Beck review
July 8th, 2008 by Wade Tatangelo in News
Modern Guilt
BECK
DGC
Beck, one of the most consistently brilliant pop stars of his generation, teams with producer-of-the-moment Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley) and sparks the size of mushroom clouds oughta fly, right? Then again, rock history is littered with less than spectacular super groupings and pairings: Velvet Revolver, Audioslave, 90 percent of Willie Nelson’s duets. So it really shouldn’t surprise that Beck’s new disc Modern Guilt doesn’t dazzle.
Main problem? Beck sounds bored. His vocals are delivered with all the passion and conviction of an office drone forced to give an impromptu speech at his evil boss’s birthday party. All 10 tracks underpin the idea that we’re dealing with a tortured artist, one gripped by depression and paranoia. But whereas, say, Thom Yorke makes you truly believe he’s lost complete faith and trust in humanity, Beck’s fatalistic outlook ultimately sounds forced. Like he’s fronting his blue feelings. Worse, Beck the lyricist has gone from a writer of glorious gibberish to emo droppings like “I’m tired of people who only want to be pleased / But I still want to please you.”
Sonically, the album relies far too heavily on gauzy washes that linger like waiting room music. There’s a hook here and there but nothing truly innovative. Nothing that registers below the neck. Has Danger Mouse blown his wad? For instance, the hook of “Soul of a Man,” Modern Guilt’s hottest number, bears a strong resemblance to the hook of “Sky Saw,” the leadoff track from Brian Eno’s 1975 classic Another Green World. 2.5 stars
July 8th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
agreed, couldn’t really get into to this one, even after a few listens.
July 8th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
yeah, i dig “chemtrails” but the rest largely left me flat
July 9th, 2008 at 10:05 am
I really wish I didn’t agree with you as much as I do. I’m a Beck fluffer; I really love his white boy funk/hip hop, but I’m okay with departures. Though I must admit I can’t make it through Sea Change all the way, but there are some truly great songs on the album.
To me it’s an average, but uninspired take on psychedelic rock. If it wasn’t Beck I think it would garner more than 2.5 stars. But numbers sucks, and letters rule so I’ll roll out a B minus.
July 9th, 2008 at 11:57 am
“If it wasn’t Beck I think it would garner more than 2.5 stars” … That’s an interesting point. It’s difficult not to judge an artist against his past works, which is obviously a huge disadvantage for Beck, one of my favorite artists to emerge in the ’90s … But I still wouldn’t give “Modern Guilt” a higher mark than C plus.