Beck has been releasing music for going on twenty years now. Since his first release, the multi-talented musician and songwriter has been labeled everything from an underground sensation and an alternative rock phenom to a one-hit-wonder and a mainstream sellout. Throughout the years and the labeling - which has included on more than one occasion the above - Beck has continued to develop and release some of the most original music that has been developed by blurring the lines between the basic definitions of genres. For Beck there is no classification, only music.
With his latest full-length, Modern Guilt, Beck has teamed up with famed producer Danger Mouse (mastermind behind the Jay-Z and The Beatles mash-up, but also producer to acclaimed albums by Gorillaz, The Black Keys, and Gnarls Barkley). "Orphans" is the lead track and starts the effort off in a fashion that mixes simplistic drumbeats, sampling, and the bluesy croon of Beck. Flourishes of guitars, keys, and other instrumentation are added to the general structure in fitting fashion. The song also features additional vocals by Charlyn Marshall, better known as Cat Power. "Gamma Ray" follows with plodding basslines, playful beats, and even a dash of surf-guitar going on. It's an odd tune, but it's quite infectious.
Lead single "Chemtrails" begins on a somber note and at first had me referencing Sea Change. After the first thirty-seconds the song moves along to add programmed beats and Beck's haunting harmonies. In actuality, this song could have appeared on the aforementioned album and I wouldn't call it out of place. It is a bit slow for a single, especially from Beck, but it works. The title-track, on the other hand, is a dancey number akin to his work on Midnight Vultures and The Information with its mix of hip-hop beats and simple guitar tones and snyths backing the whole.
While the music put forth on Beck's albums oftentimes takes the focus, the vocal abilities of the now thirty-eight year-old musician are equally as noteworthy. His vocal harmonies and singing abilities are often lost within all the going-ons of the music, but they do get to shine from time to time. "Walls" is a good example of this.
Nevertheless, it is the song construction of Beck that makes Modern Guilt so good. "Soul of a Man" boasts a catchy rhythm and chorus that's easily as rocking as anything heard on Odelay. Closer "Volcano" is combination of very basic programming and simple guitar notes while Beck allows us a glimpse into his world.
The production duties by Danger Mouse are spot on. While Beck wrote and composed the songs, it's not unlikely that there were new additions and tweaks supplied by Danger Mouse that affected the final output of the songs here. Whatever those may be, the album is still a Beck album, but you can feel the tweakings of Danger Mouse - "Youthless" is likely one of those with its computerized effects.
Beck continues his redefine his abilities as a songwriter with Modern Guilt. It is safe to say that we will never hear the same album twice from Beck, so each new album marks a new listening adventure with a whole new spectrum of influences.
