Beck: Modern Guilt

 Beck: Modern Guilt

2008

DGC Records

Format I Own it On: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Orphans  2. Gamma Ray  3. Chemtrails  4. Modern Guilt  5. Youthless  6. Walls  7. Replica  8. Soul of a Man  9. Profanity Prayers  10. Volcano


Beck's 2008 collaboration with famed producer Dangermouse...



This album sports a bleak, paranoid 21st century feel...The track listing and running time is lean compared to his last couple of albums  (10 songs in 33 minutes) and Beck ditches the rapping completely. Instead he spends the album crooning over a bone-dry backing of clattering percussion and sparse bass grooves...

 

This is probably my least favorite of Beck's albums, but his output has been pretty consistent, so that's not saying much...It actually has a killer side one... Everything in the first half works like crazy; "Gamma Ray" is one of his coolest tracks, and he actually pulls off "ominous" thanks to the song's creepy spy riff and glitched-out vocals...Come to think of it "Chemtrails" is kind of spooky too...I'm not sure what Beck is singing about, some sort of conspiracy theory apparently, but it's a beautiful, disorienting slice of woozy psychedelia... 

 But as I find myself deep into the second half of this record I can feel my attention wander from time to time...which marks the first time I've ever dazed out while listening to a Beck record...Usually his records are so jam-packed with interesting ideas and melodies that it takes a couple listens just to take it all in...Luckily, the catchy Velvet Underground stomp of "Profanity Prayers" is there to liven things up...

This album is Beck's last record to date, but there's been recent news that he'll be releasing an acoustic album soon, and as always, I'll be the first in line at the record store to check it out....Who would have thought that Beck would end up being one of the most important and influential musicians to come out of the '90's...I can recall hearing "Loser" for the first time back in 1994, and absolutely hating it...It seemed like some sort of novelty tune aimed at the "slacker" set... But people would always tell me, "Man, forget 'Loser', You've got to check out the rest of the album..." But I continued to avoid "Mellow Gold" like the plague...

Then I remember hanging out at one of Scott's legendary bonfires and someone put on the "Mellow Gold" cassette...I was skeptical at first, but as I listened on, there was no denying I was dead-ass wrong...It was an incredible album and the guy really was a true talent...And he's proven time and time again that it wasn't a fluke...With that said, let's check out "Profanity Prayers" by Beck...Enjoy...