CD Review: Beck, 'Modern Guilt'

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IT'S THE END of the world as we know it and Beck doesn't feel fine.

There's something clearly unsettling in the air on the acoustic troubadour's new "Modern Guilt."

Perhaps the best evidence is on "Chemtrails," the kind of song that will haunt you in your sleep (in a good way), with its ghastly sounds and "Bold As Love"-esque coda. Beck opens by singing, pessimistically, "I can't believe what we've seen outside / You and me watching the jets go by" in the sky "full of chemtrails."

Global warming, anyone?

Fans first had a taste of "Chemtrails" in May, when Beck released the song via free stream on his Web site. The song is steeped in spacey organ sounds and pounding drums, and it seemed to place "Modern Guilt" as an album packed with 1960s psychedelia.

But "Modern Guilt" seems more like music from an era that hasn't happened yet.

"Chemtrails" is the only song on "Modern Guilt" without beats from producer Danger Mouse (Brian Burton), and it's the only one to feature real drums and a full band.

Beck and Burton fuse spooky guitars and punchy bass lines with hip-hop beats and synthesizers — you could call it psych-hop. Burton is credited as a collaborator on the album, and while his influence is apparent — especially on the programmed drums and loops of "Replica" — this is still Beck's show.

The album is highlighted by the opening four tracks — "Orphans," "Gamma Ray," "Chemtrails" and the title track — but "Modern Guilt" could also be a tale of two sides (for those of us who still think in terms of vinyl).

The problem with "Modern Guilt" is that, after the title track, Beck loses steam. The party virtually stops on "Youthless" and "Replica," two over-produced cuts that feature repetitive bass lines and drum patterns.

And while "Modern Guilt" finds Beck concerned about the world, he doesn't seem to know quite why, as he relates in the title track: "Modern guilt, I'm stranded with nothing / Modern guilt, I'm under lock and key / Misapprehension / Is turning into convention / Don't know what I've done but I feel ashamed."

But "side two" has one strong point: "Walls," the second of two you-wouldn't-have- noticed-if-you-weren't-told Chan Marshall (Cat Power) guest spots. The brisk album's shortest track — clocking in at 2:22 — features brilliant production from Burton, with a combination of sampled strings, drums and synthesizers that fit perfectly with Beck's vocals. It has one of the strongest hooks — again referencing the apocalypse — on the album.

"Modern Guilt" isn't Beck's best album. In fact, it might not even be Danger Mouse's best of the year — that honor still goes to The Black Keys' "Attack and Release". But the disc is a solid record with an incredible start. A step up from the overindulgence of "The Information," "Modern Guilt's" apocalyptic theme makes it perfect for your end-of-the-world party — which might happen soon, according to Beck.

Written by Express contributor Rudi Greenberg