BECK, Modern Guilt (Interscope)
Jul 14, 2008 3:44 PM
A match made in Pro Tools
When rumors of a Beck/Danger Mouse collaboration hit the Net, the questions flew as fast as old ReCyle samples. Would Danger Mouse insist Beck dress in OR scrubs? Would Beck ask Danger Mouse to divulge his working methods? Modern Guilt is, in the end, an even-handed trade-off. Beck's morose/melancholic melodies meet Danger Mouse's 1960s-fixated production in a no-man's-land of sunstroke-enabled, surrealistic possibility. Opener "Orphans" (with Chan Marshall and Jason Falkner) is an apocalyptic tale, with its ominous folk guitar, Mellotron-like synths and happy-shiny chorus supplying the album's thoughtful centerpiece. Throughout, Danger Mouse's flower-power electric guitars, vibraphone and boing-y drums lift up Beck's massive multitracked chorus like vocal group The Fifth Dimension channeling Aleister Crowley. "Gamma Ray," a pure Beck/DM collaboration, is more rocking and straightforward, with Danger Mouse's twist beat and rubbery bass riff driving Beck's ghostly vocals and echoey rockabilly guitar. "Chemtrails," "Walls," "Replica," "Volcano"—each track explores an eerie, beautifully toxic world that sounds suspended somewhere between 1969 and the year 2525.—Ken Micallef [4.5 out of 5 stars]
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