Don’t let the throwaway album art fool you. Beck put a lot of thought and work into his new album, Modern Guilt.
With a stripped down sound co-produced with Danger Mouse (how does he find the time?) and apocalyptic lyrics reflecting our uncertain times, Modern Guilt is Beck’s best work in years and perhaps his most cohesive album to date.
But as the album’s “anti-cover” (two people’s feet) suggests, to really understand this album, it’s more revealing to examine what Beck chooses to leave out.
For starters, Modern Guilt is the first beat-driven album on which Beck forgoes rapping. Like Dylan, who alienated many by “going electric” on Highway 61 Revisited, Beck decides it’s time to leave behind those fans who still request “Beercan” at concerts. This is a welcome shift. Though he broke barriers years ago as an unlikely MC, attempts to rekindle his inner Chuck D. on recent albums (Guero and The Information) felt forced. Hearing him attack the sung verses of “Gamma Ray” with the same lucid drawl he applied to his early raps is refreshing.
This album also abandons the use of borrowed samples (with the exception of one obscure lift from a late ‘60s production music catalog on “Walls“). Thus listeners are reminded of Beck’s raw instrumental talent (he plays the marimba and flute (!)) while Danger Mouse enters Beatles-esque territory (see “Orphans”) without the pesky copyright litigation that followed his Grey Album.
Modern Guilt is also startlingly bereft of humor. Irony? Of course (“I stand beside myself so I’m not alone”). Upbeat tempos? In spades (“Gamma Ray” and “Youthless”). But anyone looking to step into Beck’s Hyundai and get crazy with the cheese whiz is going to leave the party disappointed. “I’ve been drinking all these tears so long, all I have left is the taste of salt in my mouth,” he sings, reminding us he’s not in a joking mood.
The final thing left off this album is, well…finality. Almost every song ends abruptly, including the last track, “Volcano,” which even more shockingly doesn’t receive an encore of bonus noise (a Beck tradition dating back to his earliest masterwork, Stereopathetic Soulmanure).
It is this sense of deliberate absence that makes Modern Guilt so deliciously mysterious.
Is the lack of humor a reflection of a country at war or the subconscious confessions of Beck’s tortured soul? Are the abrupt song endings a simple musical choice or an apocalyptic reminder that “we’re just orphans in a tidal wave’s wake?” Is the bizarrely spare album artwork a hint for listeners to focus on the lyrics or an eleventh-hour middle finger to Interscope (this album is his last under contract with the industry giant)?
The only thing I know for sure is this: It’s nice to have a Beck album worth listening to repeatedly while decoding.
Here are three artists I found on OurStage who display Beck-esque qualities in different ways. In the comment section below, tell me which artist on OurStage reminds you the most of Beck and why. Whoever makes the most compelling case over the next week will get a free copy of Modern Guilt!
1. “Celebrate” by Kings & Queens
Vintage sounding psychedelic rock echoes the feel of Beck’s album, Modern Guilt.
2. “Hipster” by Vancans
Quirky lyrics, harmonicas, and a slow driving beat encompass Beck’s earlier work, circa Odelay.
3. “September” by Sum Majere
A vintage beat that might cause Danger Mouse to look over his shoulder. Sum even breaks out a harmonica at the end. Beck would be proud.
-written by Quinn Strassel
“Hipster” by Vancans is clearly the most Beck-esque song of the bunch. The title alone evokes the smooth stylings of the ecclectic singer/songwriter. Who is more of a hipster than Beck? Although the term is often chastised as a bad thing by being ‘too cool for school’, there really isn’t a more befitting term for him. Besides, those who whine really yearn.
From a musical standpoint, “Hipster” is pulled straight out of the Beck handbook. The song gets down to the very detail with the opening electronic beeps and roving twang of a guitar. It is clearly reminicent of Beck’s critically-acclaimed album, Odelay!, but it also has traces of one of Beck’s later works. In Beck’s recent mix CD, Guerolito, all of his songs from Guero get remixed and become their own masterpieces. “Hipster” sounds slightly like a Beck song remixed, particularly like “Heaven Hammer”. Both are epic and lyrically seem to be speaking to a specific person.
It’s not a perfect match, but this guy Nicholas Megalis reminds me of Beck. His song “The Phrase” is fun and upbeat with an ironic feel like Beck’s earlier music. Here’s a link:
http://www.ourstage.com/entry/BBEOBXFPFSVQ-the-phrase
Here’s his profile page:
http://www.ourstage.com/fanclub/ema
Hope I’m not too late!
Jamie
“Hipster” by Vancans is easily the most reminiscent of Beck. With extreme mixing skills, a kind of floaty, almost ghostly approach to vocals, and lyrics that stray away from the norm, Jeremiah Vancans was one of the first artists to catch my attention on Our Stage. His song “Wheres My Train” immediately became a personal fave, and this song also shows another side of his music relative to beck. However, make no mistake, with all the comparisons to beck, vancans stands on their own. He has tunes that favor becks style, but nothing that really imitates becks songs. Vocally he comes very close to sounding like beck at times. A couple tracks make me think of becks album “Mutations”.He can shift easily between many different styles and can seemingly make use of any instrument that happens to come his way, just like the Beckster himself. But, what this all comes down too is what i really want to say. Listen to Vancans, and if you dont think he is the artist here most reminiscent of beck, then id have to say you dont know what the %$#@ youre talking about.!!!! Now send me my cd!!!
Hey Quinn,
good review. I’m loving this record. I think it’s easily his best since Sea Change and I think it’ll soon become one of my favourite Beck albums of all time!
As for who sounds like him, that’s a tough one. To be honest, I don’t think anybody really sounds like him. Obviously people have been influenced by him but the thing that makes Beck so great is that dispite his amazing genre-bending versatility and range, he still always manages to sound like Beck and nobody else sounds like Beck!
hhhhmmmmm….after careful consideration, I think that Vancans might be one.
I like Hipster. Although I think it’s more Mellow Gold than Odelay. Gang Vocals, melodica. Yeah.
Thank you for the review. I’m a big fan of Beck, and after reading this, I will definitely check out his CD.