A Guilty Pleasure

Beck has nothing to be ashamed of with his latest album.  2008's Modern Guilt is another fine work that has this already respected veteran rocker exhibiting even more maturity.  On this album, Beck takes a more retro approach with songs that resemble '60s rock.  He deftly blends in some more modern sounds but keeps them to a minimum.  Overall, Modern Guilt sounds a lot like 2002's Sea Change only a lot less dour.  Just about every track has some uplifting aspect to balance out the darker, more minimalist sounds.

"Orphans" sets the tone well with its perfect mixture of smooth folk-rock with other sounds mixed in that pick up the pace and even add a slight Beach Boys vibe.  "Chemtrails" is a dreamy, Radiohead-esque number that will make you drift away before some very cool drumming pulls you right back into the song and closes out with a Beatles-like psychedelic trip.  Danger Mouse's production proves especially effective on "Replica," which has a bit of a dance groove on what would would be an otherwise dark number.  The only track that's entirely dark is the plodding heartbreaker "Volcano," which exhibits, through both words and music, a massive amount of emotion: "I've been drinking all these tears so long / All I've got left is the taste of salt in my mouth." 

Modern Guilt does, however, have its share of completely upbeat numbers such as the toe-tapping title track, which moves along with a bouncy beat and catchy "La-da-da-da"s from Beck.  "Gamma Ray" is easily the most fun of the bunch thanks to a peppy '60s British rock groove and an addictive chorus with a touch of electronic chiming to keep things a little more up to date. Similarly, "Profanity Prayers" has a fun, pure rock style with some cool distortion in the vocals.  And the alt-blues "Soul of a Man" has a good amount of soul itself, showing Beck's flair for maintaining classic emotion and keeping the modern sounds obvious without letting them dominate.

Clocking in at 33:55, Modern Guilt is short but tight with not a single track feeling like filler.  However, it doesn't have any tracks that really feel huge either.  "Gamma Ray" is sure to get stuck in your head frequently, but nothing here is really awe-inducing.  Of course, there's something to be said for a wholly cohesive album, and that's just what Modern Guilt is.  While Beck is a master at throwing out all kinds of wild styles, he also proves here that he is just as adept at crafting a consistent sound over one album.  Modern Guilt isn't a classic, but it's a great piece of chill-out music, and another excellent addition to the Beck catalog.

Also from Beck:

Mellow Gold
Odelay
Midnite Vultures
Guero