beck have created a retro-future psychedelic 60's sound. Under the production of Dangermouse, Beck's ethereal backing vocals, chugging bottomless bass, and impeccable ear for melody take ...
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Beck - Modern Guilt(Interscope, 2008)3.5 out of 10A friend and fellow Beck-listener grabbed a leak of Modern Guilt, and neither of us noticed the irony between title and situation until I began writing this review. One problem is that the phrase "modern guilt" isn't nearly evocative enough either on its own or with Beck's contextual guidance to make an impression but that it should mean somethi...
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--- - |- Beck's latest release, "Modern Guilt", is also his first collaboration with Gnarls Barkley member and Gorillaz producer DJ Dangermouse. The album features a remarkable synergy as both Dangermouse and Beck have created a retro-future psychedelic 60's sound. Under the production of Dangermouse, Beck's ethereal backing vocals, chugging bottomless bass, and impeccable ear for melody take ...
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It looks like Beck's newly-formed Record Club wasn't enough to keep him busy. His official site is now boasting an interview section called Irrelevant Topics which aims to feature "conversations between musicians, artists, writers, etc. on various subjects, without promotional pretext or editorial direction." First up, Beck gets irrelevantly conversating with Mr. Tom Waits about L.A., "Best Of...
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As Beck's "Gamma Ray" off his latest Modern Gult graces MOG homepage a pixelated version emerges of the track:
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though it wanted too. The unseen sun and haze in the sky conspired to wash my place on the globe with a grey pall that left the ground shadowless.Today wasn't like yesterday. Today won't be like tomorrow.Jokes weren't as funny, they were merely amusing statements.Food had lost some of it's flavor, nothing more than sustenance.Music lost it's power, today it was just a diversion.I know the reaso...
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I can't decide if he's channeling a 70's rocker (can't put my finger on who though) or if he's been hanging out with Tommy Sunshine too much. Either way, I like the song "Gamma Ray" a lot, especially because it sounds a lot like the tunes on Mellow Gold which is my fave Beck album. Here's the new video, let me know what you think: Of course, the song really is Beck through and through. He s...
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I'm really digging Modern Guilt so far, and this track, "Gamma Ray," has a killer riff. Dig it if you can.
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To plug his new album Modern Guilt, Beck has released a mini-trailer "conceived, created and even edited with 100% creative input from Beck every step of the way" via Amazon.com.The "exclusive advance snippets" of the Danger Mouse co-produced album (which sounds RAD!) can be seen/heard here.The short tidbits sound like Beck is definitely sticking to the electronic mellowness of Guero. And if yo...
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Beck - Modern Guilt(Interscope, 2008)3.5 out of 10A friend and fellow Beck-listener grabbed a leak of Modern Guilt, and neither of us noticed the irony between title and situation until I began writing this review. One problem is that the phrase "modern guilt" isn't nearly evocative enough either on its own or with Beck's contextual guidance to make an impression but that it should mean somethi...
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In July Beck put together a "Gamma Ray" video that resembled a surrealistic Gap advertisement. Then in early October one of our anonymous commenters noted:This is not the actual video. Sorry to ruin things for you guys. The original stars Chloe Sevigny (Not yet released)Anonymous commenters know their shit: Today Beck premieres the Jess Holzworth-directed "Gamma Ray Redux" video starring Ms. Se...
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As you may know, Beck has been working on a new album with Danger Mouse at the controls. It's rumored to be out this summer and have Cat Power on one track. The album still lacks a title, but you can get your first taste of it today on Beck's myspace page where he's streaming the track "Chemtrails". The song made its debut on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio show over the weekend and Beck is streaming ...
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As Michael Goldberg just reported, Beck's upcoming new album will be titled Modern Guilt. However, we just got news of the tracklisting and album cover as well! The album, produced by Danger Mouse (half of Gnarls Barkley) and is due for release on July 8th in N.America via DGC and July 7th in Europe/UK via XL Recordings. Here is the cover and tracklist: 1. Orphans2. Gamma Ray3. Che...
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See what I mean?... I dig the song and love the cinematography....
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It's almost time for Beck's new album Modern Guilt to drop on the masses - July 8th to be exact. In timely fashion, Beck uploaded this video that gives a sneak preview into a montage of songs off the new album. Check it out, it's as if only a week has passed since he last released videos and albums and we're simply ready for more: You probably already listened to "Chemtrails" a bunch of time...
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Beck, the chameleon of the alternative world has done it again with his new album "Modern Guilt." Hailed as the return to Beck, the album returns to Beck's fun and flouncy style, flirting with technology while still maintaining a sense of maturity in the face of the fading decade. Mouthfuls of descriptions aside, the vinyl release of "Modern Guilt" is due in stores July 22.Sick of hearing about...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Orphans |
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| 2 Gamma Ray |
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| 3 Chemtrails |
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| 4 Modern Guilt |
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| 5 Youthless |
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| 6 Walls |
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| 7 Replica |
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| 8 Soul of a Man |
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| 9 Profanity Prayers |
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| 10 Volcano |
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 "Modern Guilt")
